My Best Advice and Tips for Weight Loss
2012
Like many of us I have watched my weight, and been interested in weight gain and loss, my whole life. There are so many diets, strategies and concepts out there in this area it is sometimes hard to know what is the best information. I offer what I consider the best tips based on my personal experience with myself and watching and helping many others to lose weight. Number one, you have to want to do it. If you really do and can see a thinner you in your mind, then read on.
Get Back to Nature
My experience is that the simpler and more natural and back to nature it is, the more effective it works. By nature our bodies want to be in a natural slim state. Thin and slender is our norm and if we get out of the way and just eat when we are hungry and eat natural living plant foods, our bodies will come into alignment and return to their natural state of being, which is healthy and slim. However, many have lived out of alignment, overeating or eating processed foods for so long that it takes time for the body to readjust and come back to its natural way of being. If you do not have health challenges, which often comes from overeating and processed foods, then eat as much raw plant foods as you can: fruits and vegetables, and with this one tip alone soon you will see the weight falling off.
If you do have health challenges, seek advice of a natural health care provider. If you can, drink chlorophyll based juices as this is often the fast track to healing the body. My best general advice is to consume blue green algae (chlorella, spirulina and/or E3Live) and as much green food as possible.
Keep a Food Journal
Keep a Food Journal and record everything you eat n it. My preferable way to do this is pen and paper; have a small notebook with you all the time that you jot down everything (everything!) that goes into your mouth. You can also do this by recording it into your phone or documenting however best works for you and however it is easiest to make sure everything gets written down. It can be surprising to see how the snacks add up and it really can help to keep you on track by actually seeing it on paper, or text. This is the number one best strategy for weight loss for most people. Try it and you will see how effective it is.
Post on Keeping a Food Journal and Week two of mine here
Week one of my Food Journal here
Portion Control
Portion control. Portion control. This is especially important to get used to for the meals which you are used to eating a lot. For most people this is lunch and dinner. It is a big adjustment to get used to eating smaller amounts. The thing to remember is that if you can get through the first day or two of smaller portions your stomach will shrink so that you don’t feel as hungry.
Eat Smaller Portions more Frequently
Instead of 3 larger meals, eat 5 to 6 smaller portions eat day. That’s breakfast, lunch and dinner and 2 to 3 snacks in between.
The concept behind this is that if you are eating smaller portions the size of your stomach will shrink. This happens quite quickly, usually within a couple days, and then you will find that you will not need as much food to feel full. So now you eat these smaller portions more often so that you are always feeling full.
It is quite an adjustment to get used to if you are used to eating two to three big meals a day and it will not work if you don’t eat smaller portions. So there is an adjustment period of a couple days when you are feeling like you are not eating enough, but it is very temporary and only lasts until your stomach shrinks, which happens quite quickly. Our bodies are very adaptable. The big bonus with this strategy is that after the initial period, you always feel full and are still losing weight. The key is not to fall back into the habit of over eating, because just as quickly as your stomach shrank, it will get bigger too, and then you will have to start the cycle all over again.
Eat Your Larger Meals Earlier in the Day
Practise your mental strength in the evenings. After dinner, stop eating. Use your will, focus and determination. Mental power is a strength and will power is like a muscle; the more you work it the stronger it gets. The more it gets used to you telling it what to do, the less it will tell you what to do. So practise your will power to not eat in the evenings after dinner. Your body will get used to the feeling and it will feel good after you get used to it to not have that heavy feeling to go to bed. There may be an adjustment period. Learn to appreciate that lighter feeling and know this is your optimal time to lose weight, when you are sleeping, so help it along. You will sleep better for it too. However do not go to bed so hungry that you feel hunger pangs during the night that keeps you awake. If you find this happens eat something small before going to bed that is high in protein and low in carbs.
Eat carbs earlier in the day. Carbohydrates provide fuel for your body to run on and you don’t need those to sleep. Your body builds muscle while you sleep so if you are working out it is better to eat foods higher in protein if you need something in the evening. Foods higher in protein also help you feel full longer.
