| |
| |
|
Weight Loss Information |
|
|
|
Changing Our Eating Behaviour
Changing our eating behaviour is one of the critical lifestyle changes necessary if we are going to successfully lose weight and keep it off. For many people, changing eating habits is one of the hardest things they'll ever do, as anybody who has gone on a diet and tried to stick to it can attest. If you've tried to change your eating habits before and have failed, or if you're about to embark on a weight loss plan of your own that involves a change towards healthier eating, the tips in this article are designed to improve your chances of success. First things first One of the reasons most people fail to stick to a diet is that they take the wrong first step. There are broadly two ways to change your eating habits in order to help you lose weight: 1. Change what you eat 2. Change how much you eat Ideally, in order to maximize weight loss over the LONG TERM we need to change both. But it's not a good idea to change both at once. This is where most people make mistakes. They try to change both at once or if they only change one, they change the wrong one first. When faced with the above two options, most people take option 1 first when the best first option to take to help you lose weight is typically option 2. Why? The reason is actually quite simple. It is far easier for most of us to go from eating 3 to 2 pieces of fried chicken for dinner than it is to go from 3 pieces of fried chicken to a garden salad. Sure, eating the salad will help us lose more weight than forgoing only one piece of fried chicken, but permanent weight loss is a long term process and going down to 2 pieces of chicken forever is far better than eating a garden salad for dinner for 1 week and then going back to 3 pieces of chicken for the rest of our life. Remember, we are trying to make permanent lifestyle changes here and most of us won't stick to these changes if they are too radical compared to what we are currently doing. Food reduction tips Here are some tips to help you reduce the amount you eat: ? Making small permanent changes are better than radical changes that you won't be able to live with. ? Don't worry about falling back to your old behaviour for a day or two, only the long term counts. ? Use portion controlled packaged foods to help you (prepackaged frozen meals and single serve snack packs for example). ? Use smaller plates than usual to serve your meals. ? When eating out, buy entrée sized meals or share a full sized meal with your partner or friend. ? Separate a third or quarter of the food on your plate and move it to one side before you begin eating, then leave that third or quarter uneaten at the end of the meal. ? Eat small amounts of food every couple of hours so you're not starving at main meal times. ? Drink plenty of water throughout the day - most people mistake thirst for hunger. ? Eat slowly and concentrate on your meal - don't watch TV while you're eating for example. ? Gradually reduce your serving sizes over time until they reach the ideal size. ? When eating take away, don't buy super-sized options. ? Remember that to make these changes habit you are going to have to continue to practice them consciously for awhile (maybe up to 3 months) until they become unconscious. ? Be the last one at the table to start eating. ? Put your fork or food down between bites. ? Chew or swallow each bite before the next. ? Pause in the middle of the meal. ? Don't eat while cooking - this increases your total serving size, often without being noticed. ? Place leftover food in small, single serve containers. ? Have soup or a salad with low calorie dressing to begin a meal. ? As soon as you begin to feel full, stop eating. ? Try to reduce stress in your life and other things that cause you to eat on emotion. The second step OK, you've gradually started to reduce the amount of food you eat and are starting to slowly (but surely) lose weight. If you haven't already, now is the time to start to become more active to improve your general level of fitness, increase your energy levels and of course speed up the weight loss process. Now that these habits are well established, it's time to start thinking about making minor positive adjustments to what we eat. Instead of eating a piece of fried chicken for dinner for example (we've migrated from 3 down to 2 and now down to 1) maybe we can have a piece of fried chicken without the skin or a piece of grilled or broiled chicken instead. And maybe we can replace half of the chips that accompany our chicken with a corn cob or a handful of your favourite steamed vegetables. See how we're making small positive changes that we can live with? While changing what we eat is often more difficult that slowly but gradually reducing how much we eat, there are things that we can do to make sure that when we do begin to change this aspect of our behaviour that we are successful. Healthy diet modification tips Here are a couple of things to consider when improving our diet: ? A healthy diet is a balanced diet and a balanced diet has plenty of variety - occasional fast food meals are OK; just don't make them the staple. ? Plan ahead - don't be forced into choosing inferior food options because you failed to think ahead. ? Start by modifying your breakfast. Breakfast is so important that it is the logical place to begin when trying to improve your diet. Whole-grain, high-fiber cereals with low-fat milk are an excellent choice. ? Understand and read the Nutrition Facts labels on packaged food. ? Compare the nutritional facts of like products and if possible, opt for the choice with the lowest calories, sugar, salt and/or fat. ? Be adventurous; try new dishes whenever you can. ? Remember that the cooking method you use can increase or reduce the calories contained in food. ? Buy a new cookbook or food magazine for food and healthier choice ideas. ? Exchange healthy recipes with friends. ? Try new restaurants. ? Alternate alcohol with low calorie drinks (water is perfect). ? Join a healthy cooking class. ? Start a healthy cooking dinner club. ? Invite friends over for a vegetarian (or other theme) meal. ? Make meals delicious as well as nutritious. ? Remove temptations from your home. ? Become physically, not externally connected to eating. ? Shop using a shopping list and never shop when hungry. ? Be wary at cultural and social events - don't let your guard down. ? Feel proud every time you say "no" to a problem food. ? Neutralize food. There are no good or bad foods - all foods are OK when eaten in moderation. ? Stop Dieting. General Guidelines for behaviour modification In addition to the tips above, try some of these general guidelines to behaviour modification: ? Be ready to change. ? Develop a plan. ? Set goals, track your progress, and reward yourself to stay motivated. ? Make change fun. ? Slow down your busy lifestyle. ? Understand your personal barriers to change so you can avoid excuses. ? Don't look for quick fixes and easy options. ? Keep a positive attitude. ? Watch your language, especially when talking to yourself. ? Change your reward system so that it is not based on food and rewards behaviour modifications, not weight loss results. ? Enlist the help of qualified professionals (e.g. a registered dietitian, a physician, a personal trainer and/or a psychologist). Good luck and remember you can do whatever you set your mind to! For all your weight loss and healthy lifestyle needs, visit www.weightloss.com.au and become a happier, healthier you. Scott Haywood
