The holidays have come and gone. The decorations are coming down and both work and school schedules are back in full swing. Like me, many of you most likely have gone into your closet and were unable to comfortably fit in your clothes! They used to fit well…what happened?!! That last latke or glass of egg nog changed that one though, hasn’t it?
Don’t despair. Here are 10 ways to help you get back on track.
Take Baby Steps. We discussed this last week in our post about New Year’s Resolutions (link here). Focusing on the entire goal when it comes to weight loss can be very overwhelming…and eventually dooming. One way to avoid that is to try breaking the goal down in increments of five or ten pounds.
Live in Reality. Nobody is going to lose 50 pounds between now and Valentine’s Day. While most people get a good kick start in the first week or two of a diet, one and a half to two pounds is what should be expected weekly for women. Men can add up to a pound a week in weight loss. Using this logic, a person who is looking to lose 50 pounds should plan on working for just over 6 months.
Your Turkey Doesn’t Have to be Cold. People who give up everything at once are bound to crack and go back to those tasty treats. Instead of trying to spend the rest of your life eating rice cakes, try adjusting parts of your diet at a time. Maybe you could start by not drinking soda anymore. After a week or two, you could add eating at least one piece of fruit a day.
Have Something to Look Forward To. In general, if you were good for 19 meals (based on a 3 meal per day diet) throughout the week, the other two would not cause major harm to your weight loss. That doesn’t mean going to the buffet for three hours, but you could have dessert or an extra serving. You will feel less deprived and it will give you something to look forward to each week.
Hydrate. Water is very important to your overall well-being. It helps flush the system, keeps your body strong and can fill you up. Thirst can be mistaken for hunger. The next time you get that mid-afternoon craving, grab the water bottle first and make sure it has electrolytes in it.
Spread the Wealth. You may be that person who doesn’t eat breakfast. Then you get so busy at work you miss lunch. You get home and either stuff yourself before dinner or have a huge meal to make up for lost meals. Your body holds onto the fat longer this way because it recognizes the patterns of starvation and it is trying to protect itself. Spreading your diet over five light meals will help curb your appetite, boost your energy, improve your mood and even speed your metabolism, since the process of digestion itself burns calories.
Give Yourself a Time Out. Studies show that the average craving lasts approximately 10 minutes. The next time you get that urge for a cookie, give yourself 10 minutes. Even set an actual timer if you have to. Use that time to work on a project or sit down and call a friend. It will take your mind away from the craving and develop your social life.
Take Advantage of your Own Laziness. Protein takes more calories to digest. Like water, your body will take the path of least resistance and process fats before proteins if given the chance (thus the Atkins Diet). Studies in Sweden, Denmark, Scotland and England found that people who ate a high-protein breakfast or lunch were less hungry at their next meal. That doesn’t mean you can stuff yourself with steaks and ribs, etc. Focus on lean meats.
The Party Escape Hatch. Next month, when you go to that Super Bowl party, offer to bring something. You will win points with the host and you will insure that there will be something you can eat without feeling guilty. A platter of chopped fresh veggies and a low-fat dip will be more popular than you think.
Frankie Said Relax! A Yale University study found that women who secreted high levels of cortisol (a hormone released during stress) also binged on high-fat foods after stress. As discussed earlier, the combination of cortisol and insulin tells your body to store fat for a possible starvation. Everybody has some sort of stress in their lives. The key is managing it. Yoga, meditation, or simple breathing exercises may help. So will a punching bag with your boss’ (or spouse, sibling, colleague, etc) face taped on it.
There are many other ideas out there that could work and we’d love to hear about it. If you have something that works for you, please share it with us so we can spread it to those that need it.
If you have questions or need further information about this topic, please go to http://www.lynnkerew.com. Other great articles about the spine and body can be found on our fantastic blog (that you should join!) at http://www.lynnkerew.com/blog. If you wish to contact Dr. Lynn Kerew directly, you can email her at lynnkerew@gmail.com.
