Healthy Weight Loss Tips

When I look back over the years, I realize that I’ve had a love for ice cream from the time I was a little girl. I remember eating bowls and bowls of it. If we didn’t have chocolate, I would add chocolate syrup to vanilla ice cream and stir it in until it became chocolate ice cream “soup.”

I well remember going to one particular cousin’s house for a delicious treat. My aunt would sometimes allow us to make banana splits. She had all the fixings and big, round bowls to eat from.

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Do you love the spicy flavors of Mexican food? Much of it can be made in a healthy way, such as black beans and rice, grilled chicken fajitas, and whole grain tortilla wraps.

Spicy foods not only taste great, they can increase your metabolism and help you burn more fat and calories. (Read the full article.) Salsa, peppers and onions, and seasonings also have few calories. So, spice up your foods for lots of flavor and extra calorie burn.

Here’s a simple, healthy, and delicious salsa recipe you can make to serve with baked tortilla chips, put on salads, or top grilled chicken.

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I recently began working with a previous client who had taken off for six months. In the past she had tried weight loss with limited success.

Though she watched her calories and portions, she didn’t always choose healthy foods. The diet she followed allowed her to eat any kind of food as long as she didn’t go over her allotment. One of the problems with this was that she craved foods, especially carbs and sugar.

This time around, she asked me for a food plan. I wrote out a balanced plan with healthy foods like lean proteins, vegetables and fruits, nonfat dairy, nuts, and olive oil. One big change for her was that I recommend she eat NO processed carbs. This included pretzels, 100 calorie packs, crackers, etc. I asked her to eat only cooked grains like oatmeal and brown rice, and 100% whole wheat products. I also asked her to completely eliminate sugar.

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My husband works with a man who is part of the old order Mennonite religion. They use no electricity, telephones, or cars. They either ride a bicycle, or drive a horse and buggy.

This man offered to take our boys on a ride in his buggy with his horse named Pet. He’s had Pet for 20 years. The horse before, he had for 30 years. He takes very good care of his horses and I wonder if part of their longevity can be attributed to how he warms them up.

As they start out, he keeps the horse reigned in at a slow pace. Until he sees a small sheen of sweat appear on the horse, he does not let it speed up.

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Did you know laughter is good for your health? It relaxes the body, boosts the immune system, improves blood flow, and releases endorphins.

Did you know laughter burns calories too? Laughing for 15 minutes burns about 50 calories (equal to a square of dark chocolate).

Maybe one of the most important benefits is laughter’s ability to lift your mood and give you a brighter perspective. So find every opportunity to have a good laugh. Here are a few jokes to get you started.

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I spent a wonderful day at the beach with my family. A clear sky, full sun, and wind off the ocean made it just right.

We rode bikes on the boardwalk and browsed a couple of stores. Then we hit the beach. My boys interacted with the sand like it was a wrestling pit. (I had to clean sand out of their ears.) I tried to build a sandcastle, but a toddler next to us thought the sand pile was for him to jump on.

My hubby and I took turns napping and keeping an eye on the boys. It was such a relaxing afternoon. There’s something magical about the sound of the ocean and the warm sun on your skin. It’s soothing to the soul.

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It’s easy to have good intentions to exercise. “I’ll start walking once the weather’s warmer.” Well, the weather is warmer. Are you out there?

Or maybe you’ve said, “I know I should weight train. I’m flabby and I’m not strong at all.” Well, did you start?

It can be hard to get started with exercising. It’s not always comfortable the first couple of weeks until your body begins to get stronger and your heart becomes more fit. But if you can hang in there, you will be amazed at how good exercise makes you feel.

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Exercise is so good for you. (You probably already know that!) It reduces your risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. It relieves stress and anxiety. It helps you become firmer and toner. It even helps you sleep better – and who doesn’t need that.

For me, I love how strong it makes me feel. I enjoy challenging myself with harder workouts to see my fitness level increase. What a great reward to be able to do something you couldn’t do before!

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Many times when I talk to clients who struggle with their food, they relate their weight loss failure to emotions. “When I’m stressed I eat. If I have a bad day I eat. If I’m upset I eat.” And the list goes on.

Emotions, especially negative ones, trigger us to find an escape. We look for a way to cope and to find relief. This leads us to pleasure foods like cookies, candy, ice cream, chips, or pretzels.

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Have you seen the “Biggest Loser” show when the contestants are shown their real age versus their biological age? It’s quite shocking to see how old their bodies are compared to how many years they’ve lived.

