by OneMoreBite | Nov 13, 2003 | Diet Plans
Avoiding The Dreaded Plateau
We’ve all been there; that dreaded plateau, where despite our best efforts, nothing seems to be happening. That can be difficult to accept with our”instant breakfast” mentality, and it is exactly where many decide their efforts aren’t working. Wrong! That is exactly when things are working, inside, where they count. Think day-to-day, rather than minute-to-minute. Think long-term rather than short. Keep doing what you know is working, and you’ll reap the benefits.
Best Steps to Permanent Weight Loss
Keeping a tally or score on your weekly efforts is the best way to track your progress. Just like the stock market, the line will go down, then up, then down, then down, then up, while over time, if losing weight is your goal, then you will eventually reach your goal, if you are doing the things that support your efforts on a daily basis. Tracking daily may cause insanity due to the ups and down attributed to the foods you eat, the liquids you drink, whether you sweat, etc.
I don’t generally dictate what people should eat, but there are guidelines which depending on your size, if followed, will lead to less fat, more muscle, and better health overall.
Weight Loss Guidelines
Calories: How many? That depends on many variables including your muscle mass (requires more calories to be maintained) whether you exercise, and your basic resting metabolism. I eat close to 2,000 a day, so don’t think you have to eat 1,000 calories a day to drop weight. It’s simply not true. I’m active, and the more active I get, the more I can eat and still maintain my weight. I don’t count calories so much as I’m aware. If something I want to eat has a ton of calories (cheese fries?) then I’ll decide whether it’s worth it first.
Think of Day’s Calories as Bank Account
I won’t waste my calories on crummy food choices – such as I won’t nibble a stale cookie just because I see it sitting there as I walk by. I won’t grab a handful of peanuts out of the bowl that’s on the counter, even if it beckons because until I saw it, I didn’t want it. Stop mindlessly putting things in your mouth. Everything counts – make good choices. If you want it, have it, but make sure you want it, and there isn’t something else you’d rather have. My motto? I’d rather have cheesecake. If I see something, I first think, “Do I want it more than something else I could have” If yes, okay fine, I’ll have it. If not, I’ll wait for something better, go get something better, or just let it go, this time. There’s always a next time.
Eat Your Veggies
Three to four vegetable servings can be accomplished by eating a big salad with some non-fat dressing (Don’t waste your “fat” calories on salad dressings.) Frozen vegetables are great. Nature made them sweet, no need to add sauces, etc. Learn to eat a raw carrot, freshly pulled out of the ground is really great!
Eat Plenty Protein but Don’t go Overboard
Bacon is a treat, not a staple (way too fatty). Choose lean meats, and start eating wild fish. Tuna mixed with salsa, wrapped in a tortilla. Think outside the box.
Eat Fruit Everyday
. At least one piece, more is better. I know it’s got sugar. It’s supposed to be sweet. We crave sweet, nature set it up so we’d want to eat fruit – so surprise! We want to eat sweet. Big deal. Satisfy your sweet tooth naturally, and you’re less likely to be driven to eat junk.
Drink Plenty of Water
. Make an effort to drink six to eight glasses a day. Every day. Yes, that seems like a lot. Do you drink soft drinks? Start substituting water every few soft drinks. Consider how much money you’d save, if you need an incentive.
Movement and Exercise: Track your Movement
If you get five minutes of exercise, write that down. Five minutes every day is far better than no minutes every day. Start from the beginning and you can slowly build to more minutes. Find exercise you enjoy – it’s not supposed to be torture. If you don’t like it, you won’t continue.
Eat Frequently
More often is better than less, never less than three times a day, even six is fine. Every time you eat you stoke the metabolic fires – your furnace heats up, and you burn more calories just by being alive. Fuel the fire. If you are afraid to eat, that may be the biggest problem – you aren’t fueling your fire and so the fire is burning as little fuel as it can just to get by (slow calorie burn means sluggish metabolism). Hunger is not the enemy.
Don’t be afraid that if you eat more, or exercise more, that you’ll gain weight. That’s folly. Athletes tend to eat an enormous amount, but they only get fat when they stop exercising and don’t adjust their eating accordingly.
If you eat a clean diet (mostly), move your body (exercise), and get plenty of quality sleep, you’ll be healthy, happy, and your weight will fall in line with what is healthy for you. I know you want the end result now. We all want it now, but wouldn’t it be great if you could drop some weight and know it’s gone for good? Wouldn’t you like to stop the “losing it, only to gain it back” cycle?
Start Today: Notice Quantity Of What You Eat
I eat cereal most mornings, but now I measure it, because if I use my eye to judge, I’ll eat about twice as much. Why is that? I’ve grown accustom to a certain amount of food on my plate or in my bowl, and that plate is large. I’m used to the huge portions served in restaurants – I expect it. Some people actually share a dinner -would you consider doing that? Or take some home for tomorrow’s lunch. It makes the meal out a much better value too.
Remember, skip the bread unless it’s special. Dress your salads, don’t drown them, and don’t waste money and calories on beverages (drink water instead).
