Tips for Losing Weight

There are many small changes you can make that really make a difference. The best part is, they really aren't that difficult to get used to. Just a few minor changes really add up!

Use smaller dishes.
It'll trick you into thinking you are eating more than you actually are. A full small plate vs. a full big plate is a total difference in calories. It works for me everytime. Try it.




Drink water before meal.
 
You will likely to eat less if you drink a glass of water before your meal. Like me, I  can put away quite a bit of food..the water trick makes me tone down a bit, portion wise because I become full faster. Anything to get less calories in each meal.







                      Eat slow.

I know it's a hard task sometimes if you are so used to scarfing down your food at record speed, but you'd be surprised at how much less you'd actually eat if you just tone the speed down a bit. Your body doesn't have time to get full if you are shoving food in at a constant rate. Let your body recognize the food, and most of all..actually enjoy it. I'd suggest putting your fork down after every bite, it'll take a bit longer and your body will feel full quicker. Also, remember..no distractions.

Add more vegetables.
I've recently found this helps A LOT with portions. Lets say you're having a noodles dish..we all know it's high in calories. Add your favorite vegetables, of choice, and only use half the noodles you normally do. Once you put everything on a plate, it'll still look like you are eating your regular serving..but really you're only consuming about half. The vegetables makes it look like you are eating more. You still get a taste of noodles in every bit. This will work for any higher calorie dish. So, indulge and stock up on those veggies!



Count or measure, don't just estimate.
If you want some chips, don't just eat right out of the bag..you are likely to eat more than one serving. Get a bowl and count to 16 chips or however much is in a serving. Make sure you put that bag away and don't go back for seconds. Whatever is in that bowl, is all you're having. Also, when you are pouring cereal or something of the sorts, don't just pour...get out a measuring cup and MEASURE a serving. You'd be surprised at how off you are without measuring. It's a good way to go over in calories by just estimating. So, to sum it all up...measure EVERYTHING you eat.


Weigh yourself in the morning.

This is the best time to catch an accurate weigh-in. Your body has done all its duties whilst you were sleeping. If you wait until the evening, you are just going to be disappointed. All the food you've eaten throughout the day is going to impact that number,so you'll likely weigh up to 5 pounds more. What a way to discourage you, right? Weigh yourself right as soon as you get out of bed, well..after you go potty.

Some Ingredients to Avoid

Hydrogenated Oils- It is classified under transfat.It's being added into more and more food these days. Why? Because it's cheap. It also helps the food stay on the shelf longer. Doesn't mean you SHOULD eat it. The oils could higher your cholesterol and put you at risk for a heart attack. So stay way from Hydrogenated oils and saturated fats. Try using Extra Virgin Olive Oil on your vegetables and whatever else you cook. It's a perfect way to get your good fats and doesn't have any devil fats!


High Fructose Corn Syrup/Corn- Found in almost everything these days, due to being cheaper as well. It has replaced natural cane sugar long ago, leaving a much sweeter taste. The body processes it differently, which could then result in weight gain and storing of fat..quicker. We don't need that extra sweet crap in our food. If HFCS is found at the beginning of of a food label, it means the majority of that product is made up of corn and sugar. Ugh..and you know what that means-high calories and lots of bad carbohydrates from the overpowering sweetness poison.


Other ingredients that scream corn are: 

• dextrin and maltodextrin-Made from corn starch.
• dextrose, also glucose-Simple sugars made from corn. 
• monosodium glutamate or MSG-flavor enhancer. Found in a lot of Chinese food and soups.
• xanthan gum-Thickener. You'll find it in salad dressing and egg substitutes.
• Caramel-Cooked sugar. Used for the coloring and flavoring. Found in sodas and other sweet beverages.

Refined Sugars- You may feel a sugar high and feel all 'giddy giddy' when you consume a lot, but it won't last long. You'll start feeling tired and hungry a few hours later. The sugar high may be fun but you won't be saying that when you have lumpy thighs. That's right -it's stored as fat if you consume too much. Stick with natural sugars found in fruit. It won't give you a sugar crash.


Enriched Flour- You're basically eating a bunch of chemicals when you eat this stuff. It's very processed heavy because all the nutrients were lost during the refining process. Refined products just leave you feeling hungry sooner..what's the fun in that? You are more likely to overeat. That's why I love me some WHOLE grains. Don't be fooled by multi-grains..likely to still have refined flour. Make sure it says 100% WHOLE wheat/grain. NO bleach flour!


Those are just some of the many ingredients you should stay away from. Please read every label of every food item you buy. Make sure you know what's going inside your body. If you can't pronounce the ingredient, likely means it's bad for you.


That's why eating a whole foods diet is the way to go. No artificial flavors or sweeteners, Hydrogenated Oils, HFCS/Corn, refined sugars and flours, etc. Also, you're getting the full nutrients you need, instead of all the useless crap to enhance shelf life and "taste". So what if it doesn't last as long..atleast you're doing your body some good!

Female Figures I Admire

Beyonce has the perfect body. Not super skinny, not fat either. She definitely carries her weight in all the right places. She's got it going on. In between a perfect pear shape to hourglass. I wonder how many situps and lunges she does.

Kelly Brook is pure perfection in this picture. I'm not sure if that's her real waist or a corset, but either way...I'd kill for her body. That folks is the definition of an hourglass figure. She should definitely give me her workout/eating routine.

Christina Ricci has a really cute body. She's got that slim petite look going on. I love that she's not any taller, then she'd probably look super skinny. Her height is perfect for her weight. Really small waist, short yet slim legs, and still has some trace of hips. Can we say elegant doll?

