Helpful Tips for Staying on Track With Your Diet:
Plan you meals
Remember when you were a kid and your mom would tell you to lay out your school clothes for the next day? Mom was on to something – and no, I’m not talking about making sure you were presentable for class! Just like planning out what you will wear makes it easier to get ready in the morning, planning your meals for the next day takes the guess-work out of what you’re going to eat. Not only that, but by having a plan to refer to, you no longer give yourself a choice – meaning less opportunities to slip up and “choose” a candy bar over a handful of almonds and piece of fruit! And it is an incredible savings, you're wallet will become fatter while you become slimmer!
Brown-bag it!
If you’re not already bringing your lunch to work, start now! It may take a little extra time, but packing your own lunch means that you are in control of what’s in it – and most of all, what’s not! And just like planning your meals the night before, packing it the night before is a great way to help you stay on track. A super easy thing to do is take your left overs (provided they are "healthy") from the night before, add some cut up veggies or a small salad & you're good to go. Buy a cute lunch box, whip up something healthy, and put your lunch – in your fancy new lunchbox- in the fridge so it’s all ready before you head out the door. If you’re afraid that you will forget it in the morning, try the old keys-in-the-fridge trick: put your car keys, wallet, and whatever else you need to get out the door in the fridge with your lunchbox. When you go looking for your keys, you’ll remember you stuck them in the fridge…along with your lunch!
Hit the farmers market and eat in "color"
Are you getting bored of eating the same health food day in and day out? Sounds like it’s time to check out the local farmers market! With Spring and Summer here lots of choices! Mix up your diet with new & different fruits and veggies - mostly VEGGIES, that are in season, and choose produce that is colorful and even exotic looking. Why? Well, other than being packed with more nutrients than paler varieties, we can have a tendency to want to eat food that is aesthetically appealing – so the more eye catching, the better! Veggies are your friend! They are low in sugars and carbs, loaded with fiber, water & nutrients. They fill you up and keep you full longer. If you’re not sure how to cook or eat a vegetable or fruit, ask the vendor how they like to cook the food at home, and go from there. Or if you see someone putting it in their cart, ask them! They will radiate with pride telling you how they fix it & you get to experience new prep and cooking ideas. I did this recently in a Chinese market - a lady put a large green shrub like plant in her basket, I asked her what it was and how she cooked it. She was from South Africa & gladly shared her "secrets"!
Write it down - you are 50% more likely to stick with it!It may seem like a tedious task, but writing down what you eat has been proven to be one of the best ways to stay on track with your diet. To make the process less time consuming, write down what you plan on eating the following day when you’re planning your meals the night before. If you’re counting calories or other nutrients, include the tally along with the food so you know exactly how much energy (or protein, or fat) you plan on consuming the following day. Not a pencil and paper kinda’ person? Check out the food journal apps that are available in your smartphone app store. There are a lot of really great apps that are free, functional, and easy to use! If you’re not sure which one to download, we suggest Lose It! This food-tracking app is available on both Android and iPhone, and is also accessible on the go (i.e. from your PC or Mac!). Or if you like to do it the "old fashioned way" the TLS Health Guide is a comprehensive guide to get tips & journal. It is packed with education on how to learn to eat low glycemic. I LOVE this book!
If you screw up and "fall off the wagon" - GET BACK ON, IMMEDIATELY!!
We’re all bound to slip up on our diets at one point or another, but the important thing is not to let it defeat you. If you have a piece of cake at your friend’s party on Friday, don’t wait until Monday to start eating healthy again; start back when you finish that last bite of cake. Dieting is not all or nothing! Just because you ate something unhealthy doesn’t mean that your whole day – or week! – is ruined, but it does mean that you owe it to yourself to turn it around immediately after you “mess up”.
Take a look at an "accelerator" / supplement called CORE created to deal specifically with the weight management issues related to leptin sensitivity. If you are diabetic be sure to read the label and of course run it by your doctor.
No comments:
Post a Comment