Set Yourself Up For Success

Whenever you start a new fitness program or diet you are hopeful and dedicated. Then two weeks go by and you may not see results. Then a month goes by and you begin to go back to your old ways. Sound familiar?

This time start your new goals by setting yourself up for success. Set the stage with good intention, a good environment and the reasonability of your goal. There are ways to truly give you a real chance to lose weight and eat better.

Give these a try:

Follow a plan. Success without a plan is called luck. Luck is not what you want to base your goals on, so do yourself a favor and plan ahead. Make a list before you do your weekly grocery shopping, plan your meals for every day and even your snacks. Sunday night separate your snack servings so you can have them with you at all times. Make larger quantities a food ahead of time, so it will be easy to reheat after all long day. Have fun cooking easy meals, you will be surprised how quickly you can put meals together.

Find an eating plan that works with your tastes. Be reasonable about this, there is no such thing as an ice cream diet. Start slowly; begin to replace some of your foods with better alternatives like trading in regular pasta with a whole grain. Add some SUPER FOODS that are nutrient rich to your plan and eat your favorites occasionally and in moderation. Starting slow will give you a better chance to ease yourself into this new lifestyle.

Develop a new relationship with food. Food at its most primitive use is for sustenance and later we learned to make it pretty and tasty. This tastiness makes us feel good, comforts us and leads us to eat more than we should. Start to look at food as fuel rather than for emotional needs. When you go to the grocery store and see the fresh food and veggies, the whole grains and lean meats know that these foods will make you healthier, slimmer, younger , and more beautiful. The processed, sugary stuff will literally have the opposite effect.

Get support network. Studies show that having a partner in crime will help you stay on track. If you don’t have a willing associate, get your husband or boyfriend and even your children on board. I am sure that their diets will benefit from eating healthier. Start with at least one meal a day that is healthy. Don’t stock up on cookies and chips for them and keep the serving sizes limited so it will be less tempting for you. If the snacks are in the house, keep them out of sight. You won’t eat what you don’t see.

And finally,

Be realistic with your goals and be patient. Work with your body type and make it the best it could be. Do not compare yourself to super airbrushed images that you see in magazines, most are not that cute anyway. Remember you can be fit, healthier and more beautiful than you already are right now. Good nutrition and an active fitness plan can make you a better version of yourself and that should be our goal.

Good luck!

Fiorella

Starting Slow Will Keep You On Track

The New Year is almost here and we all have good intentions of living
a healthy lifestyle, getting back to the gym and working on our weight
loss.

But this sounds familiar doesn’t it? It’s exactly what we said last year,
but here you are with no real results. I have found that the best intentions,
if not reasonable will not work. If you are 20 pounds or more overweight,
start slowly so it won’t be such a shock for you.

Emptying your fridge, throwing out all your goodies, and replacing them
with cottage cheese will last about a week. You want to create a foundation
with your weight loss efforts so they will endure the long run. Without
chucking all the food out of your cabinets, start here and you will see big results.

Trade your white foods for brown foods: Nowadays whole grain foods
are very easy to find. Pick brands that are highest in fiber, compare and
read labels. The great thing is that almost all white foods like rice,
breads and pastas all have very tasty brown alternatives. Try brown
rice, whole grain pastas, whole wheat breads or bagels. With trial and
error you can find a type or brand that fits your tastes. These slowly
digested carbs will keep your blood sugars steady and help you feel
full.

Don’t drink your calories- This step cannot be stressed enough. Have
you ever looked at the sugar content in one can of soda or glass of
juice? These beverages can make or break weight loss progress. Try
added no sugar flavor mixes to your water. Pick flavored seltzer waters
if you need carbonation or real juices with no added sugar. Diet sodas
are also an option if you don’t mind the taste.

There was a time when all I would drink was soda all day long. Once I
removed it from my diet, I saw dramatic results.

Reduce your portion sizes- In a super-sized world, this can be very
difficult, but this is where preparation is key. Start with smaller
plates (I am not kidding) and fill most of the plate with veggies. If
you make a large portion of any food, separate the food into portions
and put them away in the fridge or freezer as individual servings.

