Over the last 15 years or so, I have been gaining weight slowly, but steadily. I have heard the cliche,
“oh falling in love makes you gain weight…”
“marriage makes you fat..”
That is BS…I just got lazy and complacent and I need to get up and do something about it.
Do you remember Richard Simmons famous quote, “I never say ‘d-i-e-t’ because the first three letters spell DIE!” Oh my gosh, I love that!
I never really have tried a full-fledged diet plan before.
My mom was on Nutri-System for about a year and she lost nearly 100 lbs, but it was very expensive and she could not really try any creative meal plans.
Weight Watchers just requires way too much work – adding up points? Give me a break.
I want to share with you my own “weight loss plan.”
I have already lost 8 lbs in just 2 weeks of really dedicating myself to this plan!
I am NOT depriving myself of dessert, when I want it!
I have my Starbucks occasionally!
And I am eating out!
Starting a Weight Loss Plan
Here are a couple of action steps to take when starting any weight loss plan:
- TIDY THE KITCHEN UP -A study in the journal Psychological Science found that people were more likely to choose an apple over a chocolate bar after spending time in a clean, organized environment compared to those in a messy, cluttered space. Researchers believe our brain encourages us to obey the rules in a neat area.
- CLEAN THE SALAD PLATES – My issue with a weight loss plan is PORTION CONTROL. By using smaller plates and following the other guidelines, which I will outline in upcoming blog posts, I plan to get my portions under control.
- GET RID OF TRIVETS – One way to control your portions is leaving the serving dishes in the kitchen. Don’t use trivets and bring the serving bowls to the table. This strategy helps reduce the temptation of “second helpings.”
- SHOP THEN PREP – If you want a snack and you open your fridge, you are going to take something ready to eat, not a vegetable that you have to prepare. So the best advice is to prepare your vegetables when you get them home from the store, so you’re more likely to choose them when you grab a snack.
- ORGANIZE YOUR PANTRY – You want to keep all of your healthier foods and snacks in the most convenient cabinet and at eye level. I keep all chocolate, cookies, and sweets on a shelf too far up for me to reach without a step stool.
Foods To Ditch Right Now!
- Flavored Coffee Creamers – Loaded in sugar, trans fats, and hydrogenated oils, these are supposed to tempt your taste buds because they taste like cookies – which means calories. Instead use cocoa, cinnamon, or vanilla. You can add cinnamon to your coffee grounds before brewing.
- Margarine – Trans fats are what keep margarine and butter in a solid form at room temperature, which is not good for your waistline or your heart. If you need something creamy on your toast, try mashed avocado or a natural peanut butter.
- Processed Meats – Eliminating processed meats is a passion for me! I constantly preach to my family how they are a retail carcinogen. Besides, they are full of sodium and ingredients that are just not good for you! Eating them regularly leads to high LDL cholesterol, high blog pressure, and weight gain.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION TO IMPROVE YOUR CHOLESTEROL NUMBERS:
8 Ways to Lower Bad Cholesterol and Triglycerides
First Step in My Strategy
Dr. Jackson Bates was my internal medicine doctor for 31 years…I really liked him but he has retired. Much like me, he was direct and too the point. His philosophy on weight management;
“burn more calories than you are taking in.”
Simple right?…well, you need to do more than that…you need to train your body to burn calories at a faster rate, then it will start burning fat TO LOSE WEIGHT!
So, bottom line – I am MOVING MORE! And, no it does not mean strenuous exercise!
First, you need to stretch your body EVERYDAY! I do a FIVE-minute routine each morning.
My husband bought me a FitBit. Now, I am not being paid by FitBit, nor receiving any compensation. Although I was resistant at first, it has been a wonderful tool to get my butt moving.
I HIGHLY recommend getting a FitBit or some sort of pedometer device.
Sitting at the computer all day, my schedule is very sedentary – like many of you. However, I have set my FitBit to send a vibration reminder at 50 minutes pass each workday hour, to remind myself to get up and walk 250 steps.
250 x 8 (hour workday) = 2,000 steps already
Combined with about 2K steps each morning, preparing for the day. Another 2K steps making dinner – already 6,000 steps.
Getting another 4,000 steps at a medium-speed on the treadmill gets my 10K a day!
If I work in the garden, or mow the lawn, I don’t need to get on the treadmill. Last week, I had three days in a row of 13,000+ steps – AND NEVER STEPPED ON THE TREADMILL AT ALL!
Getting 250 steps each hour is easy, plus, circulation is paramount for those with desk jobs. While you sit at your desk, your body is literally accumulating fat. YUCK!
Not only will my FitBit keep track of my steps, but the app is an encouragement tool for weight loss.
You can set up your dashboard however you like, but I monitor the following for me…
- how many flights of stairs I climb
- how many miles I walked
- how many calories I’ve burned
- how many minutes of exercise I’ve done (by heartrate)
- how many hours I got my 250 steps in
- how many ounces of water I’ve drank
- how many calories of food I’ve ate
Yes, it will track your calories, by meal. It has a bar code scanner included in the app…and it is available for iPhone and Android phones.
Again, Apple is not compensating me for this endorsement, but this is just the first of several tools I will be sharing with you, throughout my upcoming posts to help you lose weight!
WE CAN DO THIS TOGETHER!
Make sure to join my Facebook page: JoAnn’s Food Bites.
There I will be sharing my weight loss plan – the wins – any setbacks (which I hope there won’t be any)
I want you to share your journey and advice with the group, too!
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