I will never forget when I was 13, I was astonished how my uncle stayed so thin and he never finished what was on his plate. I remember saying to him, “How do you know when you are full?” He replied, “I eat until I am satisfied and then stop.” I remember thinking, “What are you talking about?” I have never understood that concept and I still don’t. I am a member of the “Clean Plate Club.” I feel like I have been out of touch with my body for a very long time, about 30 years since I was 13 when my mother passed away.

By overeating enough at the right times I could go to sleep or just “veg” out in front of the TV with food. As I got into my mid-20s I noticed that I had a lot of gas and was going to the bathroom a lot. Years went by and I was never able to correlate what was going on with my body in relation to what I was eating. At some point I just surrendered and said to myself, “This is just the way my body is.” Meanwhile I was struggling with food and always feeling hungry.

In 1999, after I found a 12-step group for compulsive eaters, I learned a new way of eating and started eating three meals a day. That is where my work began in relation to my eating issues. I stopped eating white sugar and white flour. That is also when I learned about eating different vegetables.

Stay tuned as Rob will continue discussing his weight loss journey in Part 2 of his Listening to My Body series.

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Achieving Health by Listening to My Body, Part I

1. Not exercising enough — It’s a simple matter of calories in and calories out. If you consume more calories than you burn during the day you’ll have difficulty losing weight and will likely gain weight.

2. Feel metabolism is slowing down — The older you get the harder it becomes to lose weight. That’s why it is very important to start a healthy routine at an early age and maintaining it throughout your life.

3. Splurge too often on favorite foods — It’s OK to have you favorite food every once in a while, but it should be a treat happening once every other week or month rather then every other day.

4. Lack self-discipline — Weight loss and maintenance is all about having self-control and being disciplined day-in and day-out. Slipping up on a diet is very likely so don’t beat yourself up, however it’s important to get back on track the next time you eat rather then the next day.

5. Snack too often — If you are not careful and snack too often you can consume hundreds of unneeded calories.  Plan ahead, know when you get hungry and plan meals and healthy snacks accordingly.

6. Overeating at meals — Listen to your body and take your time while eating. Allow the time your body needs to know it has eaten enough rather then scarfing food down as fast you can without knowing you’re full, which will often leave you full and miserable.

7. Emotional eating — It’s important to eat when you’re hungry, not because you’re sad, lonely, or happy. Celebration eating should only take place when you are hungry, don’t eat simply because others around you are.

8. Eat too many high-fat foods — High fat normally means high in calories, too! Remember the calories in and calories out rule.

9. Not making the healthiest food selection — Eating fried, sauce or dressing rich foods will add some serious calories. When you eat out, have an idea of where you are going and what the healthier options are. Also, remember that eating out and grocery shopping should never take place when you are starving; being starved tends to lead to impulse buying and fatty food selections.

10. Only watching fat, not calories — Or vice versa. It’s important to look at the big picture with eating. The more nutrient dense whole foods you eat, typically the better you’ll be.

Source: American Dietetics Association

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Top 10 Reasons We Fail at Dieting

The truth is, it could save you a few extra pounds to lose with your New Year’s resolution by not overdoing it right now and staying focused. Honestly, this is a rarity and too many of us fall into temptation. So, I want to help you remember a few things when trying to lose weight. My biggest advice would be to avoid fad diets. How do you know if you are falling into a fad diet?

How to Spot a Fad Diet

1. Ridiculous and unhealthy claims, or promising a quick fix (i.e. “lose 10 pounds in a week”).

2. Claims that sound too good to be true.

3. Detox diets (yes, you will lose weight and may feel a little better about yourself, but once you begin eating food and not just juices or fruit, you will gain the weight right back).

4. Highly restrictive calories. For most people, roughly anything below 1200 calories can be too restrictive and unhealthy.

5. Claiming only one food or a certain food group will be the answer to all your weight loss questions.

6. Avoiding a specific food or food group.

7. Portions will be skewed. They will either have you consuming absurd amounts of something or promising the tiniest amount will cure you.

It’s important to treat your body right by eating healthy and regularly exercising. Don’t take the (what appears to be) easy way out! You will be greatly disappointed when you gain back the weight you lost and possibly more. Stick to the basics – eat healthy, eat plenty of fresh fruits and veggies, and eat a variety! What you put into your body now will directly impact how healthy your body is later.

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Don’t Fall Victim to a Fad Diet – Know What to Look For

The holidays are a time to celebrate with family and friends and so often, also a time where many of us tend to go overboard on the smorgasbord! Office parties, family dinners and New Years revelry, along with the stress of the holiday season, make it easy to pack on unwanted pounds. The good news is that with a little planning you can have your cake and eat it, too.

Suggestions for staying on track this holiday season include:

Plan Your Workouts: You know how busy you’ll be between Thanksgiving and New Years so start off on the right foot by committing now to a regular exercise routine. To make sure you don’t go askew; mark off on your calendar each day that you will be going to the gym between now and January 1, 2009.  If you know you have a party coming up, make certain to schedule gym time the day before and after the party. By having your schedule set in advance you are less likely to over-commit yourself to the point where you will miss those all important workouts.