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
A Better Body - 5 Easy Steps That Anyone Can Take If only there were a 'better body boot camp', we'd be there every February - before spring started to show itself and those lovely winter jackets had to come off.Although this isn't a better body boot camp, we can offer you 5 practical steps to a better body. Understanding the Glycemic Index Things get so confusing when it comes to understanding what foods are high on the glycemic index scale and what effects your blood sugar production.I have focused a lot of my diet around eating lower glycemic index foods, but more importantly understanding that even when you eat high glycemic foods you can help reduce the blood sugar impact, by eating a combination of both high and low glycemic index foods together, that overall helps slow down the insulin production in your body. Dieting: A Few Smart Dieting Secrets To Rejuvenate You In our society of fast food and long hours spent at jobs, it is not difficult to add weight at all.That is the easy part. Diet and Exercise Evolution: Adaptation (part II) -- Examples and Practical Advice Understanding the theory of adaptation (see previous article, Adaptation I) will give you the tools to evaluate your diet and daily routine. If you have any question about whether something is good for you, always examine both the immediate effects and the adaptation effects equally. Tired Of Struggling To Lose Weight? There are many factors that cause us to increase body weight, yet three stand out from the rest.Our genetic make: Every cell in our body has a central control panel, that is a nucleus that contains our genes and chromosomes. Why Do Athletes Use Ephedra? You are probably familiar with the weight loss connection with the ephedra pill, but did you know that the ephedra pill is also extremely popular with performance athletes? For decades, athletes have been seeking out ways to enhance their performance. One of the most common and popular enhancing substances was the ephedra pill. Cause and Solution to Obesity ObesityToday, 64.5 percent of adult Americans (about 127 million) are categorized as being overweight or obese. Commit To Cardio Exercise For Permanent Weight Loss Everyone is looking for the secret to losing weight. Everyone wants it to be easy. How to Exercise and Lose Weight on a Busy Schedule In my fitness consulting business, I get the opportunityto talk with people from all walks of life about their health,fitness, and weight loss goals. Whether their goal is tolose weight, gain muscle, stick to a diet plan or program, improve theircardiovascular health, or simply to maintain their current fitnesslevel they all have one common enemy---TIME. Fast Weight Loss - Can You Really Lose 60lbs in 30 Days? Fast Weight Loss - Is it better to lose 2lbs a day or 2lbs a week?Yes it's very possible that you can lose 60lbs in 30 days but I don't think you would want to and here's the reason why:Let's say you do lose 60lbs in 30 days? how much of that weight you lose do you think is going to be pure body fat? Remember-- body fat makes us look ugly.Anytime you try to lose more than 2lbs a week or 60lbs in 30 days (2lbs a day!)?A larger part of the weight you lose is only going to be water and muscle. Weight Loss Benefits of Massage There is no question that having a massage makes you feel great. Even having a deep-tissue, sports massage makes you feel wonderful afterwards. Safe and Permanent Weight Loss Cannot Be Achieved in the Fed State Weight Loss Axiom Number ThreeInsulin and GlucagonThese are the two major hormones that control energy metabolism in the human. They are much like yin andyang, hot and cold or happy and sad. Are You Controlled by the Urge to Splurge I gotta confess: I'm completely addicted to crisps. Any kind is fine. South Beach Diet The Review Diaries The Review DiariesShe Unlimited MagazineThere are masses of carbohydrate diets like the Atkins Diet and The Zone. Now Hamptons diet meets South Beach. Fast Weight Loss Using Herbs And Spices I wonder how much it is generally known that the benefits of using herbs and spices can speed up your weight loss efforts, by quite a considerable amount actually.We all know that herbs and spices are used with cooking to varying degrees, and of course the primary reason for doing so is to make food much more tasty and interesting. Compulsive Eating and Binge Eating Disaster Plan Congratulations on waking up each morning and greeting the day with renewed determination! Perhaps you rise and say, Today's the day - I will make it through the entire day sticking to my diet goals." What a wonderful, optimistic way to begin a fresh day. The Diet Demons As the dieting phenomenon grows, with a new "diet guru" announcing "THE SOLUTION" almost weekly, so do the waste lines of America expand. Obesity is now a strong and gaining second to cigarettes as a preventable cause of death or disease. 7 Little Known Facts About Cellulite Cellulite is a condition for which cures are commonly sought. The lumpy, rippled skin which typically appears in the thighs and buttocks area known as cellulite is typically associated with a weight problem; however an individual need not be overweight to have cellulite. Psychological Factors in Weight Management To continue the educational series on your health and fitness lifestyle, this article is based on accredited college nutrition programs and literature based on proven science. My hope is to empower you to take responsibility for your nutrition plan. Walking: Its Never Too Late to Lose Weight! How did a thin person like me become overweight? My mother had probable Alzheimer's disease and I was her caregiver for nine years. During this time she lost the ability to read, understand television, converse with others, and the ability to speak.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
