Like many people I have tried every diet in the book over my lifetime. Nothing ever seemed to "stick". If I did lose weight - I gained it back very quickly - and, of course, put on a few more pounds just for good measure. I had convinced myself that there was just no way that I'd ever succeed on a diet. And, guess what? That was true!
A DIET wasn't the answer for me. I needed a new way to LIVE! I needed to find a way to eat and exercise that I could continue for the rest of my life. No more bland food that may as well be cardboard. No more drastically reducing the calories I consume. No more eating all carbs - or no carbs. No more quilt trips when I ate something salty or fried or sweet. Just by eating good, natural, tasty foods that I LOVE - I'm now less than 50 pounds from my goal.
These are some of the things I've done. Most of these have been suggested to me by doctors and friends for years. I finally started implementing them. Just maybe they might work for you.
1. Eat breakfast! I do my best to eat breakfast every morning, even if it's just a hard-boiled egg or a breakfast shake. I try to eat within an hour of waking up. I try to have my coffee after I eat - or with my breakfast (caffeine can suppress your appetite and might tempt me to skip breakfast). Breakfast helps get my metabolism going.
2. I have a small snack between meals. I include carbs and protein. Carbs alone don't sustain me and without protein, most carbs will turn to sugar and be stored as fat.
3. My mid-day meal is my largest meal of the day. I make sure it is balanced, colorful and flavorful. I've found that incorporating foods of many colors makes my meal appealing to the eye, have more diverse flavors & be nutrient dense. When I get all the nutrition my body needs - I have less cravings.
4. I have finally started to eat my food slowly. When I eat now - I just eat. I used to inhale my food as I sat in the car, read a book, or sat in front of the TV. Now I give the delicious food I've prepared the attention it deserves! When I am with other people, I take time to chat. I also stop eating to really listen to them. This not only slows me down - but, it makes the other person feel important. I enjoy every morsel. I make "yummy" noises! I LOVE food! All this helps me know that I really am eating. I notice when I am full and I STOP!
5. I make the food tasty! I sautee my veggies in a little bit of olive oil with garlic or other seasonings. I believe I need some good fats in my diets - I just don't go overboard!
6. I don't deny myself. Once or twice a month I allow myself to have a small helping of some of the "less-healthy" foods I love. When I tell myself I can't have something, it's all I can think about. Giving myself permission to eat anything takes away the guilt I often inflict on myself. Guilt leads to feelings of failure. Those feelings can lead to more emotional eating. I choose not to let that happen anymore!
7. I admitted I was depressed. I got medical help - and counseling. I am working very hard to let go of the negative thinking that has held me back from success for far too many years. I'm learning to recognize the signs and I do my best to resist the urges to succumb to old habits that tempt me to use food to soothe myself.
This isn't a diet - it's a healthy way to eat for the rest of my life. I am making sure to eat plenty of "nutrient-rich" foods throughout the day. I'm finding that filling my body with all the nutrition it needs keeps me from cravings that could lead to binges. When a craving strikes, I don't reach for chips or cookies. I stop and ask my body what it needs. I think things like "have I had plenty of veggies today?" "How much fruit have I eaten?" "Did I eat protein with my last snack?" I pay attention to the way my body reacts to each question. When I thought about veggies - did my mouth water? I saw a gallon of milk and craved a big, icy cold glass. I realized I needed calcium (I'd neglected to take my calcium supplements for months).
I eat FRESH fruits and vegetables that are IN SEASON. I'm finding they are tastier, more nutritious and less expensive because they've been allowed to ripen naturally (at farms closer to home). Out of season fruits and veggies generally are picked before they are ripe and shipped from great distances.I avoid processed foods. Even foods that say "healthy", "low-fat", "lite" or "fat free" can contain many potentially harmful levels of sugars and salt. They are also filled with chemical preservatives with names we can't pronounce. I buy fresh foods, season and prepare them to my taste. I find these meals are far more satisfying than frozen dinners!
