My five "easy" steps towards losing weight and eating healthier!
If you are anything like me, "diet" was the same as a dirty word when you were a kid. Who would ever want to go through the trouble to watch what you eat and count calories?! Plus, as much as I hate to admit this on the internet, I still do not enjoy eating salads like I feel I should. And like many others, I have an ENORMOUS sweet tooth with big sugar cravings!
So for those like me, who struggle with "dieting" and have a hard time telling yourself when to stop eating, here are five tips and tricks that I have gathered that have actually really helped me the past couple weeks: goes:
#1 Do not eat after 9 PM and get 6-8 hours of sleep. This is something I started practicing after hearing it from the Wii board. Eating right before bed is a big no no for people who are trying to lose weight. This can be hard for people with sweet tooth cravings as big as mine. For the first week, it was surprisingly difficult to stop eating sweets before bed. I found it easier if instead of sitting there trying to fight the cravings, I went to bed earlier. This is also better for my health because I got my sleep. BONUS: I have also heard that sleeping on your back will help to digest and burn more calories while sleeping.
#2 Get smaller portions. Many of you may have already heard, but America is getting bigger! Why? Maybe because our portions are getting bigger! Some advice from the British show, Supersize vs Superskinny, is to get smaller plates! It will help you to feel like you have enough on your plate.
#3 Eat slower! I used to think that eating faster helped to speed up metabolism, but now I do not even remember where I heard that from. Now, I feel the exact opposite. To help you to not over eat, try eating slower! It takes time for your mind to tell your stomach; by eating slower you will get the message from your body eat is okay to stop eating before you over indulge! I can say, this has definitely helped me in my weight loss.
#4 Leave a couple bites on your plate. This follows up with the last one in that as you eat slower, and you give your body time to digest, you will be able to get the signal from you body to tell you when it is time to stop. I grew up being told and reminded that I have to eat everything that I put on my plate and I have had a huge struggle in the past with the idea of throwing away food that is on my plate because it feels like a waste. While I think this may be an important lesson for children who use up those calories, I think now that I am an adult, I have to remind myself that it is more than okay to stop eating when I feel close to full. From Supersize vs Superskinny, they recommend leaving your plate just a couple bites before feeling full. It helps to start losing weight if you walk away satisfied, but feeling that you could have eaten a little bit more.
#5 Listen to your body and take notes! In my personal experience, I find it very helpful to meditate and look inwards on what my body does like and what it doesn't, instead of my mouth. My mouth and my mind enjoy sweets, but I need to pay attention and take more notes on what portions and what foods make my body feel satisfied healthy and not sluggish and overindulged. Thinking about how my body feels later has helped me to cut back on the number of sweets I eat and has helped me not to eat just when I am bored.
These are just some of the beginning steps that I think anyone can follow who want to start heading in the right direction in their eating habits. This past week and a half, I have tried to watch my daily calorie intake (below 2000 calories) as well as trying to keep these "tricks" in mind. I have since lost about 3 lbs and I feel that weight loss is actually becoming easier! Have you tried any of these? Are there other "easy" steps you might recommend? Feel free to leave a comment below!
So for those like me, who struggle with "dieting" and have a hard time telling yourself when to stop eating, here are five tips and tricks that I have gathered that have actually really helped me the past couple weeks: goes:
#1 Do not eat after 9 PM and get 6-8 hours of sleep. This is something I started practicing after hearing it from the Wii board. Eating right before bed is a big no no for people who are trying to lose weight. This can be hard for people with sweet tooth cravings as big as mine. For the first week, it was surprisingly difficult to stop eating sweets before bed. I found it easier if instead of sitting there trying to fight the cravings, I went to bed earlier. This is also better for my health because I got my sleep. BONUS: I have also heard that sleeping on your back will help to digest and burn more calories while sleeping.
#2 Get smaller portions. Many of you may have already heard, but America is getting bigger! Why? Maybe because our portions are getting bigger! Some advice from the British show, Supersize vs Superskinny, is to get smaller plates! It will help you to feel like you have enough on your plate.
