Weight Loss Wednesday

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/chasity/

My Ups and Downs

As I thought I have gained a bit, lost a bit ect. No worries yet as it is normal during my cycle. But I am seeing a slow down in weight loss and need to evaluate what I am eating and when I am eating it. For me eating is a social event…thus the big meal is at the end of my day when everyone is home. Not good for losing weight! I am working on that! It is also the holiday season and we visit alot! The food choices are not always good. However I am finding that I now know when to stop as feeling full is very uncomfortable ( eating more than I need).

The Dreaded Plateau

 We all hit it! That time in our diet when we are not loosing or gaining weight. I am doing all I can not to hit a plateau this time!    Usually a plateau is hit because we are not eating the correct foods or enough food. Here are some tips to get through a plateau.

v  Do not weigh yourself often. Do not weigh yourself during your monthly cycle. Women can fluxuate   as much at 10 lbs each month.  Be realistic about your goals! ( one of my pit falls)

v  Eat breakfast! This was a hard one for me but I am doing it now!  You should eat within an hour of rising to kick start your metabolism for the day.  Read this. http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/lose-weight-eat-breakfast  

v  Eat smaller meals more often throughout the day.  This keeps your metabolism working! This is taking time for me to get into the habit of doing.

v  Try to eat at least 300 calories per meal.  Your body only burns 3 to 4 hundred calories each meal. The rest is stored as fat. Keeping a journal really helps with this.

v  Switch up your calorie intake from day to day. ( more one day, less the next)

v  Change what you eat, when you eat, and where you eat. Variety is good for the body! ( and the mind ) I am so bad at this. I tend to eat the same old stuff because I know what the calories are and its”safe”.

v  If you are able to exercise then do it! ( more on that another time)

v  Keep your meal balanced. It is suggest that you consume 25 percent protein, 55 percent carbohydrate and 20 percent fat at each meal.  (There are variations on this)  I am using my plate to help me learn this. If you use imaginary lines on your plate you can get the percents pretty close. I do go a lot less on the fat as I have cut out all spreads, mayo, dressings. Hubby uses olive oil for cooking. ( yes he cooks most of the meats and I love it!) I also use a smaller plate. The typical dinner plate is just too big for proper portions. Tricking my eye with a full plate  by using a smaller plate helps.

·         Good Carbs: These types of foods should take up most of your carb intake: Good carbohydrate foods are those that are still in their natural state. They are foods that have not been processed or altered by people or machines.

Whole Vegetables My favorites are celery, broccoli, and I try to keep it ready to eat in the fridge.

Whole fruits Apples are a wonderful sweet treat!

Beans   Pintos, limas, kidney, Cannelli, Garbonzo...yum! Great in a salad, as a side dish or as the main protein of the meal.

Legumes Lentils are fabulous! Alalfa sprouts are a great salad stretcher.

Nuts  Almonds and pecans are my favorite. I preplan by having portion sizes already made out and stored. Keeps me from taking too many!

Seeds  Pumpkin are awesome!

Whole Cereal Grains  The key is WHOLE grain and not processed stuff. Read the lables.

·         Good Lean Protein (notice that some of the carbs are also good proteins!)

Fish & Seafood

Seafood is one of the best sources of protein because it's usually low in fat. Fish such as salmon is a little higher in fat but it is the heart-healthy kind: omega-3 fatty acids.

White-Meat Poultry

Stick to the white meat of poultry for excellent, lean protein.

Milk, Cheese Yogurt

Choose skim or low fat dairy to keep bones and teeth strong, prevent osteoporosis and enhance weight loss. I do very little dairy so I take suppliments.

Eggs

Eggs are one of the least expensive forms of protein. The American Heart Association says normal healthy adults can safely enjoy an egg a day. I keep hard boiled eggs in the fridg for a quick snack.

Beans

One-half cup of beans contains as much protein as 3 ounces of broiled steak. I love beans as a snack.

Pork Tenderloin

The white meat is 31% leaner than 20 years ago.

Soy

Twenty five grams of soy protein daily can help lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease.

Lean Beef

Lean beef has only one more gram of saturated fat than a skinless chicken breast. Lean beef is also an excellent source of zinc, iron and vitamin B12.

·         Good Fat

FAT???? Aren’t we suppose to avoid that? NO!  There are good fats. Go here to learn about it: http://lowfatcooking.about.com/od/lowfatbasics/a/goodfatsbadfats.htm

http://eating.health.com/2008/07/08/5-reasons-to-love-good-fat/

  Changing habits is difficult, takes work, and time. I do hope you are encouraged on your journey. Take joy is each postive step you take.