As a Weight Watcher leader I spend time with individuals looking at how they are living their lives and the choices they are making. Through this work I have come to realize that there are really a bunch of simple ideas which, if we follow them, good health, weight loss, self-appreciation, and over all well being will be the results. Try these and see what happens!
SHOPPING
1) Don't go to the grocery store hungry.
2) Avoid the center aisles of the market: that is where all the candy, cookies, canned goods, frozen foods, etc. are located. As much as possible shop FRESH! Fresh meats, or meat substitutes, vegetables and fruits and whole grains. Most of these items are located on the outer aisles so concentrate your shopping in these areas.
3) Go to the market with a shopping list so you do not wander the aisles getting tempted by various foods which look yummy or are on sale. Buy what you need and leave!
4) Create an awareness around the 3 high-trigger addictive foods: fat, sugar and salt. They are in almost every packaged food on the market, and oftentimes in foods we have no idea contains them.
5) Don't buy more because a food is on sale, unless it is a bulk food item (rice, beans, etc). If it is a "trigger food" buying excess quantities of it will simply tempt you to eat more. Sometimes spending less in the grocery store means spending more for the Weight Watcher meetings!
6) Know your "red light" or "trigger foods": the ones that if you begin eating them you cannot stop. Either buy as much as you will eat JUST THAT DAY, and no more, or go out to have that treat (a scoop of ice cream at an ice cream shop, rather than a half gallon of ice cream in the freezer).
7) Keep your cupboards and fridge filled with healthy snacks: fruit and vegetables (maybe with a salsa or a low calorie dip to make them more interesting), light or airpop popcorn, even protein such as hard boiled eggs, sticks of string cheese, or pieces of chicken or other protein. Keep the processed carb snacks out of the house as much as possible, or well hidden.
COOKING
1) If you don't do this already, be willing to LEARN TO COOK!! If you are relying on frozen, pre-packaged foods, or restaurant meals, you will find it very difficult to lose weight and maintain that loss. Cooking allows you to have full knowledge of what is in your food, to get creative, and figure out ways to make food you really enjoy. Ultimately you will find that cooking brings out a creative side some of you have no idea you possess, and it is a life-saver for want-to-be-healthy eaters...literally!
2) Butter and fats are not necessary in large quantities for food to taste good. In fact, a very small amount can go a long way. Use spray butter or oil when sauteeing foods or coating baking dishes. These give out a fine mist which ends up using very little fat. If you need more oil or butter use it sparingly and measure it!
3) Lots of cheese is not necessary to make food taste good. Like butter or oil, a little goes a long way. Lighter cheeses, such as mozzerella and parmesan are great choices, as they are less calories than their high-fat companions. There are also a plethora of light cheeses to choose from in the markets (see my Trader Joes list, for example). If a recipe calls for a certain amount of cheese, use half and spread it out. No one will notice the difference, other than on your waistline!
4) Skip the deep-fried thing. Instead bread food by using flour, or cornmeal inside a ziplock baggie, spray a baking sheet and bake them rather than fry them. You will use a lot less breading by use of the ziplock bag, and baking saves you oodles of calories!!
5) Short cuts are fine, such as using packaged rice mixes or pre-made sauces. Just be aware of their fat, sugar and salt content, and balance the meal out so that it has lots of fresh protein and vegetables..
6) It is wasteful (and "waistful") to have more than one carbohydrate per meal. If the tendency in your family is to have rice or ptoatoes and bread with dinner, let go of the bread. In fact, the practice of bread with meals should be a special treat and not an everyday occurance.
7) Bulk up soups, stews and sauces with vegetables. Spread out the calories and the coast by adding fresh vegetables to your spaghetti sauce, your beef stew, etc.
SOCIAL EATING
1) Make a plan before you go to the event(s). Think about what the challenges might be and prepare both mentally and physically.
2) Offer to cook or to bring food. If bringing food to a potluck bring a healthy main course, rather than a vegetable platter, as that is something which will not be substantial and you will possibly end up eating something less healthy as a result. You might bring both an appetizer and a main course to make sure food is there that excites you and fills you up.