I've started MOVING! I can't afford to join a gym, train for a marathon, buy a bow-flex or hire a trainer. I'm not preparing to play an action hero or train for the Olympics. I need to get fit and burn off some calories. It was easy to start. Since I wasn't doing anything - I started doing something! My mom used to say "Sit when you could lie down, stand when you could sit, walk when you could stand, and run when you could walk". My knees won't let me run & I'm not yet comfortable walking a lot. When I'm sitting - I move in my chair. I pick a muscle group & tighten those muscles, hold for 10 seconds, then relax. I do this 10 times. I like the old "gluteus Maximus". These are our largest muscles and I believe I burn more calories with them. It also helps get the blood flowing.
I have a DVD that leads me through many chair aerobic exercises. If more strenuous movement is difficult for you, this might be a good bet for you. If you can do more, like walk, give that a try. I personally like to go to parks with walking paths. Old sidewalks with buckles and cracks are obstacle courses for people like me with bad knees. I can walk more freely and keep up a good pace when walking in the park.
My favorite form of exercise is water aerobics. Most YMCA's & many community parks have organized classes to join. I prefer deep water aerobics, but if swimming (or floating) isn't your thing, there are plenty of exercises you can do in shallow water. Even simply walking back and forth in the shallow water can be beneficial. I've been doing almost an hour of water aerobics 4-5 days a week. It makes me feel great!
When considering an exercise regimen - don't be intimidated. Start off slowly and increase your activity when YOU feel you are ready to do so. I've been told that 30 minutes at least 3 times a week is a good baseline place to start. I've also been told that exercising for 30 minutes straight - or breaking that 30 minutes up throughout the day - are equally beneficial. Do what YOU can do. Find something you would enjoy doing for the rest of your life. If you hit a plateau in your weight loss, try switching it up. See if you can do more - or try something new.
Find your faith. I firmly believe that God guided me through to this point of belief in myself. I've never had this level of trust that I WILL reach my goal this time - it is a foregone conclusion! I pray you are able to come to that level of belief in yourself. You CAN and WILL do it! Ask God to grow that mustard seed of faith in His love for you. He will work with strength in the midst of your weakness. Allow Him to lead you into a new way of living that will take you from frustration to fitness! He wants only the BEST for you! "He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it!"
A DIET wasn't the answer for me. I needed a new way to LIVE! I needed to find a way to eat and exercise that I could continue for the rest of my life. No more bland food that may as well be cardboard. No more drastically reducing the calories I consume. No more eating all carbs - or no carbs. No more quilt trips when I ate something salty or fried or sweet. Just by eating good, natural, tasty foods that I LOVE - I'm now less than 50 pounds from my goal.
These are some of the things I've done. Most of these have been suggested to me by doctors and friends for years. I finally started implementing them. Just maybe they might work for you.
1. Eat breakfast! I do my best to eat breakfast every morning, even if it's just a hard-boiled egg or a breakfast shake. I try to eat within an hour of waking up. I try to have my coffee after I eat - or with my breakfast (caffeine can suppress your appetite and might tempt me to skip breakfast). Breakfast helps get my metabolism going.
2. I have a small snack between meals. I include carbs and protein. Carbs alone don't sustain me and without protein, most carbs will turn to sugar and be stored as fat.
3. My mid-day meal is my largest meal of the day. I make sure it is balanced, colorful and flavorful. I've found that incorporating foods of many colors makes my meal appealing to the eye, have more diverse flavors & be nutrient dense. When I get all the nutrition my body needs - I have less cravings.
4. I have finally started to eat my food slowly. When I eat now - I just eat. I used to inhale my food as I sat in the car, read a book, or sat in front of the TV. Now I give the delicious food I've prepared the attention it deserves! When I am with other people, I take time to chat. I also stop eating to really listen to them. This not only slows me down - but, it makes the other person feel important. I enjoy every morsel. I make "yummy" noises! I LOVE food! All this helps me know that I really am eating. I notice when I am full and I STOP!
5. I make the food tasty! I sautee my veggies in a little bit of olive oil with garlic or other seasonings. I believe I need some good fats in my diets - I just don't go overboard!