Plan Your Meals: Pre-plan your meals for the next few weeks.  Rather than attempting to lose weight over the holidays, focus on a maintenance mode.  By pre-planning your meals you know that you will stay close to your allotted calories and even if you cheat with a (small) slice of pumpkin pie, you will still be able to maintain your current weight.

When you know you have a party you’ll be attending, plan to eat a meal roughly an hour before attending the event that consists of quality lean protein, vegetables and a small portion of whole grains. You never want to go to an event on an empty stomach, and by eating beforehand, you are less likely to mindlessly grab calorie laden foods while at the party. Remember, if you fail to plan you plan to fail!

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Holiday Survival Guide: How Not to Gain Weight Over the Holidays

Amy lost 54 lbs in 4 months by eating low carb and changing her attitude towards food. She has an online cooking show called Eating Low with Amy that teaches people how to cook low hassle, low carb recipes. She also runs the Eating Low web site and forum.

You’ve got the latest diet book. You’ve read it from cover to cover. You’re psyched up and ready to go. Or are you? Preparation is one of the keys to successfully losing weight and is especially important when you are starting a new plan.

Make sure you understand the diet guidelines. Even if you think you know what the plan is all about, go back and reread the guidelines again. The better you understand the plan, the easier it will be to shop for the right foods or even stay on plan if you are caught without your planned food and need to eat out.

Get rid of food that is not on your plan. Don’t even keep it in the house. It’s too easy to cheat if you keep a bunch of junk in your pantry. If your family eats food that is not on your plan, store it in a separate cabinet or have them hide the junk from you.

Make out your menu for the week. Most plans offer sample menus. Go through the sample menu and make any substitutions. Write out your plan so you know exactly what you will be eating during the week. You don’t want any surprises.

Write up a grocery list using the menu you created. Include all the items you need to make the food that is planned for the week. Don’t forget the extras that can make dieting easier. Ziploc bags are essential for portioning out food into single servings. Stock up on storage containers if you don’t have enough to store your food.

Make the food that’s on your menu. For me, it’s easiest to cook on a Sunday and then immediately divide my meal into individual servings and store them in containers. When I leave for work the next day, my food is ready and waiting in its storage container.

A food scale is handy for weighing out portions, especially in the beginning when you may not be familiar with what 3 oz. of chicken or 4 oz. of fish looks like. Once you know what a portion looks like, you’ll be able to control your portion size just by eyeballing it, even if you are eating out!

If you’ve had a successful week of weight loss, repeat that menu to keep up with your success. By slightly modifying the recipe or substituting one flavor for another, you’ll keep on losing without getting bored.

By following these simple tips, you’ll be preparing yourself for success on your diet!

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Simple Tips to Get Diet Ready

In these economically challenged times, the competition for our food dollars is fierce.  In addition, with large corporation failures, Wall Street tumbling and foreclosures at record highs, there is an ever increasing need for us to tighten our belts and be frugal with our food budgets.

Here are some suggestions on how to live on a shoestring and make wise choices while pinching pennies:

• Visit your farmer’s market or street side stand to purchase the freshest fruits and vegetables of the season.  The further you get into the growing season, the more plentiful the produce and the greater value you can find.
• Check out the frozen fruits and vegetables; sometimes they are less expensive than their fresh counterparts.
• Watch the weekly ads at your local supermarket and plan your menu around those items.  If you don’t get the paper showing you the advertisements, you can usually obtain a copy at the courtesy counter.
• Managers also have many in-store specials.  Here are a few to watch for:
  - Take a stroll to the meat department and watch for items priced to sell quickly.  Just use them quickly or pop them in the freezer and they’ll be ready to use when you are!
  - Scope out the produce department as markdowns are made when items reach the ready-to-eat stage.
  - Stores that have their own bakery typically have an area designated to sell day-old items.  This is an excellent time to buy some whole wheat, 7-grain or rye breads.  Don’t forget that you can store them in the refrigerator, which makes them last longer
  - Quite a few deli departments roast chickens and have them ready to eat.  Near the end of the day, you can find them marked down for a quick sale as they will not hold them over for tomorrow.  You can take it home; put it in the refrigerator and use for sandwiches, a meal, or in place of cooked or canned chicken in many recipes.
• Drink water and plenty of it.  Not only is it very good for you, but it save lots of money!
• Buy foods in bulk packaging, divide into portions and freeze or store the remainder for future use.  Items are usually less expensive when purchased this way.
• Avoid most processed foods as they are usually more expensive and not as healthy as cooking the natural ingredients yourself.
• Don’t go to the grocery store hungry!  It’s too easy to buy too much and be tempted by foods better left at the store.
• Consider buying store brands or shopping at discount grocery stores.  Many generic items taste just as good and are less expensive than the pricier national brands.
  Pack your lunch and avoid the temptation of fast food, increased calories and high prices.

Living on a shoestring is not only possible; it is what must be done if we are to diet successfully in this economy.  The old saying, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way!” has never been truer than now.

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Guest Blog: Living on a Shoe String While Dieting