Change Your Behavior!

Even a modest 10-20% body weight loss will show improvement in your health, but you have to start with your behavior and change that. To lose weight and keep it off, you need to make changes in your lifestyle. Begin by motivating yourself. Find the perfect reason for losing weight. You might think of many, but what is the most important? No one can make you lose weight and no one can lose it for you. It is all about you and motivation has to come from within. It takes energy and focus to lose weight. Commit to it, have a plan, set a start date, and make God your partner on this journey. Set your goals as small, reasonable ones and continue to move in that direction. Surround yourself with upbeat people that are progressing in their journey. Keep a daily record and focus on the positive, no matter how small that might appear in comparison to the weight you need to lose. And never, never give up. Rome wasn't built in a day.

Have a blessed day!

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I have a really hard time with sweets. My trigger foods that get me on a binge are
chocolate, cookies and cake. sound familiar? I am praying a lot about my weight and I really
feel God leading me to give up sweets with maybe a treat once a week and if I go crazy
inbetween have unsweetened pudding or ice pops. I am kind of desperate to lose weight.
Anyone have any encouragement ?

/m103

Dear Karyn,

I have had a great deal to say about sweets through the years. We know the form we are accustomed to as refined sugar is not a good thing. Yet, I believe that is a great reason for weight gain, next to immoderate portion's at meals. Giving up sweets, if you know you consume too much in your daily diet, is just a beginning step on your weight loss journey, and it is a good start so that I commend you. And yes, allow yourself moderate treats because if you do not, you will become frustrated and just throw in the towel on the whole idea of dieting.

Refined sugar, we know it, is not all that good for us. It certainly is not a drug, but for some it is an "addiction" which does lead to binges. We eat it because the body has grown accustomed to the temporary energy boosts it gives, and then when our glucose level plummets, we are back at it again.

Your plan is good to find acceptable substitutes. Keep on-hand fresh fruits. You are going to be amazed in a few short weeks how very sweet fruit and natural juices do taste when you don't have unnatural products clouding your taste buds. Reports vary that the typical American consumes from 40-150 pounds per year of sugar. Low end or high end of that study, should be enough to alarm us.
Pro 25:16 Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee, lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it.

Cravings!

Cravings will typically disappear after 10 minutes if you turn your attention elsewhere. Drink a large glass of iced water. Do your prayer time. Drink a hot cup of broth. Take a brisk walk. Do a period of exercise. Read the Bible. Call a loved one. Do a household task. The possibilities are endless of the ways to divert your attention. You are master of your cravings. You need not submit to each one that you have, especially the foolish high calorie ones. Let your body know that you are master. You are in control. You will dictate how you feed and fuel it. It will become a habit of denying these fleshly desires and in the process as taking charge, you will be rewarded with the scale readings you desire. Take dominion!

Have a blessed day from http://www.gracetoday.com

Purposeful Eating!

Make eating purposeful, not mindless. Before you put food in your mouth, peel it, unwrap it, move it around, savor it, engage it, smell it, delight in it, and keep your mind fixed on the quality, not the quantity of the food. Engage all of the senses in the pleasure of nourishing your body. Nourishment is a requirement. How little of us dieters think of it as a requirement to live. We fell into bondage of food and now we are terrified to enjoy this simple and necessary pleasure. We knew excess and we are afraid to recall the times as a toddler where meals meant nourishment and new experiences. Don't eat to get a stuffed feeling or an emotional high. Eat to fulfill your God-given responsibility of fueling the body for each day's journey. Stop the mindless, emotional eating and learn what God meant a meal to be--intimacy with the Creator who has given you abundant variety to meet your physical daily needs of nourishment. Explore this possibility of viewing food as God's design for keeping you a lean, mean, pleasing machine.

Have a blessed day! http://www.gracetoday.com

Stop Mammoth Portions!