Of course, at the end of the season, the contestants are retested. An amazing thing has happened. As they transformed their outward appearance through diet and exercise, their bodies also underwent a transformation. They shed years off their real age and medical conditions disappeared.

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Warm weather invites you outdoors to play at the park, go for bike rides, hike on mountain trails, or take a day trip to the zoo.  But while you’re packing your sunscreen, don’t forget to pack up some healthy snacks and drinks for you and the kids.

Taking food along is convenient because you can grab it whenever everybody’s hungry and you don’t have to find a store or a restaurant. It saves money because you’re using your regular groceries instead of buying overpriced items. And it’s certainly healthier than most snacks you’ll find on the road!

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My client and I were discussing how yucky you feel when you eat “bad” food. And how quickly the pounds jump back on. Both of us had indulged in treats over the weekend that we normally wouldn’t eat.

He told me his disappointment in the numbers on the scale. I said, “Don’t worry about it. It’ll come right back off. This is just a blip in the timeline.” I knew he ate nutritious foods and exercised regularly. This was just a small deviation in his otherwise healthy behavior.

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I have to admit that it is really hard to come home at 9:00 at night from work and have to cook a healthy dinner. I’m tired and ready to crash. Grilling fish and sautéing asparagus is the last thing I want to do. I’d much rather eat a bowl of cereal and go to bed.

It’s times like these when I’m tempted to say “forget it” and give in.

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For me, eating healthy foods usually means eating simply. Baked chicken and broccoli. Grilled fish and asparagus. Brown rice, cooked oatmeal, or baked potato. Apples and almonds. Yogurt and berries. The food is simple, straight forward, and close to its natural state.

I don’t know how to make fancy stuff like chicken marsala, eggs benedict, or creamed lobster. I don’t have the time to follow complicated recipes. And if the ingredients aren’t easily found at the local supermarket that also poses a problem since my shopping time is limited.

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You know you’re a mom when…

You’re up each night until 10:00 vacuuming, dusting, wiping, washing, drying, loading, unloading, shopping, cooking, flushing, ironing, sweeping, picking up, changing sheets, changing diapers, bathing, helping with homework, paying bills, budgeting, clipping coupons, folding clothes, putting to bed, dragging out of bed, brushing, chasing, buckling, feeding (them, not you), PLUS swinging, playing baseball, bike riding, pushing trucks, cuddling dolls, basketball, football, catch, bubbles, sprinklers, slides, nature walks, coloring, crafts, jumping rope, PLUS raking, trimming, planting, edging, mowing, gardening, painting, and walking the dog. You get up at 5:30 AM and you have no time to eat, sleep, drink or go to the bathroom, and yet…you still managed to gain 10 pounds.

This is so true of moms. They do everything for everybody else. By the time all “that” is finished, they’re exhausted. They have no energy left to care for themselves.

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I’ve been a long-time supporter of yogurt manufacturers, especially Dannon and Stoneyfield Farms. In other words, I’ve bought and eaten my share of yogurt.

My main fare is plain nonfat yogurt. I add a drop of vanilla and stevia, and stir in fresh fruit. Sometimes I’ll eat Dannon Light & Fit.

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In eighth grade, my class went on a field trip to Washington, DC. We walked for hours and hours to see the sites. It was very hot that day. I was around 180 pounds, sweating, feet hurting, and trying to keep up a good face for my friends.

To this day, I remember how bad my inner thighs hurt. They rubbed against each other until they had become red and raw. By the time we returned home, I was almost in tears and barely able to walk.

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I listened to Dr. Colbert being interviewed on a talk show about making healthy choices. He gave great ideas for quick changes by simply replacing bad choices with good ones. For example, he recommended switching whole milk for nonfat milk, sugary cereal for high fiber cereal, and adding berries to your breakfast.

What was interesting is how the discussion turned to people’s self worth. To paraphrase his point, people who have low self esteem find it very difficult to make healthy lifestyle choices.

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Protein helps you shed pounds, stay fuller longer, and keep cravings away. You should aim to eat protein at every meal and a little for snacks, too.

Eating quality, lean protein is essential. High calorie, high fat protein sources cancel the benefits you get from good proteins.

Here are some of the best sources of lean protein for weight loss.

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My sons wanted a 3-D wooden helicopter kit. When we got it home and they opened it up, pieces went everywhere. I couldn’t begin to make sense of how to put it together. Fortunately, a detailed step-by-step plan with illustrations was included. Thankfully, too, my boys and husband have more engineering sense than I do and were able to build the helicopter out of all those little wooden pieces.

Every piece needed to build the model was in the package. But without a step-by-step plan, it would’ve been very difficult (if not impossible) to put it together.

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