Keep a Food Journal to assure your meals/snacks/drinks are clean and balanced. Evaluate your journal on Sunday evening and make adjustments if needed. If you have a menu plan we created for you, follow it. Otherwise, create your own weekly menus for enhanced adherence.
Clean Out Your Pantry (and fridge/freezer) -
Remove any "no-no's," as well as products that do not appear in your meal plan. Ideally, your pantry should not be stuffed to the gills with snacks foods and processed carbs. By then end of each week, your refrigerator should be nearly empty because you consumed copious amounts of fresh produce and lean protein. Your freezer should be stocked with leftovers you can easily defrost for meals, frozen fruits and veggies, and lean protein.
Get Support -
Whether from us (meeting with Bonnie or NCI Well Connect), a friend, family member, coworker, or online support group, there is strength in numbers. Staying connected greatly enhances adherence to optimal wellness habits.
Eat Breakfast -
Not the standard American fare. Treat it like any other daily balanced meal (lean protein must be included). Including fruits and veggies at breakfast is great way to more easily meet your daily servings.
Limit Your Beverages to Unsweetened Water, Tea, and Coffee -
Taking away sweetened hot beverages, sodas, juices, and any other caloric beverages will immediately reduce your caloric load. Of course, aritifically sweetened beverages are not recommended (stevia is only approved sweetener for daily use).
Do a Short, Smart Detox -
Cleansing with a safe, smart detoxification protocol for three days to two weeks reduces your gastrointestinal tract and liver's workload, allowing them to more easily excrete built-up toxicity. Also note that as you eliminate fat mass, you reduce toxicity. An overabundance of fat cells are often created to house excess toxins that the body cannot remove. We recommend our Smart Detox 2-Week or Smart Cleanse (for vegans) Action Plans. They are available for free by email as part of your NCI Well Connect subscription.
Exercise With a Workout Buddy -
Find someone who has similar goals as you do, and a similar workout plan. When you know someone's counting on you to show up, it's so much easier to stay motivated and attend each workout session.
Moderate Your Mental Makeup -
Getting in the right frame of mind is extremely important for shedding weight. Simple meditation or visualization techniques in the morning and evening allow your brain to defragment, regenerate, and focus on task.
Sleep -
7 hours minimum. Your brain, most importantly, and other vital organs, need to rest and rejuvenate while adhering to a satisfactory circadian rhythm.
Smart Snack -
If you snack, mid-morning and mid-afternoon are the best times. Small, but balanced serving sizes are ideal. If carbohydrates are involved, a protein and/or healthy fat must accompany. Do not consume a caloric drink at this time. Stick with water, sparkling water, or unsweetened tea or coffee.
Smarten Up Your Cravings -
Many of us have trouble managing our cravings, much less eliminating them altogether. Finding smart ways to deal with cravings is key. For instance, when a craving comes on: take a walk; grab a handful of nuts and chew slowly; have a cup of tea or coffee (add stevia if desired). Acknowledging the craving and address it in a positive fashion. If you have a evening craving, don't be afraid to grab that handful of nuts. It is much preferred to gorging on a sweet/junk food. Following the previous ten steps in this series should automatically help you as well.
Smart Food Swaps -
Instead of counting calories, swap foods that contain unnecessary calories in exchange for less caloric foods. For example, instead of mayonnaise, use mustard. Instead of sour cream, use reduced fat greek style yogurt. Instead of drinking original soy/rice/alternative milk, opt for unsweetened (add stevia if desired).
Good Fats Are Welcome -
Do not give in to the fear of fat. Getting the right type of fats actually encourage healthy metabolism and can spur the shedding of weight. One should aspire to a proper balance of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids of 3:1. Saturated fats in moderate amounts are also essential. Trans fats that mainly come from processed foods are not acceptable.
Get Rid of the Scale -
Weighing yourself is never a good indication of your true weight (especially If you are at a plateau). The scale cannot tell you if you lost muscle or fat.
Shop Smart -
There are two very simple things to remember. First, pick a day and time during the week where you are the least stressed. That way, you will be less inclined to splurge on foods that you use to ameliorate stress. Many clients say they like to shop on Sunday for this very reason. Second, make a detailed list of what you need and do not deviate from it. Impulse purchase are much easier when you do not have a shopping list.