Ever say, "I'm Overweight. What Mistakes Could I Be Making Without Realizing It?" Ignoring "serving size" on the nutrition facts panels is a disaster waiting to happen. Many packages and instant food items are meant to be 2 or more servings. When you read the calorie content make sure you consider for what serving size. Often we are eating 2-3 serving sizes without realizing the calories in the whole product itself. We are all used to restaurant size plates and portions. This was never meant to replace standard size plates. We eat it all in a restaurant when we are out and we have literally eaten for two, not one. If you feel full to stuffed after a meal out, you can bet that you went over your calorie portion for the day in just one setting. We all know if we buy a value meal or super-size it we can save money. But we cannot save calories! Again, the meal is too large for one setting, or even in the case of a soda in a large or gulp size, you have just upped the calorie count. Learn to downsize your meals. Learn to think small to medium. You will be surprised at how your appetite will come around to being satisfied with smaller portions, as well as your food budget thanking you.

Have a blessed day!
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Don't Hate Your Veggies!

Really hate veggies? Relax. If you love fruits, eat plenty of them; they are just as healthy (especially colorful ones such as oranges, mangoes, and melons). There are some easy ways to get in your daily veggie servings of 3-5 helpings as recommended. The friendliest is to buy V-8 juice. There is no way you can object to this delicious, vitamin packed 4 ounce drink. Don't forget that vegetable soup counts as a vegetable. If prices climb up on you in off season, as they do me, stock up on frozen vegetables when on sale. They are fine thrown into a crock pot, or another simple way to cook them is in the microwave or a stir fry on stove top. The good news is the peeling and chopping is already done for you. Who objects to salads? Spend the extra few pennies to buy salad mixes that are ready to eat. I am amazed at the wonderful blends they have, and in actuality some are less inexpensive with the dressing included and extras than to prepare it yourself. Don't forget that many vegetables are considered calorie free foods. A portion may be under 20 calories (eggplant, cucumber and radishes, to name a few). If you are fortunate to have a sunny plot, do take advantage by growing your own vegetables. Nothing, I repeat, nothing tastes as good as fresh off the vine. What are you waiting for? Fill up on vegetables and you will be trimming down in no time.

Have a blessed day.

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Trigger Foods!

Is there something or many things that make you go totally off? Do you start to eat a certain food and lose all control over portion? Does that food item make you continue on to scrapping the diet for the day? Then than is a trigger food, or even more appropriately named a binge food. We have got to be honest in our evaluation of these items. If we say it is just a food I really, really enjoy, we are not being honorable in catching a culprit. If you have not yet controlled a food item to the point of only having a taste, a sample, or a reasonable sized portion, or if this food item has to be consumed on a daily basis, you have a trigger food that needs to be amputated from your diet until you can face it with reasonableness. There is no other way. Do not walk down the grocery store isle when you shop that carries this item. Go in a different direction if your trigger food is bought at a fast food drive thru. Do not allow that item in your home. Don't hide it away from an emergency supply. Don't let your friends who know you love this item, bring you a slice to cheer you up for the day. There are other ways to show friendship. Amputate it. There is no other way. You will lose the fascination and pull over this food in as little as a few weeks time, and you will find your diet attempts becoming successful. And when you are offered or tempted, say out loud, "I no longer care for this food item. I have lost my acquired taste for it. Soon it will become reality.

Have a blessed day!
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Edited by author 09-30-2007 06:06 AM
Be Realistic About Your Ideal Weight Goal!

This is what a standard chart suggests: The ideal weight for a woman who is exactly 5 feet tall is 100 pounds. For every additional inch above 5 feet, add five pounds. If you are shorter than 5 feet tall, subtract five pounds for every inch you measure below 5 feet. The ideal weight for a man who is exactly 5 feet tall is 106 pounds. For every additional inch above 5 feet, add 6 pounds. What the chart does not consider is 1) your body frame size (small, medium, large), 2) your age, 3) your activities, and 4) medical recommendations. If you were a body builder or into extreme sports, it is obvious this is not an accurate chart. As you lose body fat and replace it with muscle mass, you will note the ability to carry more weight on your frame. If you have determined through the wrist measurement test that you are not medium framed, you must make an adjustment. Get out your tape measurer. If your wrist measures less than 6 inches, subtract 10 percent from your ideal weight. If your wrist measures more than 6 inches, add 10 percent to your ideal weight. As we age we no longer can retain a "low-normal" range as in our high school or college days and may consider a "high-normal" range. And most important factor of all is to ask your doctor's opinion if you have a medical condition which may factor in. Set a realistic "Ideal Weight" goal for your body, and when you do achieve it, you can then determine whether you want to fine tune it further.
 
