Why Dieting is Wrong
If we think we are heavier than we want to be, we naturally are inclined to eat less food, thinking that if we skip a meal or eat less our body will burn off some of it’s fat.
This is not necessarily true. It actually makes it more difficult to lose weight when we reduce our food intake. Our bodies are designed to sustain us, even through starvation. We have a built-in mechanism to help us survive even when confronted with a lack of sustainable food.
Losing weight is not an overnight project. There is no “magic” pill that is going to make us lose weight and keep it off successfully. We must adopt a new mindset with common sense and certain guidlines. Healthy weight loss starts with a new attitude, one which allows us to think in terms of lifestyle eating changes and modifications.
Some of these modifications involve:
1. You guessed it…DRINKING WATER!
I assure you, you are not alone in your reluctance to drink the required amount of water every day (8 8 oz. glasses). I put a slice of lemon in mine to help it go down better.
2. Reduce or eliminate the consumption of Cola’s.
The taste may be enjoyable, but carbonated soda’s contain empty calories, adding pounds to our bodies.
3. Vegetables and Fruits are our friends!!
There cannot be enough said about the advantages of choosing healthy, natural meals consisting of veggies and fruits. Determine which ones you like, then be creative…put cheddar cheese on your apple, or some lemon pepper seasoning on broccoli. There are a lot of ways to spice up these natural foods.
4. Make your favorite recipes with leaner meats.
Chicken, turkey and fish are all lean meats which add less fat and cholesterol to your diet.
5. Make exercise a part of your daily routine.
Losing weight and getting fit does not have to mean a gym membership, buying a weight set or spending hours working out. Select a routine that YOU are comfortable with. Remember, walking is one of the easiest and best exercises for controlling your weight, toning your muscles and strengthening bone. It also helps release endorphins which just make you feel better.
6. Reduce carbohydrate consumption.
Carbs have gotten a bad rap lately, but they are needed for the proper daily requirements. Think quantity when you think about carbohydrates in your daily meal planning. Breads, pasta’s and potatoes all have a place in our diet’s, we just need to think on a smaller serving level.
I hope these ideas will help you in your goal to become healthier!
Darlene Schirmer
I use Strip That Fat to help me plan healthy meals and manage my weight!
Strut Your Healthy Stuff: Walking = Feeling Good
Walking is the best form of exercise you can have to obtain better health and a fitter you. One of the biggest advantages is it will cost you nothing. It is a form of exercise which can be taken up by anyone regardless of age or physical condition providing you start off sensibly, as with all forms of exercise you are not used to doing.
The first steps to getting healthier should be taken slowly and it is advisable that if you do not exercise on a regular basis, start off with no more than a 10-minute walk every other day. This can then be gradually increased to walking 3 times a day for 10 minutes or twice a day for 15 minutes at a time.
There are many ways you can fit this into your daily routine without too much trouble; just consider when and where you could alter your routine to walk instead of taking the car or bus.
The benefits of walking are numerous to your health and well-being.
Simply by altering your routine and walking 30 minutes or more each and every day you can:
• See an increase in your overall fitness and the tone of your muscles
• Feel good and look better
• Find that your level of energy increases
• Feel a lot less stressed and find that you are slower to start feeling stressed
• Find that your pattern of sleep changes and you sleep better and feel more rested on waking
• Begin to reduce the risk of heart disease
• Reduce the risk of developing certain types of cancer
• Find that depression starts lifting and you don’t feel down as easily as you once did
• Your outlook on life in general and the way you deal with things changes for the better
• You lose weight and look better
• You find that your muscles, joints and bones are stronger
• You reduce the risk of developing diabetes
You can start gaining all these and more benefits simply by increasing the amount of walking you do per day and being more active. In order to gain the best health and fitness from walking you should aim to walk at a moderate pace.
The definition of a moderate pace is that, while you shouldn’t be over-exerting yourself, you should be walking faster than just strolling along. This means that while you are walking, you should be able to hold a conversation without getting breathless. Your temperature should rise a little, but you shouldn’t be sweating to the extreme.
Not only will you feel better and look better once you have been on your new regimen for a while, you will feel many more benefits health wise and be well on the way to leading a more productive, happier and healthier way of life.
Losing Weight Without Sacrificing Taste
A popular view within the circle of weight-concious individuals is that dieting is some sort of punishment for not having a body thats perfect, or that enjoying food is a bad thing. Although eating with good health in mind can involve changing a lifetime of eating habits, it does not have to be unenjoyabe, torture or a punishment, it can simply mean adding new flavors and meals to your everyday intake. Think of it as adding some adventure to a vital, everyday occurance.
When you’ve made the decision to start eating healthier every day, simple things like adding spices or cooking in a different manner can make a huge difference in whether you are going to be able to maintain your healthy food goals. It is much easier to keep at it if you are able to sustain flavor and texture in the foods you love or in new foods altogether.
