7 PILLARS OF WEIGHT LOSS
Get Up And Do Something About Your Weight by Bette L. Hall CMA, NHC
Spring is here alas! It's a time when everything is fresh and new. Flowers begin to bloom, love is in the air, and our thoughts turn toward shedding those unwanted winter pounds.
Short dark days have led to inactivity and the pounds have piled on. Hoards of beautiful bodies will be heading to Waikiki, Newport, Malibu, Santa Monica, Padre Island, and Pompano Beach. Will you be one of those headed for fun in the sun or will that winter fat keep you too embarrassed to show yourself in a bikini?
These words of wisdom are meant to encourage and help those who want to reduce ten or fifteen pounds and that little tummy pooch that was gained during the winter blahs.
Pay close attention and follow this advice and you will see results. The things I'm about to share with you aren't just empty words. They are words of wisdom that require action on your part. Don't just read these words and think "it's good advice" and then forget about them. Get up and do something about it.
1. Lighten up on your salt intake. That doesn't just mean to limit your use of the salt shaker at the table. It also means not to eat food with high salt content such as bacon, ham, cheese, chips, popcorn, corn nuts, etc.
2. Add yogurt, whey, or the dietary supplement Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) to your daily intake.
3. Drink water--lots of water!
4. Exercise--start walking and using that ab-doer you have stashed away in the closet. Do any exercise you want. The important point here is to start moving.
5. Limit your calories at snack time to no more than 200-250.
6. Don't eat for four hours prior to going to bed. If you go to bed at midnight, then don't eat after 8pm. Never go to bed feeling full!
7. Keep a journal. This isn't the "write-down-everything-you-eat-journal." It should be a journal where you write your thoughts and feelings, successes and failures, weights and measurements. It's your "everything-journal." You can record the foods you eat if you want, but that is not the sole purpose of this journal.
Look for future articles where there will be more detail about the following subjects: salt intake, yogurt, water, calories, and journaling will be the topics of discussion. http://www.slimmer-fitness.com
About the author: Bette has been writing articles in the weight loss, diet, and nutrition arena for over twenty years. Her degree is in applied science with a major in Medical Assistant. She is a member in good standing of the (AAMA) American Association of Medical Assistants. http://www.slimmer-fitness.com
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Diet & Exercise Tips
Make your New Healthy Diet a LIFE STYLE!
Stop going on and off your diet! View it as a complete life style change. That way you'll never yo yo diet ever again. And there will be no diet to go off of. And remember it only takes 21 days to develop a habit. Even if you have developed a habit of over eating or eating all the wrong foods for the last 50 years. It only takes 21 days to change it!
Plan the Details
Since the first day will be the hardest, plan every detail possible the day before. For example: outline exactly what your going to eat, where your going to be, and what activities you have planned, for every hour of the day. Keep this outline with you and stick to the plan 100%.
EAT!
Many people make the mistake of thinking they have to stop eating to lose weight. Nothing could be further from the truth. Your body is programmed to speed up your metabolism and burn calories when you eat. The key is to eat healthier and drink plenty of water.
Eat Early!
When you do eat, do it as early in the day as possible. First, eating right when you get up gets your digestive system going. Second, your metabolism slows down as the day goes on. You don't want food sitting in your stomach overnight.
Breakfast
Doctors say that your metabolism doesn't really kick into gear until you eat your first meal of the day. Make it a point to have a good nutritional breakfast to start the day.
The Importance of Exercise
Many dieters mistakenly fail to include exercise as part of their diet plan. Losing weight involves two parts: eating less and exercising more. Make sure you properly plan exercise into your daily life and you will see fast weight-loss results.
Gain Muscle, Lose Fat!
Everyone thinks of Cardio exercise when they think of losing weight, but lifting weights should be part of your program too. Weight lifting builds muscles which makes you look more firm and helps you burn more calories! You don't have to lift heavy or long, just enough to start tiring out your muscles to get good results.
More Than Weight
Don't just use the scale to measure your success, there may be reasons you are gaining weight and still losing fat (such as gaining muscle or retaining water)
Vitamins
Taking a multi-vitamin can help supplement some of the nutrients your body misses, now that your not eating as much.
Cleanup Your Life!
Although they appear unrelated: clean out your car, your home, your desk, etc. As you diet, you are cleansing your body and getting healthy and right along with that comes cleaning out your entire life. From a mental standpoint, you are eliminating all that is dirty and impure and change your lifestyle completely.
And Last but Not Least, Water, Water and Water!!!
You've heard it before and you'll hear it again. Water is the best way to keep your metabolism going and keep your body healthy. Don't underestimate drinking water!
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"Self delusion is pulling in your stomach when you step on the scale."
- Paul Sweeney
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