Have a blessed day!
 
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hey everyone,
 
i just joined and wanted to say hi. :)

Breaking A Plateau!

A weight loss plateau can be defined as a period of two to four weeks where you are exercising regularly and following a balanced meal plan and still not losing weight. It is not abundantly clear why plateaus occur. One theory is when dieting the body is in an adaptive, prehistoric response, and thinks it’s starving, becoming even more proficient at storing calories as fat. A weight loss plateau is when you are putting forth your tried and true best attempts at a proven method for you. A plateau does not occur for those having little weight to lose. A plateau happens for those who have a great deal of weight to lose and have lost successfully without deviating from plan for months on end. It may be a case now of 1) consuming too many calories for the amount of calories that you are burning off, or 2) not consuming enough calories; your body defends itself by slowing down your metabolism. In the first instance a scale back of 100-200 calories may be warranted if you do not dip below the 1200 minimum calories per day recommended for dieters. In the last instance, you must go back to journaling to see what you are actually consuming each day. If you have become accustomed to consuming small amounts of food and are below the recommended amount consumed daily, an increase is warranted as you ride the wave when your body will react favorably once again. You may mix up your menu. You may mix up your exercise routine. You may increase your activity. You may increase supplements and natural metabolic boosters, but the bottom line is humbling, indeed. A plateau is busted when the body is ready, willing and able.
 
Have a blessed day!

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Welcome new subscriber schemingturkey!

Plan Ahead Each Shopping Trip!
 
Try this on for size. Weigh yourself before you go shopping. Yikes, isn't that a novel idea? If you weigh heavy, you will surely want to avoid buying exras. If you weigh light, you don't want to blow your week with extras. This scale technique can be a win/win situation. Always eat before you go food shopping and always prepare a shopping list. Only purchase food which relates to your weekly menu plan and don't be tempted to buy goodies. Don't walk down each and every aisle if you do not intend to purchase from that row. You will only find more items to tempt you. Do buy sale and in-season items that will compliment your diet. Saving money is almost as much fun as loosing weight. If you are in doubt of a food item, do read the nutritional label, including calories per serving. Many times this will deter you from a purchase you might regret before you arrive home. The labels are your friend and will keep you honest rather that a, "I didn't know" attitude. If shopping is a favorite weekly thing to do, try to shorten your time spent in the grocery store and increase your time spent browsing at Victoria's Secret where someday you will be able to purchase items to showcase your new figure. Now, isn't that much more rewarding?
 
Have a blessed day!
 
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Think before you drink!

Be mindful of beverages loaded with caloric ingredients like sugar, corn syrup, fructose, milk, cream, syrup, special flavoring, and even fruit juice. If you're watching your weight, you are better off eating fruit versus drinking it. Did you know that flavored water, vitamin water and sports drinks all have added calories? When it comes to managing your weight, calorie-free water will always be your best bet. Pay careful attention to serving sizes also. Many bottled products are two or more servings, not one. Watch out for alcohol when dieting. Alcohol and nutrition are closely linked. Over consumption of alcohol can lead to nutrient deficiencies, weight gain, and chronic diseases such as liver disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and coronary heart disease. If you drink alcoholic beverages do so in moderation. No more than one drink a day for women. No more than two drinks a day for men. Trim 500 liquid calories from your daily diet and you'll save 3,500 calories a week and lose a pound. Just 500 extra calories per day will add up to one pound per week potential weight gain.

Boosting Your Metabolism!

To lose weight, you have to reduce calories taken in, increase calories expended, or do both. Metabolism is somewhat a function of genetics, but you can increase basal metabolism by building muscle. Aerobic exercise that increases the heart rate can raise metabolism while you're exercising. You can increase the thermic effect on metabolism by focusing on quality protein and high-fiber fruits and vegetables. Dehydration can contribute to an inefficient metabolism. Making sure you drink enough water will help to avoid this. Never dip down to lower than 1200 calories a day or your body will try to conserve calories. Do not skip meals for the same reason. Space them out 4-5 hours a piece and add a moderate snack in between if you so desire. Move as much as possible. The amount of calories you burn in the course of a day adds up. And last but not least, your metabolism naturally decreases with age, so determine to start losing weight now.

Have a blessed day!

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