Speaking of spices, there are a multitude of great, natural flavorings that will enhance foods once considered bland because they are in the “healthy” or “diet” foods list. Blackening seasoning is one such spice, adding flavor and “zing” to your chicken, turkey or fish, without adding calories and consequently, weight. Lemon pepper, italian seasoning or even garlic and herb seasonings give the feeling of dining in an upscale eatery! Add some steamed vegetables with a bit of herbal seasoning for a fantastic healthy meal. Products such as Mrs. Dash introduce the taste buds to a whole new world of flavor. If you are feeling a bit more adventurous, chop up jalepeno, habanero or serrano peppers for an even spicier meal, sauteing them with the fish or poulty to relase their wonderful flavors into the meat.
Trying to lose or maintain weight does not mean having to sacrifice your enjoyment of food. Let’s face it, if dieting means eating boring foods FOREVER, no one in their right mind would do it!
It doesn’t have to be that way.
Another great option for dieters is grilling! Marinate chicken or fish in italian dressing or a store bought marinade to add flavor, or sprinkle your own seasonings on during preperation, grill and enjoy! Summer is here and this is a great way to eat healthy and also keep your kitchen cool. Vegetables can be seasoned, sprinkled with some spices, rolled up in aluminum foil and cooked on the grill too. Personally, I eat this way during summer about 90% of the time, and have been able to maintain my weight right where I want it. We even grill in the winter months, but then I live in an area not known for harsh winters, which is an advantage.
You don’t have to lose out on dessert either. You can find all kinds of low sugar or low carb desserts on the market that you can enjoy sparingly. You can even find sugar free or low calorie candy in some cases though you should keep in mind that calories, particularly when it comes to candy you eat unconsciously add up quickly and you must pay close attention to those things you put into your mouth.
There are also low-fat dips and sauces out there which are flavorful, such as salsa. These dips and sauces can often make a great substitution when paired with vegetables, for chips and dips we love so much and often miss when dieting. Cucumbers, green, red, and yellow peppers, broccoli, and carrot sticks all have a nice little crunch to them that when combined with a good low fat dip can help cure the craving for greasy chips that often rears its head when dieting.
If you are someone who counts your calories carefully, you probably know about the snack treats that are prepackaged in 100 calorie packs. This means that you can indulge on occasion in those treats that you love most without sacrificing all your dieting efforts in the process. These snack packs have become one of the best dieting tools since the invention of diet colas. We all want the benefits of losing weight and will readily admit that if it were a simple process we’d all be thin. However, having something like these hundred calorie snack packs to carry you through the worst of your cravings can mean the difference between dieting success and failure. They are definitely the difference in the old way of dieting and the new way of dieting without sacrificing flavor.
So, there you have a few ideas for making mealtime a much more enjoyable experience while you’re dieting. Losing weight doesn’t have to be a miserable time of denying yourself flavor or enjoyment. Step outside your usual box and take advantage of the great flavors out there to add spice to your life.
I guarantee you won’t regret it.
Darlene
Click here for the plan I’m using to get healthy!
Who is Pulling YOUR Strings?
Anyone who believes or knows they have ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) might have a hard time thinking that it is possible to utilize the power of positive thinking. Even people without ADD may not be able to overcome negative thinking patterns.
Frustrated by our feelings of being overwhelmed and faced with new challenges, many of us with ADD develop negative thinking patterns. This makes it even harder to overcome these challenges and move forward.
Focusing on our accomplishments and strengths through the power of positive thinking increases motivation and ultimately happiness, allowing us to make progress, helping us to not dwell on the bad things or feel stuck.
Here are 10 useful exercises that you can do to integrate more positive thinking patterns into your life:
1. Take Good Care of Yourself
It’s much easier to be positive when you are eating well, exercising, and getting enough rest.
2. Remind Yourself of the Things You Are Grateful For
Stresses and challenges don’t seem quite as bad when you are constantly reminding yourself of the things that are right in life. Taking just 60 seconds a day to stop and appreciate the good things will make a huge difference.
3. Look for the Proof Instead of Making Assumptions
A fear of not being liked or accepted sometimes leads us to assume that we know what others are thinking, but our fears are usually not reality. If you have a fear that a friend or family member’s bad mood is due to something you did, or that your co-workers are secretly gossiping about you when you turn your back, speak up and ask them. Don’t waste time worrying that you did something wrong unless you have proof that there is something to worry about.
4. Refrain from Using Absolutes
Have you ever told a partner “You’re ALWAYS late!” or complained to a friend “You NEVER call me!”? Thinking and speaking in absolutes like ‘always’ and ‘never’ makes the situation seem worse than it is, and programs your brain into believing that certain people are incapable of delivering.
