5 WAYS TO EAT FOR WEIGHT LOSS – Nutrition

Nutrition

When you sit down for a meal you have the chance to make great nutrition choices that will power you through your day, or make less than great choices that will leave you feeling hungry and sluggish soon after you’re done eating. The good news is, if you blow it on one meal you always have the chance to make up for it on the next. The secret to making great nutrition choices more often than not, is to be aware of your behavior when you are about to eat. For example, are you anxious, upset, excited, or distracted? All of these emotions can cause to you overeat extra large portions of food.

Over heightened emotions make us act on a whim and often make us regret it soon after. Take a few minutes and be aware of your emotions and the situation you’re in. The more aware you are, the less likely you are to overeat on sugar, carbs, or extra large portions of food.

Here are some Heart Smart Minute Nutrition Tips to consider durning your next meal.

Take 20: It takes 20mins for your body to register that it’s full. Why is this so important? Because if you’re eating your food like it’s a race, you are eating hundreds of extra calories your body doesn’t need or want, all because you haven’t given your body a chance to tell you it’s full. Slow down and give your body a chance to talk to you.

Sit Down: Don’t stand and graze at the fridge, you’re eating food you don’t even realize you are because you’re distracted. Keep kitchen counters clear of snack foods like nuts or crackers. The last thing you want to do is get in the habit of grabbing handfulls of snack everytime you walk into the kitchen. Sit down and look at your food, see what’s on your plate and know the calories you’re eating. This makes you aware of your nutrition and your surroundings.

Avoid Family Style Dining: It sounds great! You, your friends, all around the table with pounds and pounds of food all around you. As great as it sounds, family style dining is a nightmare for portion and calorie control. Stick to having your own plate and leave the rest of the food in the kitchen. After your meal, get up and move around to avoid going into the kitchen for seconds.

Salad First: Having a salad before your main meal gives you a chance to get fiber in your system. Salad will make you eat less of your main course and give you a nutritious mix of leafy greens and veggies!

After Dinner Be Done: The more people I meet through Heart Smart Minute, the more I’m convinced that after dinner snacking is the worst culprit for weight gain. Here’s the thing, you’re not eating after dinner because you’re hungry, you’re eating because you’re bored and it’s a habit you’ve made to relax yourself before bed. Break your routine after dinner by going for a walk or removing yourself from the “snack zone” when cravings hit. Also, make your home a no fail zone! You can’t eat was isn’t there.

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Move Past Fitness Road Blocks

Fitness

Making a healthy fitness and nutrition program a long term part of your life can have it’s difficult moments. There’s nothing easy about breaking unhealthy habits you’ve had for years and learning to eat healthy and exercise.

There will be days when you wake up in the morning and don’t feel like getting out of bed early to exercise, days when you want to forget about cooking a healthy meal, and just hit the drive thru on your way home from work.

Facing your health and wellness road blocks is critical to long term success when it comes to fitness and nutrition. This is one of the major causes of yo-yo diets, once you hit a road block and don’t know how to move around it, you are much more likely to throw in the towel and return to your old comfortable habits.

Heart Smart Minute Tips: Move Past Your Road Blocks

NO MOTIVATION: Motivation comes from the habit of doing. You won’t wake up every morning jumping out of bed with excitement to get to the gym extra early before work. Don’t confuse motivation with excitement. Focus on the feeling you have after you exercise, the sense of accomplishment, of strength and health. Once you start to see your body changing you will have the surge of excitement.

SETTING UNREALISTIC GOALS: Don’t think the weight is going to fly off you on week 1. That’s not reality. Weight loss needs to be slow and achievable. Make your goal to lose 2lbs per week, that way you are able to sustain the weight loss. You can’t shock your system into losing weight and think your body won’t catch on to your methods. Remember, slow and steady wins the race.

NO RESULTS: Take the focus off the scale and on to the way your body looks and feels. Are your jeans looking better, do you have more energy during the day, are your joints moving better and less achy. All those elements play a huge role in weight loss. The number will come, so focus on the strength your body has.

NO TIME: This one is my favorite because it’s just the most ridiculous excuse. Skip watching TV for 1 hour a day and go exercise, get up an hour earlier in the morning and get moving. During my busiest time of the year, I’m up at 3:30am to exercise before my early morning clients. I don’t like it, but I do it because I enjoy the way my body looks and feels for the rest of the day. You can get used to anything, even getting up super early to make your health a priority.