I've Thought This

Sounds About Right

Diet Tips 21 - 30

21) Read the menu before reservation time.

Platkin recommends keeping roughly 10 menus for nearby restaurants, and pick three or four healthy options from each menu. That way when you arrive, you won't browse and be drawn in by, say, the blooming onion.

 

22) Cut stress, sleep more. (Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Good one!)

A study published in the International Journal of Obesity found that people aiming to lose 10 pounds found the greatest success when they reduced stress and slept 6 to 8 hours a night. And a separate study found that lack of sleep did in fact lead to weight gain.

 

23) Keep candy at a distance of 6 feet. (Oh the candy machine is way more than 6 feet away, but I just paid a visit to it this morning because I was starving and didn't bring anything to eat.)

A study in the International Journal of Obesity found that workers ate much more chocolate when it was visible and within reach, as opposed to just 6 feet away. What's more, the workers underestimated how much candy (aka sugar) they ate when it was right next to them, but they overestimated how much they ate when they had to walk to the candy bowl. "Removing yourself from the vicinity of temptation will help tremendously," says Bainbridge.

 

24) Cook your own food.

Packaged foods are designed for a long shelf life, so they're highly processed, offer little nutrition, and are chock full of empty calories, says Aronne. Try making your own meals using fresh ingredients—you'll soon find easy, fast, and healthy recipes that far surpass any packaged pre-made meals you can buy.

 

25) Liquid calories are trouble.  (I think they may be talking about my Starbucks habit here....)

Twenty minutes after eating, you'll feel full. But sweet drinks and alcohol are loaded with calories, and they'll sail right past your hunger sensors. (This is what happens when you stop drinking alcohol.) Aronne recommends his patients avoid caloric drinks altogether. If water is too blah, try squeezing lemon or lime into seltzer.


26) Vet your pantry.  (But...I can't just throw it out, thereby wasting food...)

"We're creatures of habit, so we gravitate to the same places over and over," says Platkin. That holds true for restaurants, coffee shops, and the cupboard in your kitchen. If you keep cookies, chips, or candy in a place you frequent—like your pantry—you'll need to clean it out and restock it with healthier options. "It's too tough to change our habits completely. You can go to the same places, just change what's available there."

 

27) Step away from the juicer. (I don't own one. Yay me!)

Breakfast shouldn't be skipped (and replaced with juice) when you're trying to lose weight. "If you juice a bunch of fruits for breakfast or make a banana smoothie, you're really consuming a lot of carbs and sugar," says Aronne. "You experience a fructose surge that feels good but leaves you very hungry." Stick to a breakfast with protein and some fat, like eggs or yogurt.

 

28) Look for support.  (This is probably one of the hardest things since I don't have any friends that live in this area that I could do this with.)

In one study, 95% of participants completed a 4-month weight loss program—and 66% maintained the weight loss—when they dieted with a buddy. "It's crucial to have a network of people to encourage you and to listen when you're struggling," says Brainbridge.

 

29) Fill up before you face the doughnuts.

Eating something healthy prior to facing temptation—the break room cookies and doughnuts, the party with all the fatty appetizers—will help you resist. "If you plan ahead so you don't face temptation while you're hungry, you'll have a much easier time staying disciplined," says Platkin.

 

30) Combine proteins and carbs for snacks.

Bainbridge recommends healthy carbohydrates and proteins, like cheese and an apple or yogurt and nuts. The carbohydrate quickly tamps down ghrelin, the hunger hormone (here are 4 ways hormones effect weight loss), and the protein keeps ghrelin down, so you'll feel full until your next meal.

Diet Tips 11 -20

I had almost forgotten posting about these:

11) Tap technology for help.
If you find it cumbersome to write down everything you eat, simply snap a picture of your food with your smart phone, says Platkin. All of your food. Simply taking a second look at what you're about to put in your mouth can reduce how much you eat. For a diary, try an app like Calorific, Lose It!, My Food Diary, or MyNetDiary.

12) Take a walk after meals.

A study in Diabetes Care found that when seniors walked for just 15 minutes after each meal, they significantly lowered their blood sugar, which can help manage weight gain. (Burn calories and build muscle—all while boosting your mood—with our 21-Day Walk a Little, Lose a Lot Challenge!) While walking in the morning or the afternoon for 45 minutes certainly led to improved metabolic markers, the short post-meal stroll was significantly more effective at blocking fat storage.

13) Eat walnuts.

A 2015 study out of Yale suggests adding 2 ounces of walnuts to a daily diet for 6 months leads to less snacking and healthier choices overall. Even though walnuts are high in calories, they satisfy hunger and reduce cravings

14) Exercise in the AM.

Japanese researchers found that working out before breakfast triggered the body to burn fat all day. So, if you want to burn fat all day, work out before breakfast.

15) Lift weights.

Finnish researchers found that when elderly women lifted weights, they could manage blood sugar much better, reducing fat storage.

16) Work your entire body.

According to this study, doing a strength-training circuit of six exercises (arm curl, leg extension, seated row, leg curl, triceps extension, and leg press) three times a week for 12 weeks helped Spanish women shed belly fat.

17) Your treadmill needs you.

A Spanish study found that when postmenopausal women at risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes started walking on a treadmill at home three times a week for 4 months, they significantly reduced fat and lost an inch off their waists. (Here's an 8-week walking plan to get you burning fat and feeling great.)

 18) Working out is vital.

Studies show that regular exercise is crucial to keeping weight off once you have shed it, but it's also good for your self-esteem. "Physical movement makes you feel better and boosts your confidence," says Platkin. "Workouts increase the chances of reaching your weight loss goals and decrease the chances of slipping up."

 19) However, don't expect exercise to be the entire answer.

Working out is healthy for the body and the brain, plus it reduces stress—which we all know can spur eating. "But physical movement is better for keeping weight in control than it is for losing weight," says Cheskin. "In 60 seconds, you can eat what it would take 60 minutes at the gym to burn off." The takeaway: You can't out-train a bad diet.

 20) Feed your healthy gut bugs.

A New England Journal of Medicine study of 120,000 nurses over 35 years found that women who regularly consumed yogurt easily lost weight and didn't suffer the weight gain typical with aging. Why? The probiotics in live-culture yogurt help facilitate weight loss by providing nourishment to healthy gut bacteria. If you can't tolerate dairy, try fermented vegetables or a probiotic supplement.

Or Maybe Hours?

Go Figure...

So I weighed myself this morning and somehow lost 3.4 lbs. That's pretty good for not really trying that hard...then again I haven't had any ice cream either. Which is a good thing.

I guess I should stick to that, huh?

Way, Way Back...

And It's November...

Yep, another month gone by and we are almost to the end of the year. And less than 6 months till I'm 60.  Should I give this a go again? Yes I should.  And to start it off, I already drank 16oz of water this morning right after I came down stairs. And I brought steel-cut oatmeal with walnuts for breakfast. 

So let's see what I can do this month, shall we?