6. I don't deny myself. Once or twice a month I allow myself to have a small helping of some of the "less-healthy" foods I love. When I tell myself I can't have something, it's all I can think about. Giving myself permission to eat anything takes away the guilt I often inflict on myself. Guilt leads to feelings of failure. Those feelings can lead to more emotional eating. I choose not to let that happen anymore!
7. I admitted I was depressed. I got medical help - and counseling. I am working very hard to let go of the negative thinking that has held me back from success for far too many years. I'm learning to recognize the signs and I do my best to resist the urges to succumb to old habits that tempt me to use food to soothe myself.
This isn't a diet - it's a healthy way to eat for the rest of my life. I am making sure to eat plenty of "nutrient-rich" foods throughout the day. I'm finding that filling my body with all the nutrition it needs keeps me from cravings that could lead to binges. When a craving strikes, I don't reach for chips or cookies. I stop and ask my body what it needs. I think things like "have I had plenty of veggies today?" "How much fruit have I eaten?" "Did I eat protein with my last snack?" I pay attention to the way my body reacts to each question. When I thought about veggies - did my mouth water? I saw a gallon of milk and craved a big, icy cold glass. I realized I needed calcium (I'd neglected to take my calcium supplements for months).
I eat FRESH fruits and vegetables that are IN SEASON. I'm finding they are tastier, more nutritious and less expensive because they've been allowed to ripen naturally (at farms closer to home). Out of season fruits and veggies generally are picked before they are ripe and shipped from great distances.I avoid processed foods. Even foods that say "healthy", "low-fat", "lite" or "fat free" can contain many potentially harmful levels of sugars and salt. They are also filled with chemical preservatives with names we can't pronounce. I buy fresh foods, season and prepare them to my taste. I find these meals are far more satisfying than frozen dinners!
I've started MOVING! I can't afford to join a gym, train for a marathon, buy a bow-flex or hire a trainer. I'm not preparing to play an action hero or train for the Olympics. I need to get fit and burn off some calories. It was easy to start. Since I wasn't doing anything - I started doing something! My mom used to say "Sit when you could lie down, stand when you could sit, walk when you could stand, and run when you could walk". My knees won't let me run & I'm not yet comfortable walking a lot. When I'm sitting - I move in my chair. I pick a muscle group & tighten those muscles, hold for 10 seconds, then relax. I do this 10 times. I like the old "gluteus Maximus". These are our largest muscles and I believe I burn more calories with them. It also helps get the blood flowing.
I have a DVD that leads me through many chair aerobic exercises. If more strenuous movement is difficult for you, this might be a good bet for you. If you can do more, like walk, give that a try. I personally like to go to parks with walking paths. Old sidewalks with buckles and cracks are obstacle courses for people like me with bad knees. I can walk more freely and keep up a good pace when walking in the park.
My favorite form of exercise is water aerobics. Most YMCA's & many community parks have organized classes to join. I prefer deep water aerobics, but if swimming (or floating) isn't your thing, there are plenty of exercises you can do in shallow water. Even simply walking back and forth in the shallow water can be beneficial. I've been doing almost an hour of water aerobics 4-5 days a week. It makes me feel great!
When considering an exercise regimen - don't be intimidated. Start off slowly and increase your activity when YOU feel you are ready to do so. I've been told that 30 minutes at least 3 times a week is a good baseline place to start. I've also been told that exercising for 30 minutes straight - or breaking that 30 minutes up throughout the day - are equally beneficial. Do what YOU can do. Find something you would enjoy doing for the rest of your life. If you hit a plateau in your weight loss, try switching it up. See if you can do more - or try something new.
Find your faith. I firmly believe that God guided me through to this point of belief in myself. I've never had this level of trust that I WILL reach my goal this time - it is a foregone conclusion! I pray you are able to come to that level of belief in yourself. You CAN and WILL do it! Ask God to grow that mustard seed of faith in His love for you. He will work with strength in the midst of your weakness. Allow Him to lead you into a new way of living that will take you from frustration to fitness! He wants only the BEST for you! "He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it!"
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