Drink Water
Make water your beverage of choice and drink at least 2 liters of water each day. 2.5 liters of water is the recommended amount and it is ideal to drink this amount each day. The amount of tea, juice and fresh fruits you consume will affect this number as these all have a high water content. Judge accordingly but make sure to drink at least 2 liters of pure clear filtered water.
Start each day with a big cup of hot lemon water. Add 1 to 3 Tablespoons or approximately ¼ lemon juiced to each cup of water. The lemon helps dissolve the mucus built up over night and to wash away toxins that the body has released during the night. Stretch in the morning also to get the body juices and system flowing and active.
Drink one full glass of water before each meal, especially lunch and dinner, which can often be the times to overeat. The water will help to curb your hunger and so you will eat less before you start to feel full.
Tea and Coffee
Studies have shown green tea to boost the metabolism and that it is best to drink it after meals. Studies have shown it to be effective in weight loss and green tea is loaded with antioxidants (EGCG’s).
So what about black tea? Black tea converts its EGCG’s into other compounds during fermentation so researchers thought it was less healthy. What they are discovering now is in processing it develops theaflavins and thearubigens, which besides making it dark and flavorful also provide health benefits previously only attributed to green tea. It seems studies on tea are in the early stages and I have not found studies on black tea and metabolism. So, if you are a green tea drinker – great! Keep with it, and if you love black (like me) my best advice is to enjoy it also, but alternate it with green.
If you are a coffee drinker try to cut down to one cup per day, or limit your intake and cut out sugar or opt for a healthy sweetener such as honey, maple syrup or agave. For milk or cream, lower the quantity or better yet, substitute almond milk.
Healthy Eating Strategies
Do not eat in front of the TV or a computer screen. Practise conscious eating and be present and aware of your eating experience.
Know when your weak periods are and be prepared with a healthy snack in mind or prepared in advance.
Do not eat from containers. Pre-plate you meal. It is easy to over eat when you don’t see how much you are eating in front of you and there is a much higher chance of you over eating from eating out of containers than from food served on a plate that you can see. Seeing the food you are eating magically makes you feel full quicker; it’s a psychological thing.
Only have a second serving from the salad bowl or of the healthiest available foods.
Stop eating when you start feeling full. It takes 20 minutes for food to reach your stomach to start getting the full feeling. If you start feeling it and you are eating, know that you will feel much fuller in 20 minutes from now. So stop early.
Throw out all processed and ‘junk’ foods. Don’t even have them as a temptation and make it an effort to get them. That way if temptation does hit, by the time you get to the store you may have conquered it or you may have opted for a healthier snack at home instead.
Stock up on healthy foods: lots of fruits and vegetables, chia and hemp seeds, almonds, etc. If you eat meat or fish, buy small lean portions, preferably organic.
Prepare more of your food at home.
Tricks that work
Use a smaller plate for your main meals. The food will fill up the plate and it gives the illusion of seeming like more to the brain.
Chew your food well. The food will be more nutritious, this helps the nutrients to be available sooner, and as well you will be more conscientious of eating. The more conscientious you are of eating the less you will feel a need to continue eating afterwards.
Eat slowly. Make sure one bite is chewed and swallowed before putting another bite in. A strategy to eat slower is to set your fork down between bites.
Best Foods to Eat
Good List – Eat lots of these:
whole plant foods: fruits and vegetables, especially leafy green vegetables
Eat a little of these: good grains, such as oats, quinoa,
If you eat meat or fish, eat small portions and organic if possible
If you eat dairy, cheese, eggs or animal products: eat small portions and organic if possible
Bad List – Stay away from these:
Processed and refined foods, candy, ice cream, cakes, cookies, donuts, chips, soda, chocolate bars, wheat
Get Active
Get up and move often so that your inner body is also active, working and burning away those fat cells. Short, quick bursts of energy are great for boosting the metabolism and will really activate your fat burning processes, as well as make you feel energetic and happy! So get up and get moving!
