Pick Up A Sack Of Potatoes

The next time you are in the grocery,  head to the produce department and pick up a five pound sack of potatoes. Then carry it around the rest of the time you’re shopping. Don’t put it in the cart. Carry it. You’ll find that five pounds takes a surprising amount of effort to carry for a while. Now imagine that you’re carrying that around from the time you get up until you go to bed at night. That’s what you are doing when you are just five pounds overweight.

The point is that with just a little effort, you should be able to drop five pounds in a couple of weeks. Eat a litle less, skip the snacks and high calorie deserts and go walk a little. It will come off. You will be amazed at the extra energy you will have by dropping just five pounds. So make the first step dropping the potatoes. The ones you eat. Then take the next step out the door. Believe me. It’s not a half-baked idea.

TODAY: SET A GOAL TO LOSE FIVE POUNDS IN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS.

Cold Weather + Weekend = Temptation

Saturday is here and the weather is really wicked everywhere. It’s going to be tough to resist eating too much. The key is going to be keeping the snacks satisfying yet low in calories. I mentioned the chicken broth earlier in the week. A hot cup of that is a mere 20 calories. You’ll find that beef broth gives you another option and a trip to the soup aisle will show you that there are several other options including some exotic choices including oriental and spicy. Just check the labels for total calories. A warm tasty sip will take the edge off your cravings.

TODAY: KEEP BUSY TO KEEP YOUR MIND OFF OF EATING.

Put Oats In Your Cold Morning Feedbag

A hot stick to the ribs breakfast doesn’t have to be loaded with fat, calories and sugar. Good old fashioned oatmeal is a great source of complex carbohydrates (the good kind) that will get your day of to a great start and curb potential cravings in the first part of your day. Plain instant oatmeal in a cup with some added raisins and even a few walnuts makes a great quick breakfast. Try some other dried fruits for variety. The oats also add some other healthy benefits to your diet. Don’t do it every day, but it’s a great treat on a cold morning.

TODAY: DON’T FORGET TO EXERCISE, EVEN IF IT’S JUST GOING UP AND DOWN THE STAIRS A FEW TIMES.

Eat Less By Doing More

An idle mind is the diet’s playground. Boredom often leads you to food. Sitting, mindlessly stuffing snacks in your face doesn’t really satisfy your needs. You may even end up feeling guilty later and that will depress you and you’ll eat some more to feel better. Get busy! I’m sure you’ve had those days when you simply forget to eat, or grab something quick. Make sure when that happens that you eat high quality protein. It will recharge your brain and boost your metabolism.  Evenings? Take up a hobby, clean the house, even search the internet. It will keep your hands doing something besides reaching in a bag of calories.

TODAY: KEEP BUSY MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY.

Better Late Than Over

Okay, let’s say you’re being good all day. You watch how much you eat, keep the calories and carbs low, drink lots of water and even… wait for it… EXERCISE! But then it gets to be evening time and you get hungry and blow it. Well, maybe it has to do with when you eat dinner. Those early-bird specials are great but… they’re EARLY. If you stay up till the late news you have a third of your day to go. Even if you eat right after work, there is a lot of time till bed. That’s why you get hungry. So shift your dinner a bit later and you’ll be less tempted. Of course, don’t get too hungry before dinner. Have a hand-full of almonds or macadamias and a big glass of water.  It will take the edge off and keep you from wanting bigger portions later. So eat late but don’t over eat.

TODAY: EAT DINNER A LITTLE LATER.

Never Starve Yourself To Lose Weight

One of the ways to avoid being hungry at night is to eat more during the day. Of course you don’t over eat. You eat a balanced number of reasonable meals throughout the day. You have probably heard that eating a small amount of high protein food every three hours is a good way to curb cravings and keep your metabolism revved up. If you haven’t… you have now. If you have… do it.

TODAY: EAT LESS… MORE OFTEN.

Wii Says Lose Just Three Pounds

Be realistic and think beyond your diet today. Did you get a Wii Fit for Christmas? or maybe the new Wii Fit Plus update. Last evening mine told me that setting a goal to lose three pounds over two weeks would be longer lasting than a fast loss. I know the shapely avatar on my TV isn’t an expert, but some quick research backed this up.

Diets fail over time because they feel like deprivation. It takes an unrealistic level of motivation to keep cutting calories. This does not last.

To avoid Rebound Weight Gain, medical experts recommend:

– Cut calories while maintaining protein intake

– Exercise five times a week during the diet and beyond to maintain muscle mass

– Take multivitamins and drink plenty of water

– Plan your transition back to real foods

Besides, you already know you can’t “diet” forever. In the long term it’s not about goals. We’ve got to change the way we eat and maintain a more active lifestyle if we want to have any lifestyle at all.

TODAY: WALK A LITTLE FARTHER THAN YESTERDAY.