#3 Eat slower! I used to think that eating faster helped to speed up metabolism, but now I do not even remember where I heard that from. Now, I feel the exact opposite. To help you to not over eat, try eating slower! It takes time for your mind to tell your stomach; by eating slower you will get the message from your body eat is okay to stop eating before you over indulge! I can say, this has definitely helped me in my weight loss.
#4 Leave a couple bites on your plate. This follows up with the last one in that as you eat slower, and you give your body time to digest, you will be able to get the signal from you body to tell you when it is time to stop. I grew up being told and reminded that I have to eat everything that I put on my plate and I have had a huge struggle in the past with the idea of throwing away food that is on my plate because it feels like a waste. While I think this may be an important lesson for children who use up those calories, I think now that I am an adult, I have to remind myself that it is more than okay to stop eating when I feel close to full. From Supersize vs Superskinny, they recommend leaving your plate just a couple bites before feeling full. It helps to start losing weight if you walk away satisfied, but feeling that you could have eaten a little bit more.
#5 Listen to your body and take notes! In my personal experience, I find it very helpful to meditate and look inwards on what my body does like and what it doesn't, instead of my mouth. My mouth and my mind enjoy sweets, but I need to pay attention and take more notes on what portions and what foods make my body feel satisfied healthy and not sluggish and overindulged. Thinking about how my body feels later has helped me to cut back on the number of sweets I eat and has helped me not to eat just when I am bored.
These are just some of the beginning steps that I think anyone can follow who want to start heading in the right direction in their eating habits. This past week and a half, I have tried to watch my daily calorie intake (below 2000 calories) as well as trying to keep these "tricks" in mind. I have since lost about 3 lbs and I feel that weight loss is actually becoming easier! Have you tried any of these? Are there other "easy" steps you might recommend? Feel free to leave a comment below!
I am excited to try them! I just went to the grocery store today and replace some of my "normal" foods with healthier options. For example instead of bacon I bought turkey bacon. Instead of white bread, wheat bread. Instead of regular pasta, whole wheat pasta. Instead of Instead of ground beef, ground turkey. Instead of whole milk, 1%. And instead of sugary cereals, healthy ones like Fiber one! I also bought a lot of fresh fruit and veggies and some spices (they are supposed to help you eat better or at least be good for you). I have also been avoiding the "fatty" isles at the grocery store like the chips isle or candy isle or the ice cream isle. Also Katrina I think we should get together on the weekends and plan our menus together and grocery shop together and also start making foods for the week together, like making a batch of spaghetti sauce from scratch (much healthier) and splitting it or making lasagna or homemade dough etc... and splitting it :) What do you think? We can also start canning together too! yum!!!!
ReplyDeleteOh sadness...that makes me miss you guys and wish I could be in on the fun. :)
DeleteGuess what? I learned that oftentimes when we crave something sweet, our body is actually trying to tell us we need protein. Next time you want a treat, try "fixing" that craving with a little bit of nuts or cheese. It helps me!
Also, I get crazy about chocolate-- way more than any other treat. So before I indulge, I try to make myself go for a better choice like salad (which I actually LOVE) or fruits or something. And then afterwards, I don't always feel as frenzied about needing chocolate.
Try experimenting with salads to find your favorite! I adore avacados, so my favorite salad lately is romaine, spinach, avacado, craisins, cucumbers, red bell pepper slices, and RANCH (I totally love ranch, but bleu cheese is yummy to me too). That's like my dream salad right now.
So if you pick a green you love, add a veggie you love...color matters a lot to me, so I'm always really excited to eat a colorful salad! :)
That sounds like it could be fun Shauna! Now that I work full time, it can be hard for me sometimes to find the motivation to cook a real meal instead of just going for the convenience food (like heating up a bowl of ravioli) lol.
DeleteThanks for the advice Qait! I wish I enjoyed salads more! (I feel like I have been trying) Perhaps it is the type of lettuce I am picky about. Luckily, I do LOVE fruit! I think I said it to Tyler once that I must have really sensitive taste buds or something because it is typically things that feel they have "strong" flavors that I have a hard time eating; bell peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, mushrooms. The list goes on but I think you get the idea. These are things I will eat, but I can't seem to enjoy. I will continue experimenting though to see if I can find a way for me to enjoy them more. :)