First off, I'm NOT a nutritionist NOR a dietitian. What I do may not work for you.
I gain, I lose, I gain it back, then I lose. Does anyone deal with this besides me? I dealt with this, and let me tell you, it gets annoying... So, after so many years of roller coaster weights, I found out what works for me... And I'm where I want to be and happy! The following are pictures of me during my roller coaster wights. Pic description order from left to right, top then bottom.
#1: 163 lbs. 2005
#2: 133 lbs. 2006
#3: 148 lbs. 2007
#4: 128 lbs. 2010
- I eat when I'm hungry. You hear people say that you need to eat 10 times a day, or have a bunch of small meals. Well, I'm sorry but when I "snack", I get carried away! Who has time to measure every time one snacks?! I eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. Studies show that having an eating routine actually increases your chances of losing weight. The subjects that were tested that had a sporadic eating schedule had a hard time losing the weight.
- I chew my food until it's liquid. My mother-in-law taught me. First of all, it helps your body digest the food easier and therefore faster. This also forces you to eat slower! Studies show that your brain takes 20 min before it tells you you're full. So, you can stuff your face as much as you can in 20 min or you can savor every bite and you'll still get full in 20 min. Your call.
- I weigh myself daily. At least twice a day. According to research from the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation, people who make it a habit to weigh themselves lost more weight than those who didn't. Plus, the habit helps me stay at a stable weight for I can see early on when the scale swings high so that I can tweek my exercise routine and tweek what I eat.
- I choose the stairs over the elevator. What this means is exactly what it means! If you have to choose between stairs and elevator, choose the stairs!!! Park farther from the grocery store so you can walk more!!!! This means, it's the little things that count! People don't want to walk so instead they spend another 10 min looking for a closer spot! Everything adds up.
- I drink tea. And I drink lots of tea! Tea is good for you if it doesn't have too much caffeine. Green and white tea are the best for you. But I like black tea. So I get the DECAF Chai Spice tea, my favorite! Here's something I read about tea: "Catechins found in green and oolong teas can boost the body's fat-burning fire. One study of Japanese women compared the effects of drinking green tea, oolong tea, or water on various days. Just one large cup of oolong tea increased calorie burning by up to 10 percent, a boost that peaked 1 1/2 hours later. Green tea raised metabolism by 4 percent for 1 1/2 hours. Other studies show that drinking two to four cups of green or oolong daily (containing a total of about 375 to 675 mg of catechins) may translate into an extra 50 calories burned each day."
- Stay away from caffeine. I don't want to scare you but caffeine gives you cellulite. Reason is, caffeine is a toxin. When toxins go into your body, it is actually very harmful. Therefore, to protect your body from harm, when you have excess toxins, the fat in your body will wrap itself around it to protect your body. Then it will store it out of the way which is usually around your thighs, your butt, your waist or where ever you are proned to have fatty tissue. That would explain why we can find girls who are skinny and still have cellulite. So if you're going to drink tea or coffee, take the decaf. And stay away from the energy drinks too.
- I eat my fruits & vegetables. Yes, you heard it from your mother, you heard it from your grade school teacher and now you're hearing it from me. Vegetables, especially leafy vegetables are high in fiber, low in calories, are packed full of nutrients and LEAVES YOU FULL. They have live enzymes, which plays a major role in quickening your metabolism because it helps break down the food a whole lot easier. I love salads, but for some reason, I don't get as full as when I eat a vegetable sandwich. I use wheat bread, a little mayo and I pack it with as much vegetables I can! (avocado, spinach, lettuce, tomato, sweet onion, green pepper, etc.) I feel great afterwards because it doesn't take much energy from my body to digest the food. Try it, I guarantee you will feel the difference! Fruit is really good too. If I'm in the snacking mood, instead of grabbing a snicker bar, grab an apple! It's sweet and nutritious. You'll feel refreshed instead of sick!
- I substitute sugar for honey. Sugar is a toxin. Toxins gives you cellulite. See #6.
- I don't eat much dairy products. I don't drink cow's milk. I substitute that for almond, rice, or soy milk. Sure it doesn't taste like ice-cream, but this will help you get rid of that infamous pudge that most of us deal with. Yes, that pudge is due to dairy and sugar - they like to hang out there... and of course, around the thighs and buttocks. Ok, now some of you may know me to be obsessed with ice-cream. And I am. So it's not like a eliminated dairy completely, I have it rarely. Actually, the only time I do have dairy is when I treat myself to ice-cream or when I have creamer in my tea.
- I keep my food SPICY. Yes, I am known to carry my Siracha hot sauce EVERYWHERE. And by that I mean even to restaurants. I know, sounds a little tacky, but I'm the one who has to live with my body, not anyone else. I could care less.... Anyway, not only is this sauce very tasty and offers quite a kick in every bite, it is proven that spicy food can contribute to weight loss. Weight loss with spicy food is possible because it increases your metabolism, which helps you burn more calories. This is because the spices increase your body temperature and contributes to an increase in your heart rate, too. Remember that the increase happening in your body temperature and heart rate requires energy. Aside from increasing your body temperature, spices also aid to the increase of your blood circulation. They are also able to stimulate the breaking down of your fat cells, which aids in weight loss.
- Make water your best friend. If you have to choose between soda, ice-tea, water or any other cold beverages, choose water. First off, it's free. Second off, there are no calories. Third off, it makes you full, faster. I'm not a big water drinker myself, but I force myself to drink it. I give myself no option to drink anything else. And it works. I only drink water, and of course I treat myself, sometimes.
- Really work out, when you actually do work out. I mean exactly that. If you choose to work out, please don't just stand around in the gym and visit. It's a waste of time and it's a waste of an opportunity to burn calories and build muscle. To be honest with you, I don't like working out. I also can't stick to a weekly workout routine. BUT, when I actually go to the gym, I get on the stair master and I start steppin. Actually, I'm doing that as I'm typing right now. See, I could just be typing on my computer on a desk, OR I could do it on a StairMaster. WHY NOT? If you're at the park, don't just lay on the grass or sit on the bench, walk around! Enjoy nature! You're working out without even noticing.
- Stay away from packaged products. So you're walking through the grocery store, and you see all these pretty packages with bright colors. You pick one of them up and start reading the ingredients and BEHOLD, you can't pronounce a single word except for "fructose corn syrup, bleach flour, & sugar." When you see this, drop the bag IMMEDIATELY and run. Ok, you don't have to run. On a serious note, packaged products such as chips, candy, cookies, snacks, ready made mash potatoes, etc. are not good for our body. First of all, there are no live nutrients in them, therefore not benefiting our body anyway towards health. Second, our body has a hard time digesting them since they are made to LAST very long in that package. You will be constipated if you eat too much of these products.
- I get my beauty sleep. Sleep is so important. Why? Well first off, your body needs rest. Secondly, you can't eat while you're sleeping! But here is a more scientific fact I read: "Published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers found that getting enough sleep helps your body to regulate hunger and lose more weight from fat (instead of muscle). In the study, when dieters got adequate sleep (about 7 to 8 hours), more than half of the weight they lost was fat. When dieters got less sleep (only about 5 to 6 hours), only one-fourth of their weight loss came from fat and they produced higher levels of ghrelin, a hormone that triggers hunger and reduces energy expenditure."
- Treat yourself. One thing I've learned is to never deprive myself. If there is something that I know is not good yet it's something I like, for example, ice-cream, I would reward myself with that when I've done a good job with my health. People who treat themselves are less likely to go out on a binge and devour everything in sight. If you're too strict with yourself, you're more likely to rebel and have an "I don't care anymore" attitude.
So there you have it, these are my tips and tricks in getting slim and staying there! I hope this helps attain your goal with your health as well as your body!