Visualize yourself fitting into your old high school jeans or looking great in a bathing suit on the beach. Keep that image with you and think about it every time you’re about to eat something greasy or decide not to work out. Remember to remind yourself of the long term reality, excess weight brings an unhealthy lifestyle, while a healthy eating plan and exercise are key components to a long happy life.
Know your weight loss personality.
Understand your tendencies and make a plan to avoid those situations that trigger unhealthy food options.
| Impulsive | See a pint of ice cream and go for it |
| Oblivious | TV Snacker |
| Uptight | Eat to feel better |
| Tenacious | Highly Self Directed; easy time with food |
| Sociable | Tend to monitor food intake better than others |
Record every food morsel you eat, taste, and lick
Underestimating the amount of food you’ve eaten can lead to a plateau or weight gain. Keep a food diary. Include the time of day you eat, the type of food, the calories, and how you feel when you ate a particular food. Keeping track of your food intake holds you accountable and brings success.
Beware of portion sizes
As portions tend to get bigger, we start to eat more than our plan prescribes. If you haven’t before, begin weighing and measuring all of your food to understand what a ½ cup or 1oz actually is. Try cutting your daily caloric intake by 100-200:
- Have fruit instead of cookies or chips
- Order appetizers with vegetables instead of meat
- Drink diet soda instead of regular
Watch restaurant overeating
Restaurants are packed with huge portions and food covered in butters and creams. Practice good portion control by ordering an appetizer or salad instead of an entrée. Another great tip is to ask for the to-go box with your meal and put half of it away.
Eat low-fat protein to stay full
Proteins work by suppressing a stomach hormone (ghrelin) that stimulates hunger while fatty foods actually tend to increase hunger.
Eat more fruits and vegetables
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Change up your exercise routine
Doing the same thing in the gym everyday allows your body to get used to a routine and become efficient at doing it which in contrast creates a plateau. To keep your muscles guessing, vary your physical activity often. For example, if you always do 30 minutes on the treadmill at the same speed, try a few intervals at higher speeds or elevations. Also make sure to include weight training into your routine to increase muscle mass and reduce fat.
Wear a pedometer
A pedometer tracks the amount of steps you take during your day. You should aim for 10,000 steps per day for health and weight loss. If you’re having trouble meeting that number, try taking the stairs as often as you can to help.
Try Yoga to Avoid Stress Eating
Studies show that yoga lowers levels of stress hormones. Try child’s pose (http://www.wildmind.org/applied/yoga/asanas/child) next time you feel stressed to avoid overeating.
www.webmd.com“10 Ways to Move Beyond a Weight Loss Plateau”
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