Get Out of Diet Mode

Today try to get out of a “diet” mindset. Though you are technically dieting, you are really  changing your lifestyle to reduce your food intake while still eating what you like. Change your habits, reach your goals and live a healthy lifestyle for life.

TODAY: SHORT AND SWEET. ENJOY YOUR FOOD, JUST LESS OF IT THAN YOU USED TO EAT.

Get Half The Diet Support You Need

This wraps up Half Week. I hope you have seen a difference from cutting down on portions. If nothing else you may no understand that you can be “full” when you eat less. That’s half of our goal! To lose weight you need only to eat less and exercise more. Just because our dedicated Half Week has ended doesn’t mean you stop. Keep eating half portions. That may take some help. Because people around you can unknowingly undermine your efforts by enticing you to eat more, or have a tasty snack. “You’ve been so good, it won’t hurt.” Yes it will. That’s a step backward.

Let those around you know that you are dieting. Have them understand that they can help you with encouragement and by not leading you into temptation. (Sounds familiar.) Without them on your side as well, you don’t have a prayer.

TODAY: ASK THOSE CLOSE TO YOU TO HELP KEEP YOU ON A DIET AND EXERCISE PLAN. YOU CAN EVEN INVITE THEM TO PARTICIPATE AS WELL. TO START, ENCOURAGE THEM TO SIGN UP FOR THE DIET NAG TOO.

Fork Your Salad Dressing

It’s day five of Half Week.

Salads can hide calories with the mask of eating healthy. All that green crunch has to be good for you right? Well, just 2-tablespoons of the salad dressing you drizzle on top can contain up to 140 calories if it’s creamy. A lot of times you don’t even realize how much you put on, especially when it’s at a salad bar. You really don’t need to drench every bit of salad with goo. Vegetables really do have flavor. The dressing is supposed to just add to the flavors, not mask them.

Here’s a tip to help you use a LOT less dressing, yet still enjoy the flavors you savor. Put a small amount of dressing in a cup on the side. Then dip the tip of the tines of your fork into the dressing before gathering a portion of the lettuce and veggies. The flavorful dressing will dance on your tongue before mingling with the cool stuff. It’s that easy. Use less dressing and cut calories with your fork.

TODAY: REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF DRESSING YOU USE ON SALADS.

Time Change, Season Change, Routine Change

You’ve probably adapted to Standard Time by now. You likely don’t feel like you’re getting up too early. So it’s a good time to change up your exercise routine. It’s the best way to prevent a weight loss plateau. You ought to change it every 4 to 6 weeks. It will also reduce your boredom and keep you going. Since the weather is changing too, it will give you another reason to look for an alternative. So decide on new exercises, a new route to walk, new places to go and a new attitude. Just get out there!

TODAY: PICK A NEW EXERCISE ROUTINE FOR THE NEXT FEW WEEKS.

Dad Would Think We’re Crazy

In the United States, clean water is readily available yet people insist on carrying bottles with them everywhere. The trend to drinking bottled water is just a few years old. I remember when I first heard of Perrier. Then I tasted it and wondered what all the fuss was about. Others decided that they didn’t need fizzy bad tasting water in a bottle, but maybe nice clean spring water would be good. And so it came to be. We started paying the same for plain water as we used to pay for a soda, or even a beer! It’s nuts. It also contributes to massive ecological damage in the form of tons of waste.

When I was a kid I remember geting thirsty when out and about with friends, (Yes actually outside playing, talking directly to them without text messages or online chat.) we’d head to a hose on the side of the house and get a cold swig (when was the last time you heard that word) of water. Amazingly, we actually thived on it.

Dad aways kept a water bottle in the refrigerator. Mom always told him to pour it in a glass before drinking. It never happened.

So in our quest for eight glasses a day, there is no need to spend big bucks on bottles. Just turn on a tap. If you want to use a filtered container that’s great too. Of course they’re too hard to drink out of, so you’ll have to use a glass.

TODAY: DRINK TAP WATER.

Yellow Means Caution

Okay, here’s a question you probably haven’t been asked lately. What color is your pee? The reason I ask is that it’s the best indicator of how much water you need to drink. If you have light yellow pee you are drinking enough water. The darker the color of yellow, the more water you need. That’s a caution indicator as well.

So why is it yellow? Your kidneys do a couple of things that show up in your pee. They keep the salt content of the blood constant, and they filter waste out of your blood. So pee is water, salt, ammonia cell waste converted by the liver to urea and pigments from bilirubin, the waste from blood, is degraded to urobilins. Salt, water, and urea are all colorless, but urobilins are yellow. If you get dehydrated, your urine will contain less water and be darker yellow.

Now you know why I nag about drinking your water. If the stuff is concentrated it’s hard on your kidneys and bad for you.

TODAY: SEE HOW LIGHT YELLOW YOU CAN MAKE YOUR PEE.

Pizza Hut For Under 500 Calories

In many families, Friday is pizza night. Yes you can have pizza and still stay under 500 calories! Just keep the portions reasonable and add a salad. Here’s how it adds up.

You can have one slice of a large Thin ‘N Crispy Supreme pizza and a tossed salad with low fat dressing for just 410 calories. If you go for the stuffed crust pizza you’ll add 150 calories. But remember, you can burn 250 calories by taking that brisk walk some time today for a half hour. I think it’s a fair trade to get that extra special pizza. Just make sure you eat it slowly, (2o minutes… remember) drink your diet soda and enjoy it all.

Conversely, if you usually eat three pieces of stuffed crust pizza, just eat two. You will have cut 500 calories from your meal.

TODAY: KEEP ANOTHER 500 CALORIES OUT OF YOUR MEALS.