Slides of Motivation

pictures from google images

10 Tips to Trim The Tummy

Carry a notebook everywhere you go for one week. Write down everything you eat and drink. Studies have found that people who maintain food diaries wind up eating about 15 percent less food than those who don't.

Eat five or six small meals or snacks a day instead of three large meals. This keeps the body away from being hungry as it has more to meals to keep digestion busy.

Find a weight-loss buddy. It’s always a good thing to have motivation coming from others to help keep you on track.

Clean your closet of the "fat" clothes. Buying a new wardrobe if you gain the weight back will serve as a strong incentive to maintain your new figure. 



Downsize your dinner plates. Studies find that the less food put in front of you, the less food you'll eat. Conversely, the more food in front of you, the more you'll eat.

Serve your dinner restaurant style. (food on the plates) rather than family style (food served in bowls and on platters on the table). When your plate is empty, you're finished; there's no reaching for seconds.

Switch to ordinary coffee. A cup of regular coffee with skim milk has just a small fraction of those calories. And when brewed with good beans, it tastes just as great.

Eat cereal for breakfast at least five days a week. Studies find that people who eat cereal for breakfast every day are significantly less likely to be obese and have diabetes than those who don't.

Eat 90 percent of your meals at home. You're more likely to eat more -- and eat more high-fat, high-calorie foods -- when you eat out than when you eat at home.

Eat fruit instead of drinking fruit juice. For the calories in one kid-size box of apple juice, you can enjoy an apple, orange, and a slice of watermelon. These whole foods will keep you satisfied much longer than that box of apple juice, so you'll eat less overall.


www.rd.com for other tips

Diet soda, a good alternative?

Since diet = 0 calories is it ok to drink as much as you want?

No!

Diet sodas contain artificial sweeteners such as, aspartame and sucralose which can...

-Stimulate your appetite
-Increase carbohydrate cravings
-Stimulate fat storage and weight gain

These artificial sweeteners increase your insulin levels which increases hunger, even if you just ate. This can cause unneeded snacking to happen.

Extra snacking + unneeded calories = gaining weight


So when dieting try to stay away from these sugar substitutes. Try to drink water or allow yourself a juice full of vitamins and nutrients, such as V8 and other V8 products.

Easy Ways to Burn Extra Calories

Getting Started

The start is always the hardest part of getting healthy. No one wants to cut their favorite junk food or start running mile after mile, especially when after a few days results are still hard to see. Starting slowly and easing into this new routine is all right and will even help you and your body realize the new changes being made. 

The first way you can begin a new you is eating healthier. This doesn't mean you need to rid your diet of all foods containing fats or sugars. It just means that you need to pay more attention to portion control, and limit yourself when it comes to things like chips or chocolate. Having unhealthier foods once or twice a week, at a small amount, keeps your cravings satisfied without over doing it. 

Having a problem snacking? Instead of eating 3 big meals a day, eat 5 small meals. The amount of calories for each meal will vary depending on your body type and activity level. Information about what your calorie intake should be can be found at mypyramid.gov . 

Incorporating exercise into your daily routine is also suggested when you are looking for ways to slim down. As a beginner don't overwork your body, as it will not be familiar with the new exercises. Start with little things like parking farther away from locations, taking the steps instead of the elevator, maintaining your house and yard, and playing with your kids all help burn extra calories without changing your daily activities too drasically. Even taking a walk around the neighborhood is a great way to add a little more exercise into your day. 

As you begin to get your body warmed up for weight loss, your physical activity throughout the day can be increased by allowing more advanced workouts. You choose the pace that you move at. Don't let people rush you or feel that what you are doing is not enough. Everyone has a certain amount that they can do in a day. Keep diet and exercise comfortable for you and your body, as it will be the way you succeed.

Health's a Hit

Today it seems that just about everyone is concerned about their health, I know I am. Diet fads come and go as some tempt us by giving us false hope that we could lose 20 pounds in just 2 weeks. As great as that sounds, it's unhealthy to drop weight that fast as it is also unlikely. As much as I would like to believe that these diets could whip me into "perfect" shape, I know that this dream probably won't come true. 

Many people struggle with weight loss and find it to be an impossible task. People believe that fat has to come off now, and when it doesn't they get discouraged. I've shared that same feeling, where food always seems to win me over, allowing myself to take one step back from my goal of losing that next 5 pounds. But now I realize that fat takes time to burn and with watching what I eat and some exercise added into my day I can reach my goal.

People don't need to change their diets drastically or exercise for hours at a time to lose weight. Little changes add up moving you closer to your goal. Feel free to share tips and tricks on this blog, as I will post tips, videos, and routines that will help you jump start your goal. 

Motivation is one of the strongest tools one can have when reaching a goal, so lets motivate each other to feel fit!