Trader Joe's/Organic Products/Natural Products #1

I absolutely love Trader Joe's. It's the only organic foods store in town. I'm thankful for it and very glad I decided to make healthier choices with no chemicals/processed foods. I'm not 100% organic just yet, but close. There's so many new products and interesting foods to try. I'd strongly suggest trying it out. It's not as expensive as you might think! I've already lost 15 pounds eating whole foods.


If you don't have a Trader Joe's near you, some of the products/imitations you can find on Amazon.com. (Which will be in bigger quantities, as well. Still reasonably priced.) Or there are some organic products in your local grocery stores, depending on where you live. 


Here are some of my favorites/eat on plan:


Blue Diamond Almond Breeze® Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk, 32 Ounce Boxes (Pack of 12)- It's lactose-free, great vegan alternative. The almond taste is perfect. It comes in Vanilla, Chocolate, and Original. They are insanely low in calories. Less fat as well. I like using mine in my granola cereal, so good. Great for recipes, etc. (Trader Joe's or Whole Foods)






Cascadian Farm Cereal, Fruit & Nut Granola-This makes for a great snack anytime of the day and of course, your breakfast. It's so delicious and the best part-no HFCS! All Natural. My favorite kind is the Fruit & Nut, but there are several other flavors/products. I use the Almond Breeze Vanilla Vanilla with it. (found in local grocery store)

Kashi TLC Cookies Oatmeal Dark Chocolate-My favorite cookie. It has a kind of grain taste to it, but it's so delicious. Less fat than your regular brand cookies and won't feel guilty indulging in one...or two. Decent sized..bigger than Chips Ahoy. (You can find these pretty much any grocery store.)

Pacific Natural Foods Organic Soup, Creamy Butternut Squash- I usually get the Trader Joe's brand butternut squash, but this is just as good. The TJ's brand only has 90 calories, so this one should be around the same. Great taste. Almost like tomato soup with a sweet taste.(find at Whole Foods)

                                   

Trader Joe's Orange Peach Mango- My favorite TJ juice of all time. 100% juice. It has orange,apple, white grape, pineapple, peach, and mango. They also have the same flavor cold tea.

Trader Joe's Organic Brown Rice- Comes frozen already cooked. There's 3 bags with 2 servings per bag (2 cups) You just pop it in the microwave for 3 minutes and you're good to go. I like adding some organic green beans and peas. I will never make my own rice again! Eat this stuff everyday, very healthy!

Better'n Peanut Butter- Great peanut butter substitute. Has 85% less fat and only 100 calories per 2 tablespoons. That's HALF the calories of regular peanut butter. It definitely has a different taste to it. Took me awhile to get used to it, much sweeter. (found at Trader Joe's but other brands on Amazon.)

Trader Joe's Pizza Sauce - I find this sauce sweet and amazing. I use it to make tortilla pizzas and theres enough sauce in the jar for two pizzas! Love this stuff! Goes well with TJ's pizza dough.






If you want a complete grocery listing or reviews for all Trader Joe's products, visit Trader Joe's Fan.

How to: Get started with Weight Loss

In order to lose weight you need to burn more calories than you take in. Finding out your daily calorie intake will help you with that. My personal favorite one to use is calorie count calculator. (goes by weight, height, age, activity level) I'd suggest going at the lowest setting, that way your exercise calories aren't included. You can put those in yourself. More accurate.

Losing Weight Calories: In your daily calories, they've already programmed in a 500 deficit. So if you decide to exercise, you are going to have to eat back those calories you burned. The 500 deficit turns into 3500 calories per week=1 pound. You need that deficit in order to lose the weight.

NOTE: It's very important to eat back those calories because you don't want your deficit to be too high. 1000 calorie deficit just isn't healthy, I'd stick with the 500 calorie deficit every day, no more.

Maintain Calories: Lets say your losing weight calories is 2000. You would than add the 500 calorie deficit back on, which would make it 2500. 2500= your maintain weight calories. If you eat that many, you shouldn't gain any weight back, just stay the same. Incase you go to a party or some get together, allow yourself those extra 500 calories, so atleast you'd maintain your weight instead of gain.

Write everything down.

Start keeping a food diary. There are SEVERAL sites that give you the nutritional value for what you eat. Track everything you eat..and I mean EVERYTHING. It helps you know exactly what you are putting in your mouth and possibly, what you're doing wrong. It's probably the best you could do for a long term weight loss. Holds you accountable. Keeps you on track.

Also, track your weight loss as well. It's important to keep track so you know exactly where you are. Make goals, write down your daily habits, anything that'll let you see what you may possibly need to change or stick with. Once you develop a habit of tracking, other positive things will start happening.

• Track everything you eat with Daily Plate.
• Track your exercise with Calories Per Hour.

Water.

You want to be drinking lots and lots of water..stay as hydrated as possible. Your body is trying to rid all of the toxins and chemicals..which is very important with weight loss. It'll also help you sleep better, keep your body in good shape. Dehydration is also a dangerous thing, possibly leading to death.

The rule of thumb is half your body weight in ounces. So if you weigh 200 pounds, you should be drinking 100 ounces per day. If you just cannot simply do it, again..take baby steps. Start off with just a few glasses per day. Eight glasses a day is a good start.

Exercise.

Even if you are cleaning, that's exercise. Stay active. Move around. Walk to the grocery store, walk the dog, park farthest away from the mall, etc. Simple steps that really count and burn calories.

What really counts? Anything that's getting your heart rate up. You'll even continue to burn calories after exercise..depending on what you did and for how long. Start out with 3x/week for 20-30 minutes. Then, work your way into 4-6x/week. Even taking brisk walks 3x/week is a great start.

I'd suggest getting a heart-rate monitor Polar F4 Women's Heart Rate Monitor Watch (Blue Ice). Gives you a more accurate reading of how many calories you burned and your target heart rate. There's a hefty selection of different heart rate monitors.