Just start noticing what you’re doing every day and you may find some places where small changes can produce the results you want. Don’t fear weight loss plateaus! Embrace them instead and enjoy the view. Give it a go and post me a comment to let me know what happens for you.
by OneMoreBite | Nov 5, 2003 | EFT Weight Loss
Always eating?
That doesn’t mean that at the first tiny hunger pang I go crazy looking for something to stuff in my mouth; just that I plan ahead, have healthy snacks close by, and know it’s likely I’ll get hungry every few hours. What’s interesting is that I don’t always get hungry at the same time each day, but when I do get hungry, I do eat.
My Typical Weekday Eating Routine
Breakfast 7:00 AM (I tend to wake up hungry) , usually I eat some whole grain cereal. I especially love hot cereal, or eggs with lots of whites and maybe one yolk.
Snack 10:00 AM (usually fruit, yogurt, bagel – I do make an effort to wait until 10:00 for my first snack, but some days if I’m really hungry, I’ll go ahead and eat as early as 9:00). I have cut back on the bagels. I was eating a giant bagel (over 300 calories) every day, and I was getting really sleeping every afternoon. I don’t know if there’s a connection, but whenever I notice sleepiness or other odd behavior, it pays to check what you’ve been eating.
Lunch 11:30 – 1:30 PM (depends on whether I get hungry) – Guess what? If I don’t get hungry until 3:00, then that’s when I eat. I like soups, tuna mixed with salsa, something wrapped in a tortilla – whatever I’ve brought. I sometimes go out, but not often.
Dinner 4:00 – 5:30 (same thing, I eat when I get hungry, so if I had more during the day, it’ll be longer before I’m hungry again.)
Evening – hardly ever get hungry, so rarely eat. During the week, if I think I’m hungry and it’s after 9:00 PM I’ll drink some water instead, cause it’s unlikely I’m really hungry then. That usually takes care of it. If I really can’t stand it, I’ll have an apple (nice and crispy this time of year), or a banana or other fruit. Yes, it’s high sugar. So what? People get so hung up on what they eat, that they don’t realize they’re choosing to skip real food. Fruit is not a bad thing, unless you are diabetic and must be very careful about your sugar levels. I don’t usually want anything between my lunch and dinner, but if I get hungry, I’ll eat. There’s no set plan.
Break the Nighttime Eating Habit
I broke the habit of eating most of my calories after 5:00 PM years ago. Now I eat all day, and hardly ever in the evening, even on weekends. It works for me, but I do eat a clean diet (more or less). Clean meaning little processed or fast foods, because if I start popping tiny candy bars, or eat french fries a few days in a row I’ll start craving them again. My theory is that if the food value (nutritional value) is low (as it tends to be in processed foods) my body still wants nutrients, even though it may have enough calories. This can explain why one can eat a lot and still feel hungry, or be hungry soon after eating a big meal. Think about it? Did you eat good quality, nutritious food, or did you eat something batter fried, dipped in sugary sauce, dripping with grease? Are there any nutrients? Not the kind they toss in to call it fortified either. I mean real food folks. Try it, you’ll like it.
You Decide on Treats: Is it Worth it? Is it Special?
If someone brings birthday cake, and it looks good, I’ll eat some at 10:30 or 11:00 or whenever it’s served, but then I’m hardly ever hungry for lunch until hours later. It varies every day. If someone brings treats, and they are the same thing I can get any day at the grocery store, I just don’t have any. It’s easy to pass up average foods. If someone brings something incredibly special, but I’m full from my breakfast, I might take some on a plate and leave it waiting until I’m hungry for it. Sometimes it might wait an hour, sometimes several. It’s not going anywhere. There’s no rush. I eat it very slowly, almost making a game out of it. How many tiny bites can I get out of this? It delays the enjoyment for a good long time, and after all, eating is enjoyable.
Track Uncontrollable Hungers
If you think you are always hungry (and believe me, I’ve been there), then keep a food diary for a few days to get a look at what you are eating. It may be there is a lack of nutrients, which explains why it’s possible to still be hungry even after eating a lot of food. Or, it’s psychological hunger, which is another story.
The most useful appetite suppressant is good food.
EFT Suggestions for Hunger or Cravings:
“Even though I’m still hungry, I deeply and completely accept myself.”
“Even though I think I’m still hungry, I deeply and completely accept myself.”
“Even though I’m craving donuts, I deeply and completely accept myself.”
“Even though these donuts are average, I still want them, and I deeply and completely accept myself.”
Try EFT on direct cravings, when they strike. It only delays your eating a few moments – try it, and see whether it reduces the desire, even a tiny bit. If it does, then eat slowly, enjoying what you’ve chosen. You might find you’re satisfied with less, and getting more enjoyment at the same time.
by OneMoreBite | Sep 7, 2003 | Health Concerns
So much in the news lately about weight loss surgery. The risks are downplayed while the celebrities who had a good result are paraded around like it’s easy. After all, what could be simpler?
Consider the facts: You will not be able to eat even a quarter of the quantity you now eat. “That’s okay,” they say. Are you kidding? Do you have any idea what that means?
If you’re a person who has difficulty limiting the amount of food you eat, just because you will now experience discomfort or a little nausea, what’s that compared to the fun you’ll have figuring out ways to circumvent the limitations of a tiny stomach?
