Quick tips
1. Don’t drink your calories. Fruit juice, sweetened coffee drinks (think caramel macchiato), sports drinks and alcohol all have lots of calories that don’t really satisfy us. Instead of fruit juice, opt for a piece of fruit. Use a sugar free sweetener (or sugar free flavored syrup) in your coffee. Skip the sports drinks all together and drink water with a spritz of lime. If you do drink alcohol, be aware of the high calories of mixers and the number of calories in alcohol itself.
2. Move a little bit more. Instead of wasting your time driving around the mall parking lot, park farther away and add a few more steps to your day. Carry out the garbage or rake the leaves instead of getting your husband or kids to do it. Walk to your neighbor’s house or walk to your co-worker’s office instead of calling or e-mailing.
3. Eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains. They take up more space in our rumbling bellies without adding a lot of calories.
4. Don’t eat off other people’s plates. Just because your child left a chicken nugget on her plate doesn’t mean you should eat it. Get rid of the phrase, “Are you gonna eat that?”
5. Drink plenty of water. No, you don’t need gallons per day, but if you exercise you do probably need about 10 cups (80 ounces). Our bodies sometimes confuse thirst with hunger.
6. Don’t deprive yourself. If you’re just dying for some chocolate, eat one perfect truffle. (The idea is you’ll be satisfied with one and not eat a whole king size chocolate bar.)
7. Don’t eat food that doesn’t taste good. Well, duh right? But it’s not. Sometimes we eat something just because it’s there. Choose to eat only delicious food.
8. Eat from smaller dishes and use smaller serving spoons. Did you know that plates and bowls have gotten bigger and bigger as the American waistline has?
9. Don’t bother with the fad diets. You’re wasting your time and money.
10. Slow and steady wins the race. Weight loss has much in common with the story of the tortoise and the hare. Even though making small changes that you can live with may make weight loss slower, it’ll make permanent weight loss much more likely.
11. This one is really important. GET ENOUGH SLEEP. Read this article at WebMD for more information about the relationship between being overweight and inadequate sleep. Our bodies need sleep in order to regulate our hunger cues.
May you be happy and healthy,
Regan
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