Is your wallet weighing you down? Maybe I’m a bit zealous about finding the silver lining, but I’ve even turned losing my wallet while traveling into a life lesson. Without access to more than $6 cash until Monday morning, my diet changed. Although I was with dear friends who were more than happy to feed me, I became more aware of what was actually necessary. I might have ordered something when we stopped at a restaurant between activities, but I realized that I wasn’t hungry enough to really need anything. I listened to rationality more than impulses.
The American Heart Association recently released recommendations for added sugars – and they say “slash slash slash” it way down. According to their position paper, the usual intake of added sugars for Americans was 22.2 teaspoons per day (355 calories per day) in 2001-2004. American Heart Association would like to see American women consume no more than 100 calories per day and men no more than 150 calories per day from added sugars. Why? Excessive consumption of sugars has been linked with several metabolic abnormalities and adverse health conditions, as well as shortfalls of essential nutrients.
Translation: Basically, Americans are overdrawing the “calorie funds” in their “discretionary calories” bank account. Discretionary calories are what’s left over in the budget AFTER you have prioritized healthy, nourishing foods to meet nutrient needs (the ole fruits, veggies, whole grains, beans). While your bank would charge you an overdraft fee, unfortunately your body can’t do that.
Maybe you had an injury. Maybe you couldn’t afford to pay the personal trainer. Maybe your DVD player broke, your walking partner quit, or you were exhausted and overwhelmed with work. No matter the reason for stopping your diet or exercise routine, you missed a workout or two. Once you’ve missed a few, it’s more than easy to miss a few more. Before you know it, you are no longer working out. And, the sad part is that while you sit on the sofa watching TV you might surf past a commercial for P90X and you think to yourself, I probably should stop eating these tortilla chips and get back to the gym. But you wonder how you will ever get back into it. Maybe you think you’ve gone too far.
If you are like most people out there trying to lose weight, chances are you aren’t doing at least a few of these five weight loss strategies on a regular basis. Check your behaviors against this list and let me know how you measure up!
1. Dieting at Night – The key to weight loss is eating, believe it or not. You need to fuel your body with healthy food during the day, starting with breakfast and have a lighter dinner; then let the dieting begin right when you are winding down. I usually tell my clients to focus on “protein and produce” at dinner. Swap your salad at lunch for a tuna wrap (choose either light mayo or cheese not both) and have an entree salad at dinner.
2. Controlling Alcohol Intake – This is probably the #1 behavior I see with clients who are trying to lose weight when they first come in. They say they drink 1-2 times a week, but then their food journal shows 2 glasses of wine.
Raise your hand if your eating habits went on vacation when you did only to result in coming home feeling heavy, sick, and a little depressed. Think about it for a second. It sounds totally absurd. Vacations are supposed to be relaxing and rejuvenating. If you come home feeling guilty and stressed, then the vacation didn’t do its job. But don’t fret, if you’ve put off your trip until the last few weeks of summer, I’ve got some tips that will have you coming home feeling happy and healthy!
- Embrace the power of portions! With portion size in mind, you can truly have whatever you want. Just not too much. By giving priority to putting fresh fruits and veggies on the plate, you’ll fill up on nutrients and fiber but not on calories. So a few bites of a high calorie dessert you “can’t resist” can fit in while you are on vacation.
- Moderate. Moderate. Moderate. I tell people to “choose between.” If you’re in the mood for a rich breakfast like pancakes, have a pancake with a couple egg whites and then for lunch have some healthy greens with grilled fish. Choose a glass of wine with dinner or dessert, but not both. Alcohol lowers the inhibitions and once you’ve had a few, resisting the “munchies” is like staying away from a BOGO shoe sale – IT AIN’T HAPPENING!
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