Sugar Shortage -
If you heeded one of our first suggestions, cleaning out your pantry, you should have a "sugar shortage." Limiting exposure to sugar in your house lowers the number of hours sugar can tempt you. If you need to have sugar on-hand for baking, keep it to the bare minimum. If your family is not avoiding sugar, make a deal with them to keep any sugar-laden foods in one area where you know to stay away. We do not consider dark chocolate (over 70% cocoa content) a sugar-laden food. A great first step to achieving sugar shortage was also one of our earlier recommendations: consume only unsweetened drinks and do not sweeten your coffee and tea.
Green Your Environment -
Excess environmental exposure to toxins can accelerate weight gain and impede the loss of fat mass. The body protects itself by creating fat cells to encapsulate the toxins. Start removing potential toxins in your home, your car, and whatever you can at your workplace.
Tackle the Television -
This is not exactly a revelation. Most of us watch too much television. While we are not the TV police, we suggest making the most of your time when you are watching. For instance, watch part of your show standing up. Do some jumping jacks. Walk or run in place. Basically, do something active so you are not sedentary for long periods of time. Or better yet, cut some of your TV time in lieu of exercise.
Take an Active Vacation -
Instead of a vacation that revolves what restaurants and cuisines you immerse yourself in, choose a vacation that includes a lot of walking, or if possible, more rigorous physical activity such as bicycling, hiking, climbing, or skiing. If this is not an option, make sure that wherever you vacation, make physical activity a priority.
Eat Without Distractions -
Researchers had volunteers eat a meal while playing computer solitaire and others eat the same meal in the same amount of time while undistracted. They told the subjects it was a test of the effect of food on memory, but actually they were testing how full people felt after a meal, how much they ate at a "taste test" 30 minutes later, and how successfully they could recall exactly what they ate. Not only were distracted eaters worse at remembering what they had eaten, but they felt significantly less full just after lunch, even after the researchers controlled for height and weight. And at the taste-test session a half-hour later, they ate about twice as many cookies as those who had lunch without playing games. American Journal Clinical Nutrition, January 2011
Choose Resistant Starch Carbohydrates -
Some carbs can actually help you shed weight. Specific types of carbs known as "resistant starch carbs" do not get absorbed in the small intestines. Any digestion that takes place is slow, which in turn results in a slow but steady release of glucose into the bloodstream. Consuming resistant starches make you feel full much longer as well. Sources of resistant starch carbs include: sweet potatoes, beans, brown rice pasta, artichokes, yams, manioc/cassava, and quinoa.
Turn Down the Heat During Winter -
You may have seen this Obesity Review study in the news recently. Increased time spent indoors, widespread access to central heating, and increased expectations of thermal comfort all contribute to restricting the range of temperatures we experience in daily life and reduce the time our bodies spend under mild thermal stress -- meaning we're burning less energy. This could have an impact on energy balance, and ultimately have an impact on body weight and obesity. Try to keep the thermostat around 70 during the day, then turn down to 66 or 67 while sleeping.
There Are No "Quick-Fixes" -
Many programs focused on shedding weight only work for the short-term, according to a study in International Journal of Obesity. Researchers found that along with continued dietary counseling to help subjects keep weight off long-term, a 'junk food tax' and better nutrition labeling would be effective for long-term weight loss.
Try a New Cardio Class -
If there's one aspect people have a hard time sticking with, it's cardio. To prevent cardio boredom and eventually dropout, try a new fitness class with a friend, a home DVD or video workout for Wii or Microsoft Kinnect. Whether it's power yoga, kickboxing, or Tai Chi for older persons, it'll get your metabolism going and the fresh approach helps you enjoy your workout sessions.
Be Supportive to Yourself Every Step of the Way -
Whether you lose one pound of fifty, you must get in the mindset that you are making yourself a healthier person regardless. Applying these 25 suggestions makes attaining your goal for optimal wellness palpable. Shedding weight is just a byproduct of this. After implementing these techniques and practicing them over and over, you will become more comfortable with this lifestyle for the long-term. Go get em!
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