Weight management involves adopting a healthy lifestyle that includes knowledge of nutrition and exercise, a positive attitude and the right kind of motivation.
Internal motives such as better health, increased energy, self esteem and functional fitness increase your chances of lifelong weight management success.
Remember to have realistic goals and think longterm success. Believe in yourself and you can do it.
Try these ideas to help you meet your goals.
At Home
Try to eat while sitting down at the kitchen or dining room table. Avoid eating while watching television, reading, cooking, talking on the phone, standing at the refrigerator or working on the computer.
Keep tempting foods out of the house — don't buy them.
Have healthy snacks ready to eat.
eg: fruit, vegetables, protein bars/squares, handful of nuts
Control Your Work Environment
Avoid eating at your desk or keep tempting snacks at your desk.
If you get hungry between meals, plan healthy snacks and bring them with you to work.
During your breaks, go for a walk instead of eating.
If you work around food, plan in advance what you will eat at mealtime.
Make it inconvenient to nibble on food by chewing gum or drinking water.
Do not work through meals. Skipping meals slows down metabolism and may result in overeating at the next meal.
Special occasions, try and pick the healthiest items, drink water to help fill you up. Remember you can have sometimes foods sometimes. It's when sometimes foods become everyday foods that it can become an issue.
Control Your Mealtimes
Serve your plate of food and then sit down to eat it.
Avoid putting the serving dishes on the table. If you do, remove them immediately when finished eating.
Fill half of your plate with vegetables, a quarter with lean protein and a quarter with starch.
Use smaller plates, bowls and glasses. A smaller portion will look large when it is in a little dish.
Think first before second helpings. Wait 20 minutes and then if you are still hungry have a bit more or better still try a glass of water. Our body gets confused sometimes and mistakes thirst for hunger.
Daily Food Management
Drink a large glass of water before eating. Then wait 20 minutes before eating something you are craving.
Always have a big glass or bottle of water to drink throughout the day.
Avoid high calorie add ons such as cream with your coffee. Ask for salad dressings and sauces on the side so that you can control how much you consume. You are often satisfied with half the amount served.
Shopping:
Do not shop when hungry or tired.
Shop from a list and avoid buying anything that is not on your list.
If you must have tempting foods, buy individualised packages and try to find a lower calorie alternative. Don't taste test in the store.
Read food labels. Compare products to help you make the healthiest choices.
Preparation:
Use a quarter teaspoon if you taste test your food.
Try to only fix what you are going to eat, leaving yourself no chance for seconds.
If you have prepared more food than you need, portion it into individual containers and freeze or refrigerate immediately. Food prepping a few meals at a time helps you to have portion control as you place in individual containers and freeze.
Don't snack while cooking meals.
Eating:
Eat slowly. Remember it takes about 20 minutes for your stomach to send a message to your brain that it is full. Don't let fake hunger make you think you need more.
Do not cut your food all at one time. Cut as needed. Take small bites and chew your food well.
Stop eating for a minute or two at least once during a meal or snack. Take breaks to reflect and have conversation.
Eating Out and Social Eating
Try to fill up on low calorie foods, such as vegetables and fruit, and eat smaller portions of the high calorie foods.
Eat foods that you like, but choose small portions.
If you want seconds, wait at least 20 minutes after you have eaten to see if you are actually hungry or if your eyes are bigger than your stomach.
Limit alcoholic beverages. Try a soda water with a twist of lime.
Do not skip other meals in the day to save room for the special event.
Order à la carte rather than buffet style.
Order some vegetables or a salad for an appetiser instead of eating bread.
Order 2 Entrees instead of an entree and a main
If you order a high calorie dish, share it with someone.
Try an after dinner mint with your coffee. If you do have dessert, share it with someone
Don't overeat because you do not want to waste food. Ask for a doggie bag to take extra food home.
Ask for salad dressing, gravy or sauces on the side.
If bread is served, ask for only one piece. Try it plain without butter or oil. At Italian restaurants where oil and vinegar is served with bread, use only a small amount of oil and a lot of vinegar for dipping.
At a Friend's House:
Offer to bring a healthy dish, appetiser or dessert.
Serve yourself small portions or tell the host that you only want a small amount.
Stand or sit away from the snack table.
Stay away from the kitchen or stay busy if you are near the food.
Limit your alcohol intake.
At Buffets:
Cover most of your plate with lettuce and/or vegetables.
Use a salad plate instead of a dinner plate.
After eating, clear away your dishes before having coffee or tea.
Holidays:
Keep tempting foods out of sight.
Have low calorie beverages and foods on hand for guests.
Allow yourself one planned treat a day.
Don't skip meals to save up for the holiday feast. Eat regular, planned meals.
Exercise Well
Make exercise a priority and a planned activity in your day.
If possible, walk the entire or part of the distance to work.
Get an exercise buddy. Go for a walk with a colleague during one of your breaks, go to the gym, run or take a walk with a friend, walk in the mall with a shopping companion.
Try a Pilates or Yoga class
Park at the end of the parking lot and walk to the shop or office entrance.
If working in an office take the stairs for at least part of the way to your floor.
If you have a desk job, walk around the office frequently.
Do leg lifts or marching while sitting at your desk. Try a stand up desk for at least some of your day.
Do something outside on the weekends like going for a hike or a bike ride.
Have a Healthy Attitude
Make health your weight management priority.
Be realistic.
Have a goal to achieve a healthier you, not necessarily the lowest weight or ideal weight based on calculations or tables.
Focus on a healthy eating style, not on dieting. Dieting usually lasts for a short amount of time and rarely produces longterm success.
Think long term. You are developing new healthy behaviours to follow next month, in a year and in a decade.
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace the advice of your doctor or health care provider. We encourage you to discuss with your health professional any questions or concerns you may have.
Brenda Oxford
Personal Trainer and Founder BFF Studios
Comments