Our guest today is Rebecca J. Clark, a nationally certified personal trainer as well as romance author. Her first diet book just released. The Checklist Diet is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble and other ebook retailers. You can learn more about Rebecca's books on her website. And now, here's Rebecca!
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We are a few weeks into the new year. Did you set a resolution to lose weight? How is that going for you?
Oh. That bad?
Before you throw in the towel and think you’ll start your
diet
and/or exercise program again on Monday or February 1 or some other date
in the future, let me remind you that you’re just one meal or snack away from
being back on your plan. And just one workout from being back on track. Does
that make you feel a little better?
I want you to decide on some reasonable changes you can make
and stick with. Is it reasonable for
you to overhaul your entire diet cold turkey? Maybe, but probably not. Is it
reasonable for you to exercise every day? Maybe, but probably not.
We’ll talk about your diet today. When I say “diet,” I just
mean the way you’re eating. I don’t want you to go ON a “diet” because that
infers that you’ll eventually go OFF of it. I want you to think about your
worst eating habits. Do you eat enough vegetables? Do you eat protein with every
meal? Do you drink enough water? Do you eat too much junk food? You’re smart.
You know what you “should” and “shouldn’t” be eating. You know what your bad
habits are. Pick one. Just one. And work on that.
EATING YOUR FRUITS & VEGETABLES
- Make a big salad and having it with lunch and/or dinner three times a week.
- Cut up a bunch of raw veggies every Sunday, and strive to finish it by Wednesday. Then cut up some more and finish be Sunday. Repeat.
- Use vegetable purees (baby food is a great way to do this) in your every day foods. Like adding pureed carrots or sweet potatoes into your spaghetti sauce, or adding pureed spinach into your meatloaf, or pureed cauliflower into your soup.
- Have a fruit smoothie each morning to start your day.
- Reach for a piece of fruit and a handful of nuts for your afternoon or evening snack.
CUTTING BACK ON JUNK FOOD
- Before reaching for junk food, ask yourself if you really want it. This might sound silly, but sometimes the simple act of stopping and asking yourself that question is enough to stop you.
- If you must have junk food, eat just one portion. Look on the package—it’ll tell you what one portion is. Eat it and enjoy. There’s no use eating junk food if you’re going to feel too guilty to enjoy it.
- Make sure you have healthy snacks on hand. If all you have on hand is junk food, guess what you’ll reach for? Yeah.
- Tell yourself you can have X servings of junk food a week. How many is X? Depends on how much you’re eating now. If you’re eating junk food every day, cut back to every other day. If you eat it several times a week, cut back to twice a week.
CUTTING BACK ON ALCOHOL
- First, let me tell you what a “healthy” amount of drinking is. For women, one drink a night is fine. For men, two drinks a night is good. If you drink more than that, I’d strongly suggest you start cutting back. I don’t want to be preachy, but I care about your health. More than that amount is bad for your health and your waistline. Alcohol is empty calories. Your body doesn’t metabolize it well. So any excess will go to your gut or your butt. You really don’t want a Beer Butt, do you?
- So...if you’re drinking more than you “should” – and only you know the answer to that – start cutting back just a little at a time. Cut back from 3 drinks to 2. From 2 to 1. From every night to 3 times a week.
You can do it!
DRINKING MORE WATER
- This is a huge one. If you’re even slightly dehydrated, you won’t feel your best. You might be tired, or get headaches, or feel bloated, or have a scratchy throat, or be depressed. Your body won’t digest food as well.
- Have a bottle or glass of water with you at all times: at your desk, on the coffee table, in the car.
- Create reminders for yourself to drink your water. For instance, if you watch a lot of TV, drink ½ cup every commercial. If you spend a lot of time at the computer, set a timer to go off every 30 minutes and drink ½ cup. If you’re driving, every time you stop at a light or stop sign, take a few chugs. If you’re driving long distance, every time you approach an exit, take a few chugs.
- Buy yourself a really cool water container (I like Starbucks plastic cups with a straw). You’re more likely to reach for water if it is in a container you like. Sounds silly, but it’s true.
- Keep an 8 oz glass of water on your nightstand. Drink it as soon as you get up, before even getting out of bed.
- Have 8 oz of water every time you eat.
See? It’s all about small changes. Pick one or two things
you want to change and focus on those. When those become habit, pick one or two
more things.
Keep going until you’re eating a healthy diet most of the time. That’s right, I said most of the time. Life’s too short to not enjoy the occasional cheeseburger or Cheetos.
Keep going until you’re eating a healthy diet most of the time. That’s right, I said most of the time. Life’s too short to not enjoy the occasional cheeseburger or Cheetos.