3) Imagine your plate is like the standard picnic plate, with 3 sections: one large one and two smaller ones. The large one gets filled with green salad and vegetables: piled high with those things. The smaller sections have small amounts of protein, and the "treat" foods you would like to try (i.e. the potato salad, mac and cheese, etc). With a dessert plate, also imagine a larger section for fruit, and smaller "tastes" of the high fat/sugar options.
4) Watch the alcohol. Alcohol is not only fattening, it actually slows your metabolism down (makes you as slow and stupid inside as it does outside, sad to say), so your food does not get metabolized quickly and you gain weight from the meal. And speaking of stupid, our food choices when we've had a "few" may not be anywhere near as wise as they would have been with less. Drink LOTS OF WATER when you drink alcohol: for every 6 oz of booze, 10 oz of water!
5) Use water, or carbonated water, as a way to fill yourself up rather than snacks and hors d'oeurves.
6) Be aware of certain high calorie foods, such as nuts. A common snack placed randomly on coffee or end tables look harmless enough, but a few small handfuls of them and you might as well skip dinner and dessert they have so many calories!
7) Eat something before you go. So many times we think we should starve ourselves all day so we have plenty of calories to spend on the meal ahead. However we tend to overeat because we go ravenous. Have a bowl of vegetable soup or a big salad before you go, or maybe some popcorn. Fill yourself up and you will be too full to stuff yourself there!
EATING OUT
1) Take control of the choice of restaurant. Your friends/family may say they want to go to the Cheesecake Factory, for example. If you want to be able to make healthier choices ask them if there is a different restaurant they might like.
2) Be proactive in the restaurant. Ask the waitress/waiter what is in the food, how it is prepared, etc. Don't be afraid to send food back if it is not prepared the way you requested,
3) Grilled, broiled, steamed and poached are all methods to look for in how meats, fish, poultry are prepared. Battered, fried, and sauteed are more fattening preparations.
4)Ask for sauces on the side, rather than on the food itself.
5) Always order a salad first, to fill you up a bit, with the dressing on the side. If you enjoy vinegars, try seasoned rice vinegar or basalmic vinegar as a salad dressing. Simply ask the waitperson for a side of vinegar.
6) Ask for the bread basket to come with the salad or soup course, rather than sitting on the table calling to you.
7) Skip fast food and chain restaurants. Educate yourself on how fast food chains and other chain restaurants have LOADED their foods with fat, sugar and salt to get and keep you hooked. Pick other options.
8) Eat something before you go out, instead of starving yourself for the meal.
9) Just like the social eating suggestions above, watch out for the alcohol. Imbibe wisely and drink lots of water.
EXERCISE
1) Let go of the attitude that exercise is for other people. Exercise is not a dirty word.
2) Find the time to fit it in, no matter how busy your life is. We always make time for the things we put first, right?
3) Find exercise you actually will enjoy. Did you love to skate as a child? Or swim? Or dance? Find some way to recreate this in your life today.
4) Ask a friend to join you and help you stay commited.
5) There is no such thing as the inability to exercise, no matter what your physical condition, so let go of that myth. Swimming, a stationary bicycle, or even chair dancing are all options.
6) Humans are just like sharks...we have to keep moving or we will die!
ATTITUDE
1) We have been pre-programed to believe losing weight and keeping it off is difficult to darned near impossible. Is that what you hold to be true for yourself? What if you thought it was actually not hard at all, but in fact interesting and fun?
2) What if rather than seeing this as a "diet" you will go on until you lose some weight, instead you decide you are simply going to eat healthier, do some exercise, and make it a lifestyle change?
3) Is it possible to give yourself praise for wise choices and positive actions, and let go of some, or all, of the negative self talk that this area of our lives seems to generate?
4) What if it was possible to shift everything in your life by altering the way you thought about it? Where have you used this technique and seen it work?
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