You need time to fill up when you eat your meals, so eat with friends and start talking. If you’re talking you can’t be eating. Unless you have no manners and talk with your mouth full. That 20 minutes you need to feel full will come around and you will have eaten less. So carry on a good conversation to carry around less weight.
TODAY: SLOW DOWN YOUR MEALS.
I know, you’re thinking now that you wish you had that problem. But it really isn’t the way to turn your weight around. If you try to change things too fast, odds are that you will get discouraged and give up. If you just stop eating all together your metabolism will slow down and when you eat (and you WILL eat) the weight comes right back. Let’s get real about how you got this way. You’ve been eating too much, exercising too little (or not at all) and your mind is telling you that you like the sweets, snacks and the couch. But you have to start changing that NOW.
Don’t start feeling guilty about eating. You’ll just eat to console yourself. You simply have some adjusting to do, and I don’t mean letting your belt out another notch. You need a mental adjustment. You CAN get to a healthy weight. You have to believe that you can. But understand that it won’t happen because of a fad diet. It takes a mental commitment to eat good food in smaller portions and get exercise. It’s the only way to win the battle of weight loss.
TODAY: WALK AROUND PART OF YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD. MAKE THAT ONE OF SEVERAL REGULAR WALKING ROUTES TO REPEAT.
Spring cleaning should not be limited to the closets. Hit the pantry and get rid of the high calorie winter snacks that you’ve been storing like a squirrel. You can’t eat ‘em if you don’t have ‘em. Grab a few bags, go to the park and… feed the squirrels.
TODAY: GET RID OF THOSE BAGS OF SNACKS.
Just saying the word “diet” can sound daunting. It may be what’s holding you back from changing your bad eating habits. So don’t go on a “diet”. Change just one little thing at a time so you can feel like you’re accomplishing something. What you will find is that you will actually accomplish something. Just use the tips I send you each day as a starting point. Each of those little goals will work a little. That’s the idea. They aren’t meant to be the single think you do to improve your health. Give it a try. Hey… even deciding to do that is reaching a small goal.
TODAY: DRINK MORE WATER.
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.
In our quest for exercise to offset calories I encouraged you to start a small 10 minute exercise schedule. Remember it all adds up so try and get at least 30 minutes a day. Well, getting some of that time in the first thing in your morning will also give your energy level a boost. I used to catch up on the news while watching the Today Show and using a stepper, till the stepper wore out. (The Today Show is still my favorite, but I don’t care for Meredith Vieira) Now I just walk or ride my bike. I’ve actually noticed that that sluggish feeling in the afternoon goes away when I get started with some good exercise in the morning. I know it seems like ot should make you tired, but the exact opposite happens. I guess burning those calories just stokes your boiler so you keep up a good head of steam.
TODAY: START YOUR DAY WITH A GOOD EXERCISE SESSION.
We’re half way through the first month of the year. So this week we’re going to revisit the “Half Week” diet and go “halfsies”. Eat half as much at half of your meals. Don’t make up the difference at those FULL meals though! If you can reduce portions at those meals as well, you’ll be that far ahead. It should be a lot easier than denying yourself anything. Remember that you should eat several small meals a day. Not full size, high calorie, large order of fries meals. These should have protein and veggies. You can have the carbs you crave if you have a small amount. Just cut back on your portions, drink plenty of water and eat slower. By the end of the week, those smaller portions will start to look normal. Keep it up and your waistline will too.
TODAY: EAT HALF, EXERCISE THE FULL AMOUNT.