Do not wait until you are starving to eat because you will be more prone
to overeat. Creating little baggies of food, that you can take with
you during the day will keep you from feeling too hungry

Limit sugar- We all love the sweets but lets be honest, do we need all
the extra snacking and seconds on desserts? Moderation is key, when you
want to kick start your weight loss program. Snack on fruits that will
relieve your sweet tooth as often as possible. If you trade in a juicy
piece of fruit for those m&m’s in the afternoon five days a week, it
will help your progress. Sugar calories add up very quickly and have no
nutritional value. I have dessert once a week, but it has taken years
for me to get on this track. I really do not miss the daily sweet
indulgences, instead I look forward to a savory lean steak or fresh
fish.

Get up and moving- In the beginning, it takes as little as walking to
start seeing results. Start at 30 minutes a day and keep pushing up the
time as the weeks go by. If you want to start with gym but can’t afford
it, there are many fitness shows or videos that you can follow in your
own living room. My philosophy is that activity is important, not choreography.

Dance around like a maniac in your living room for a half hour and have fun!
Once the weight begins to fall off, we can begin to fine tune your fitness goals.

Fiorella

Instructions To Lose Weight: Eat All Day

In my experience, I’ve found that people tend to stick with the first dieting information that they ever heard. I find it so difficult to change their minds with any new information. Most people still think that deprivation or bland food is inevitable, while others have “food fears” with particular foods that they were once told were off limits.

My own mother is still afraid to eat a steak! So you can assume my dilemma when I advise people to eat five mini meals a day.

First off, I would like to stress the word MINI. The idea is to take your calorie intake for the day (and this varies from person to person according to body weight and activity level) and separate the calories between 5 mini meals.

Generally for women, I would suggest meals that are between 150-250 calories. If you enjoy having a little more for dinner you can save some calories from the earlier meals and add calories to you “Dinner” meal, which can be between 450-500 calories. Another solution is having the larger meal as “breakfast”, or simply keep the calories distributed evenly throughout the day.

The benefits of eating throughout the day are enormous. First off, it keeps hunger away because you will be eating about every three hours. This will keep your blood sugar level steady and prevent the dipping that causes our bodies to store fat. Since we now know that just the act of using energy to digest our food boosts our metabolism, this method proves ideal for keeping our bodies burning fat all day long.

Remember, eating cake five times a day does not count. WHAT YOU EAT IS IMPORTANT. Ideally, combinations of protein and a fiber rich food are best. If you can’t live without carbs, add some complex carbs earlier in your day.

Here are some ideas for mini meals:

1 cup high fiber cereal with skim milk

11/2 cups of cottage cheese with berries

Low fat plain yogurt with nuts

Lean meat 3-4 oz with fibrous veggie like asparagus

Salad with 6oz can of tuna (try Italian brands in olive oil-very tasty)

1 cup of slow cooked oatmeal with fruit or low fat cheese

Protein shake with no added sugar

1 slice whole grain, high fiber bread with turkey slices

I really can go on and on! The variations are endless but stick with what you like. If you don’t like cottage cheese, don’t bother. I love it when I add fruit or sugar free jam, it’s like a little dessert. However, it may not work for you.

By adding a fiber component to each meal it allows you to feel fuller longer, which means you will feel more satisfied. Also, adding fiber to each meal relieves any constipation that comes from eating a high protein diet.

If you’re concerned about preparing five small meals, the key is preparation. On Sundays, I hard boil eggs, make tuna salad, buy my on the go cottage cheese and hey, I have also been known to cook chicken and put them into Ziploc bags so I can bring it to work with me. This prep method works for pretty much all kind of foods and can be quick and easy. It will probably also save you a bunch of money.

I follow the mini meal plan and simply adjust my intake earlier in the day if I plan to go out for dinner. I always give myself one day a week where I can eat whatever I want. The plan will be more successful for you if you take the time to find the healthy food you like and stick with it. I love food and mini meals are a way to enjoy myself while still staying on my healthy eating plan.