You have to ask yourself, why you are simply unable to reduce the quantity you eat now, without surgery? Do you need something outside yourself to force you into submission? I think that is the “getting cracked over the skull approach to weight loss” and it seems a little drastic.
Do Mental Surgery First
Try it on for size. Be sure what you say you want, is what you want.
Wake up tomorrow morning and experience the world post-surgery (in your mind). You are hungry, but once you start to eat you nearly instantly feel full, because your stomach is teeny-tiny. To live with this you’ll need to give yourself much smaller portions, and you’ll have to be satisfied
with a meal that takes about two minutes to eat. If you use toothpicks as utensils, it might help prolong the experience but otherwise, you’ll be giving up eating as an enjoyable part of your day. Get used to it.
The people who end up with a good result from weight loss surgery are those that are able to mentally get over eating as their favorite activity. All the others, and there are thousands, simply return to their pre-surgery weight within two years – much the same result as any weight loss program.
by OneMoreBite | Sep 5, 2003 | EFT Weight Loss
Fri Nov 22 – This study is now closed. Thanks to all who participated!
If you’d be interested in being interviewed as a possible weight loss study participant, please send your name and any details to study @ onemorebite.com
Beginning late September 2003, this group will begin the OneMoreBite EFT Weight Loss program via telephone and e-mail. The purpose of the study is to determine the viability of a distance program for weight loss participants.
Studies have shown that people attempting to lose weight do better when they have group support. If you’d like to get off the weight loss treadmill and really learn how to live without a weight problem, please join us.
by OneMoreBite | Jun 19, 2003 | Exercise
Are You Willing to Make a Change?
You can get into whatever shape you want, if you’re willing to do what’s required. Professional athletes are strict in their diets and exercise plans during their on-season (you’ve seen off-season athletes). Being strict with their intake is part of the process, and they just do it. Look at actors who have to lose a lot of weight to play a starving person in a role. They do it, because they’re paid millions of dollars to do so (makes it easier, I’ll bet), but it still would be difficult – and frankly I wouldn’t want to risk screwing up my head in that way, but it is their job and they do what they must do.
Bodybuilders are another good example because you’ve probably seen what can be done with a fairly rigid clean-eating plan, and consistent resistance exercise. You can whittle your body into whatever shape you want, but first you must decide to what extent you are willing to go.
What is a Clean Diet?
Clean eating or a clean diet is simply eating whole foods with little or no additives, fruits, vegetables, grains, steamed fish and chicken, little or no gravies or sauces, etc. Just clean. Little or no fast foods, and little or no processed foods. They do eat lots of protein powders and food bars though (not really clean, but they need the added calories, and frankly they get sick of having to eat all the time).
So what are you willing to do? If you find you’re not even willing to get started, then okay, you’ve made a conscious decision that you are okay where you are. Be okay with that. Stop giving yourself such a hard time about a decision you’ve made. Either make a different decision or get off your own back.
I’m into the fourth week of a consistent weight lifting program. I’ve been trying for the last two years to get something consistent going and I’ve been telling myself I don’t have time, it’s too hard to do it in the afternoons, I can’t get up earlier, etc. All these reasons why I can’t were keeping me from accomplishing what I said I wanted. Now I’ve found a way that I can do it, plus amazingly I seem to have more time in the process!
I call it Kathryn’s Amazing Multi-tasking Exercise Program and here’s how it works: If you’re familiar with weight lifting you’ll know that you must take a short rest between each set — 1 min or so is okay, sometimes 90 seconds. During that time most people just sit and look around. If you’re at home, this is partly why weight training seems so boring as there is just nothing to look at. Nothing to distract you for those few seconds.
My old schedule worked like this: 6:AM up, 6:15 – 6:30 working on website (morning routine). 6:30 – 7:00 goofing off, reading e-mail, following links, checking out software, reading some news, morning rant, etc. 7:00 – 7:15 breakfast while still doing above at computer. 7:15 – 7:45 more goofing off, until I realize it’s time to get dressed, and now I’m rushing around to put on makeup, find clothes, get my things together. Whew. It’s busy, right?
Now, my new plan is thus: I still get up and work until 6:30 AM at which time I grab my makeup kit and go into my gym (it’s at home). There I start my routine, and between each set I put on a smudge of my makeup. Guys, I know you can’t shave while you exercise, but indulge me here. There is enough time between each set to write down my reps and weight, mark what I’m doing next, put on some makeup, and then back to the next set. Time flies, and I’m getting my makeup on while I’m working out! Voila. I come back up stairs shortly after 7:00, (the workout takes me about 34 minutes total, split routine, four days a week), and then I can eat breakfast. What I’ve found is suddenly it seems like I have more time since I’m actually making better use of the time I already had!
It’s great, and I’m in the middle of the fourth week of consistent weight training. I’m excited as the weights are what make the difference for me. I’ll write more on this soon. Think of your own day. Are there places where you think you don’t have time, but you’re actually just wasting time anyway? Could you add some weight training during the commercials on TV? Think about it, and let me know if you come up with some ideas.