5. Detach From Negative Thoughts
Your thoughts can’t hold any power over you if you don’t judge them. If you notice yourself having a negative thought, detach from it, witness it, and don’t follow it.
6. Squash the “ANTs”
In his book “Change Your Brain, Change Your Life,” Dr. Daniel Amen talks about “ANTs” – Automatic Negative Thoughts. These are the bad thoughts that are usually reactionary, like “Those people are laughing, they must be talking about me,” or “The boss wants to see me? It must be bad!” When you notice these thoughts, realize that they are nothing more than ANTs and squash them!
7. Practice Lovin’, Touchin’ & Squeezin’ (Your Friends and Family)
You don’t have to be an expert to know the benefits of a good hug. Positive physical contact with friends, loved ones, and even pets, is an instant pick-me-up. One research study on this subject had a waitress touch some of her customers on the arm as she handed them their checks. She received higher tips from these customers than from the ones she didn’t touch!
8. Increase Your Social Activity
By increasing social activity, you decrease loneliness. Surround yourself with healthy, happy people, and their positive energy will affect you in a positive way!
9. Volunteer for an Organization, or Help another Person
Everyone feels good after helping. You can volunteer your time, your money, or your resources. The more positive energy you put out into the world, the more you will receive in return.
10. Use Pattern Interrupts to Combat Rumination
If you find yourself ruminating, a great way to stop it is to interrupt the pattern and force yourself to do something completely different. Rumination is like hyper-focus on something negative. It’s never productive, because it’s not rational or solution-oriented, it’s just excessive worry. Try changing your physical environment – go for a walk or sit outside. You could also call a friend, pick up a book, or turn on some music.
Try using these tips on a daily basis and you will certainly see some dramatic and remarkable changes in your outlook on life. Enjoy your life…don’t let negative thinking patterns ruin it for you.
You can pull your own strings.
Take charge of your life.
Find peace.
Darlene
Staying Motivated To Exercise
How to Keep Your Exercise Motivation
No matter how you look at it…exercise is a solo venture. No other entity can make you do it or do it for you. With that said, true success depends on finding and keeping the motivation to continue your exercise program.
If you’re dealing with a large weight loss goal, this can be a daunting task.
In the past 50 to 75 years, physical activity has become the exception rather than the rule, both at home and on the job. People tend to drive where others once they would have walked and now they can flick a switch and machines do the hauling, lifting, pushing, and pulling for them.
However, people who try to lose weight tend to believe that weight gain is likely to happen if they will not take forward-looking steps to stop it.
The point here is that health experts believe that people lose their way, especially when it comes to dieting. They tend to go back to their old eating habits even after they learn to enjoy low-fat eating. They tend to return to sedentary ways even though they enjoy exercising.
But despite the momentum toward weight gain, you can stop it from happening, experts say. And there are plenty of good reasons to avoid excess pounds, reasons that go beyond vanity or social appearance. There are many reasons in order to keep you motivated to exercise and stay healthy for the rest of your life.
Ways to Lose Big and KEEP your Motivation
1. Have an explicit goal
A simple statement like, “I want to lose some weight,” is an ambiguous and an indefinite statement. It will not motivate you to start doing exercises right away.
What is important is to be precise on your goals. It would be better if you will set some detailed amount of pounds that you really want to lose. Envision what you will look like after reaching your desired weight. Doing this will inspire you to lose weight. In fact, maybe even more than what you have planned in mind. The idea is to use that figure to assist you to remain resilient and dedicated.
2. Develop a strategy
Strength of will does not work alone! To lose weight and stay with it, your strategy must comprise of both exercise and diet, and not either of the two.
Try to start motivating yourself by throwing away your clothes that have bigger sizes. This will put you in a situation where you only have your smaller sized clothes and that you have to make a choice by staying motivated to exercise or be forced to purchase more larger clothes. Which do you prefer?
3. Make out little, calculable measures
Put into practice actions that will suit your lifestyle. This means you have to implement moves that you and you alone will benefit from and not somebody else.
The idea here is to opt for a more positive and attainable goal. For example: Plan to lose 5 pounds in a month. It may be a small amount of your overall goal, but it is easier to attain and will help keep you motivated to continue on to your bigger goal.
4. Hold yourself accountable to someone else.
Have a friend or relative help you keep track of your weight loss goals or join a club to share your success with. This will inspire you to keep on doing what you have started. Having somebody to listen to your achievements is definitely a better prize than just achieving your goal alone. It’s also comforting to see other people struggling with the same problems.
Besides, having an extra hand to support you and cheer for you when your not feeling so motivatated may keep you exercising.
5. Construct a vigorous, sensible timeline
What do you plan to achieve in a year? Try to suit your objectives to your calendar.
The bottom line is that in order to stay motivated to exercise entails a lot of hard work, which is contrary to what most people tend to think. People must change their lifestyle because it is only through this will they absolutely change their weight…for the better.
