Health, Taken Seriously

I know many people trying to shed some extra weight so I thought I’d post my favorite weight loss tips.  I have used many of them over the years with great success.  Good luck to everyone!

1. Drink a full glass of water before every meal.  This will ensure that the food you consume is from true hunger and not just dehydration.
2. Drink only tea and water throughout the day.  I highly recommend green tea, as it may help with weight loss and the caffeine in the tea is a great weight loss tool–drinking caffeine before a workout can be especially helpful as it’ll boost your energy and help you work out longer/harder, as well as mobilize fat so you can burn it more readily.
3. Cut out processed foods.  Those of you that know me well know this is my ultimate eating philosophy.  But it’s also great at helping you loose weight as most processed foods are high in refined flour, sugar, and calories but low in nutrition.  Try to eat more whole foods and you’ll feel more satisfied, will be healthier, and will loose weight.  For example, snack on fruit or veggies and humus instead of crackers.
4. Eat more fiber.  It gives you satiety with zero calories.  Aim for at least 30 grams per day.
5. Start your day with eggs.  I love eggs for breakfast.  The protein and fat help you feel full for longer than high carb breakfasts.  An omelet made with sauted veggies is a great way to get protein and fiber in your breakfast.  Try to get eggs high in omega-3’s and if you’re concerned about the fat or cholesterol, combine one or two whole eggs with egg whites.
6. Do a lot of cardio!  For weight loss, the more, the better.  I suggest at least 4 days/week for 45-60 min (hey, no one said weight loss is easy).  The best cardio for weight loss is interval training.  Push yourself as hard as you can for two minutes, then recover for two minutes, and alternate.  This burns more calories than steady state exercise.  For example, run two minutes, walk/jog two minutes.  It’s important to really challenge yourself when doing cardio.  If you’re not sweating and out of breath, you’re not working hard enough to change your body.  So put down the magazine, put on the headphones, and push yourself!!!
7. Do lift weights.  Muscle burns a lot of calories, even at rest in order to maintain itself.  Incorporating some weight training into your exercise routine will help you shed fat and tone up.
8. Don’t eat before bed.  Make a point to stop eating at least 2 hours before you hit the sack.  This rule alone has helped me loose weight.
9. Get the unhealthy food out of your house.  Don’t even have it around.  If it’s not there, you’re less likely to eat it.  Husbands or kids might complain, but it’s good for them too.
10. Find some support.  Tell your friends and family your goals, encourage a friend to be your weight loss partner, become a regular at group exercise classes, chronicle your hard work on a blog.  Peer pressure (I mean support!) is highly motivational.  You may not feel like going to your kickboxing class but if you know your instructor and friends will notice you missing, you may go anyways.  If you have to tell your weightloss partner about the piece of cheesecake you ate the night before, you might think twice about having it in the first place!

Filed under: Exercise, Food and Nutrition on January 7th, 2009