I know, I know, I don’t want to beat this chunky horse to death, but
after yesterday’s post when I went on and on about how hard it is to
lose weight and how it took me nearly two years, buckets of tears, and
more than one program (Medifast is what I’m trying after also doing
Weight Watchers, for the record, it works too), I don’t want you to get
discouraged.
I challenge you to choose one of these tweaks to make every day this
month and see if you don’t feel lighter, fitter, stronger, better!*
Easy Ways to Lose Weight: 10 Tips That Won’t Kill You but Will Make You Stronger
1. Take the stairs. All the way. Half way. Just down. Whatever.
2. Use a smaller plate. Like the one you give your kids.
3. Wait for seconds. After you wolf down your first plate of food at the dinner table, you may be
dying
for more mashed potatoes. But, take a beat. Wait 15 minutes and see
if you still feel hungry. If you do, go for it. But, chances are you
will be over it once you give your belly time to realize it’s full.
4. Slow your roll. I know, all day you waited for this Philly
cheesesteak sandwich and now it’s on your desk all hot and delicious and
you really just want to smash your face into it. Pump your breaks.
No, cut it in half. Wrap that up and walk it back to the fridge. Then
sit down and SLOWLY savor the hot and delicious HALF of sandwich you
have left. If you really, really, really want to get up, walk all the
way back to the fridge, warm up your other half, and eat it when you’re
done, by all means, help yourself. Just maybe high knees all the way to
there and back as punishment (yes, even if you’re in your office,
shoulda thought about that).
5. Take exercise breaks. At work? Close your door and spend your 15
minute break not stuffing chips in your gullet but doing a little
lunging. At home, grab the baby and hit the floor for some play time.
When The Dudes were little I’d lay on my back and lift them up above my
head a dozen times, or put them on my legs and lift them. They love it
because they’re all, “Woohoo! I’m an airplane and mommy is talking to me
and breathing hard in my face, she smells like lunch, yes!” and you get
a work out. No job and no baby? Um, workout?
6. Tell everyone about your weight loss and fitness goals. Peer
pressure and the desire to succeed while everyone is watching might
prevent you from reaching for that
first second donut at the staff meeting. Support and accountability make everything easier.
7. Stop eating kid snacks. I used to blame The Dudes and their
snacks for my inability to lose weight and eat healthy. I told myself I
had to have all of these snacks in my house for them and not eating
them was just too hard. Then I realized, uh, they don’t need crap
snacks either. Fruit and yogurt and veggies work for them too. And,
when they did desire a treat, I’d just make it something I don’t like.
Oatmeal raisin cookies for example. Those. I hate those. But kids,
love them. They get a treat and I get to not be tempted by chocolate
chip cookies.
8. Write down what you eat. It’s called food journaling and it’s
designed to give you insights about your eating practices and keep you
accountable. And you can’t be a liar about it. If you eat 16 of those
oatmeal raisin cookies when you swore you wouldn’t, write it down.
Then, when you’re done in the bathroom, think about why you did that and
how you can never do it again.
9. Drink more. Not wine. Sorry. Water. Drink a full glass before
every meal and when you start feeling like you need a snack. You might
just be thirsty. And water also fills your belly. Water not really
your jam? That’s cool, but pick a good alternative. No sweet teas or
grape sodas.
10. Try meditating. I didn’t get much about the topic out of my
episode of Dr. Oz about meditating; it was 35 seconds. But, what I did
get was a spark of interest and Russell Simmons’ book,
Success Through Stillness.
Chapter 9, “How Meditation Helps Your Body”, is all about how
practicing meditation can reduce stress, alleviate medical conditions,
and help you lose weight! He explains that meditating helps you become
more mindful of the food you put in your body and more conscious of your
choices, including those involving food. Ruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuummmmmm