Monday, January 14, 2013
needing advice...
So, I'm back on the wagon to eat better, exercise more regularly and lose some (or a lot) of weight. I do OK eating wise at work and I tend to drink a lot of water during the day. My real problems come in at home...maybe because I have access to food here more easily than at work or maybe it is just a long ingrained habit...I don't know for sure what it is..but I need help. What do I do to avoid eating at home or at least snacking mindlessly or late at night? Any tips would be welcome. I know I need to start tracking what I'm eating...so I'm going to start doing that again, but any other tips would be great. I'm not big into crash diets or completely eliminating food from my life because for me that is just not sustainable. I want to be able to drink a beer, have some ice cream, etc when I want to. I don't want to feel like I'm in a food prison, because I know that will just make me want those things even more. I have a significant amount of weight I want to lose, but it isn't about being skinny I just want to feel better about myself and most importantly be around for my kids and husband for a long, long time. So have at it...what should I be doing to get on the right track??
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
So, I am going to offer up my "advice" and commit to follow it myself from now on. I have to, have to, have to eliminate all the tempting stuff from my house completely. If it is there, I cannot stay away from it. So, I have tried in the past and will try in the future (presently having a hard time) to keep only healthy stuff in the house...fruits, veggies, nuts. Really, my treats during healthy stints are tea sweetened with stevia or truvia and/or nuts like pecans or pistaccios. Not the healthiest nuts (I get so sick of almonds) but better than chocolate or chips. If I need a treat and have to go to the store to get it, I am much more likely to settle for something more healthy. And fresh fruits are so yummy and can easily satisfy cravings. Right now, frozen raspberries, strawberries and blueberries are much cheaper than fresh, and so good in greek yogurt with some granola (or frozen fruit is great in a smoothie with almond milk and protein powder. By the way, I have discovered that anything you put in a smoothie, including fruit, spinach, whatever, tastes like a reece's peanut butter cup as long as you add peanut butter and cocoa powder). Also, one of my weaknesses is chips, so corn chips and black bean chips are lower in sugar/carbs than regular. Also, I only let myself eat them if dipping in salsa or guacamole, so I am actually giving my body some nutrition rather than plowing through a bag of chips.
I could go on and on, so thanks for helping me get motivated to get back on track.
Take care, Friend!!
I know this may not work for you simply because people are wired differently, but my biggest advice against night-time snacking - go to bed earlier :) Obviously, right? But also physiologically, getting more sleep will help decrease stress hormones, which result in bodies hanging on to fat, so really, it's win-win. :) (But I know not so easy for people who are night-owls).
Check out Precision Nutrition if you want... I liked their approach a lot. Work on one small habit at a time. Eat slowly. Until you're 80% full. Eat 4-5 times per day. Protein and fiber each time. etc. etc. They have a Biggest Loser style contest going on twice a year, but they have lots of free resources/videos/etc.
Hope that helps! I know you can do it! :)
I really like the LoseIt app. You can set a target weight and it calculates how many calories you can have each day for your height, age and gender. You can choose how much weight you want to lose over a given period of time. Then you log your calories and exercise each day. It helps make me aware of what I'm eating and how my activity level impacts what I can and can't allow myself. Obviously, healthier choices are usually fewer calories, but you can structure your meals and snacks any way you'd like. Plus the app is free!
I agree w/ Sarah about trying to make snacks more nutrient dense, too. That way you don't have to feel guilty for enjoying a treat. I'm trying to avoid added sugar and processed food and make water my beverage of choice as much as possible.
Good luck! It's fun to see what people are doing to be healthier! Yay everyone!
Post a Comment