A reader asked me for a list of
“rules” to follow. That sounds easy,
right!? Do as I say…If I could only
learn to stick to my own rules a little bit more.
1. Pay more attention to your body fat more than
your weight in pounds. Invest in a scale
that can track body fat. I am happy with
this one from Amazon.com.
2. Drink a huge amount of water. You should be annoyed that you have to pee
all of the time. That means you are
drinking enough water. If you need to,
add lemon, Mio, Crystal Light, brew it into tea…go ahead! It is still better than not drinking enough water.
3. Eat huge amounts of fiber. You should have at least one bowel movement a
day, every day of the week. If you are
not doing that, you need more fiber. And
you can get it from supplements so no excuses.
4. Avoid drinks with calories UNLESS those
calories are largely protein-based. My
favorite example of this exception is Muscle Milk Light 100 calorie shakes. No frappes, milk shakes, juice
etc.
5. Try to eat 5-6 small meals a day. The first one should be high in protein. Six 250-calorie meals throughout the day will
seem more filling than three 500-calorie meals.
6. Learn about which carbohydrates to eat and
when to eat them. The whole concept of
no or low-carb is so misleading. You
want to eliminate refined grains and sugar, not all carbohydrates! To eliminate all carbs would mean that you
are avoiding fruits and vegetables and other things essential to balanced and healthy
living. I do think it is ideal to limit
high-glycemic carbohydrate based foods in your diet. If you want to eat them (HGC), eat them early
in the day. Pick a cut-off time, maybe
two pm. Aim for eating high-glycemic carbs
(fruits and anything grain based) before 2pm, and feel free to eat low-glycemic
carbs (vegetables) anytime before or after 2pm.
7. Train with weights. They will not bulk you up or make you look
un-feminine. Weight training will help
your metabolism much more than time spent running or walking. Cardio effects our metabolism for a few hours
after a workout. Weight lifting can
elevate your metabolism for more than two days!
8. Stagger your caloric intake every day. An example would be following a pattern like
this:
Mon: 1,300
calories
Tue: 1,700
calories
Wed: 1,200
calories
Thu: 1,600
calories
Fri: 1,300
calories
Why? It confuses our metabolism. Our metabolism always strives for efficiency
and balance. Our body tries to become
more efficient with less energy. By
always adjusting the amount of energy (calories) you input, it keeps your body
guessing.
9. Consider a cheat day. Try to eat as healthy as possible six days a
week. If you really want something,
write it down on your cheat day list. On
your cheat day, enjoy as much as you want for a meal or two, not a full 24
hours! Many people find that eating such
indulgent, fatty and heavy foods will actually make you feel blah. It can make you realize that you feel better
eating healthy. Or it can be enough to
control your urges for junk for another six days.
10. Add vegetables to every meal if
possible. Pile them on your sandwich,
add a bunch of chopped up veggies to your macaroni salad, and add them to your
breakfast omelet. Adding low-calorie
veggies to every meal will bulk up the meal’s volume without changing the total
calories. It will also leave you
satisfied for a longer period of time.
As with everything, pick and
choose what works for YOU. Find a few
new strategies to add to your healthy “tool box” and try to experiment with
them in your daily routine.
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