Runaway Eating
The 8-Point Plan to Conquer Adult Food and Weight Obsessions. Have you been on some form of a diet for as long as you can remember? Do you hate your weight, your shape, or your body in general, to the point where you cringe whenever you see a picture of yourself? If the answer is yes, you're not alone.
Runaway Eating
By Cynthia M. Bulik, Ph.D., and Nadine Taylor, M.S., R.D.
Published by Rodale
January 2005, $14.95US$20.95CAN; 1-59486-038-6
Have you ever eaten half a chocolate cake, then felt terrible about yourself?
Have you been on some form of a diet for as long as you can remember? Do you hate your weight, your shape, or your body in general, to the point where you cringe whenever you see a picture of yourself? If the answer is yes, you're not alone.
In this groundbreaking book, clinical psychologist Cynthia Bulik, Ph.D., and dietitian Nadine Taylor examine a disturbing trend: the dramatic increase in the number of midlife women seeking treatment for eating disorders. And because eating disorders don't just appear out of nowhere, the authors project that there are millions of us who struggle with milder forms of unhealthy eating behaviors. If your diet has taken over your life, if you frequently use food to run away from your problems, if you berate yourself after overeating, you are a Runaway Eater.
Fortunately, there is hope and help. In this book, you'll discover:
* The hidden link you may not have considered. The hormonal changes of menopause and the years leading up to it can affect your appetite and eating pat- terns in unexpected ways. Learn how to work with your body instead of against it.
* The little-known dangers of dieting. Discover why diets -- and especially low-carb diets -- may contribute to out-of-control eating.
* A practical self-treatment plan. Learn to manage Runaway Eating triggers -- including depression, anxiety, and perfectionism -- with simple, proven strategies that will help you regain control of your eating, your weight, and your life.
Author
Cynthia Bulik, Ph.D., is the William R. and Jeanne H. Jordan Distinguished Professor of Eating Disorders at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is also a professor of nutrition in the School of Public Health and the director of the UNC Eating Disorders Program.
Nadine Taylor is a registered dietitian and chair of the Women's Health Council of the American Nutraceutical Association. She is the author of numerous health books and articles.
Reviews
"This is the best self-help-oriented book for disordered eating that I have seen. Psychologically sophisticated, practical, and highly readable."
--Craig Johnson, Ph.D., director of the eating disorders program at Laureate Psychiatric Clinic and Hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and internationally recognized author and researcher on eating disorders
Excerpt
The following is an excerpt from the book Runaway Eating: The 8-Point Plan to Conquer Adult Food and Weight Obsessions
By Cynthia M. Bulik, Ph.D., and Nadine Taylor, M.S., R.D.
Published by Rodale; January 2005; $14.95US/$20.95CAN; 1-59486-038-6
Copyright © 2005 Cynthia M. Bulik, Ph.D., and Nadine Taylor, M.S., R.D.
Are All Diets Unhealthy?
Want the short answer? Yes. Now, you may be thinking, "If I don't stay on some kind of diet, I'll just blow up like a balloon. I need to be on a program just to keep control of myself." But consider that any kind of dieting involves a diet mentality, which ensures failure, encourages you to ignore hunger and satiety signals, and promotes a negative relationship with food, because you have to give up "forbidden" foods and, often, eat foods you don't really like. This inevitably results in giving in, which often means bingeing and feeling terrible about yourself. So, though this idea may sound radical, we firmly believe there is no good diet.
By "diet," we mean the conscious restriction of the amounts or kind of foods you're allowed to eat for the express purpose of losing weight. A diet is something that you go on when you want to change your body, and go off once you've reached a certain goal. Though we certainly do endorse consuming a wide variety of healthful foods, paying attention to portion sizes, and thinking twice before eating a lot of foods that are high in calories but low in nutrition, we don't recommend following any kind of plan that tells you what, how much, and how often you should eat, without regard for your body's hunger and satiety signals. And we definitely don't recommend any eating plan that you go on and then go off.
Although it may sound surprising, the negative effects of dieting also hold true even if you aren't following a formal diet but still think like a dieter. If you count grams of fat, opt for high-protein foods while shunning carbs, rely on "safe" foods, beat yourself up for eating "bad" foods, consciously or unconsciously undereat (which can trigger overeating later), use diet soft drinks or coffee to quell your hunger, or decide what you can eat based on what you've already eaten today, you're dieting.
The Physical and Psychological Effects of Dieting
Have you ever noticed that as soon as you go on a diet, all you want to do is eat? Even if you weren't particularly concerned about food prior to dieting, all of a sudden you become obsessed with it. You find yourself preoccupied with what you'll have for your next meal, whether you can have a snack, what others are eating, or even what you'll allow yourself to eat tomorrow. What's going on?
The mind and the body are inextricably linked, and never is this more apparent than when you go on a diet. Geared to survive during feast or famine, both body and mind switch into survival mode when the food supply is radically diminished. While the body turns down the metabolism and becomes a "slow burner" in an attempt to hang on to every single calorie, the mind gears itself to one overriding purpose: getting food. The result? Suddenly, you may find yourself clipping recipes, planning menus, cooking elaborate meals or dishes for others (neither of which you'll eat yourself), or even dreaming about food at night. The message is clear: Your body wants food, and your mind does, too.
After a few days of extremely restricting your food, you'll probably become more depressed and anxious. Although this may be due to changes in neurotransmitters like serotonin, it may also occur because you are depriving yourself of things that are very pleasurable that aren't replaced by anything else -- leaving a pleasure void. You may suddenly prefer to spend more time alone -- it takes too much energy to deal with others -- and your self-esteem may start to drop. Unfortunately, the more depressed, anxious, and isolated you become, the more you'll obsess about food.
Some people can hold out longer than others, but the result is eventually the same: a binge. You eat something you "shouldn't," which makes you feel as if you've blown it. So you let go and eat. During the binge you feel relief -- at last you can relax and do what you've wanted to do all along. But you may also feel as if you're in a trance and can't stop yourself. It's almost as if your body has developed a will of its own; it's going to feed itself whether you like it or not. As a result, you can end up eating more food in one sitting than you ever did when you weren't dieting.
Are you crazy? Absolutely not. This is a normal, even healthy reaction to a period of semi-starvation, a reaction that made good sense during primitive times. After a period of famine, it was natural and necessary for our ancient ancestors to overeat. They needed to be able to take advantage of a feast when they had the chance, because the food supply was uncertain. To make this possible, their appetites increased after a period of famine. So the same amount of food that would have satisfied them during times of plenty left them feeling hungry after a period of semi-starvation. The same thing happens to you when you restrict food. Suddenly, you develop the urge and the capacity to binge, and you no longer feel satisfied after eating what you used to consider a normal meal. In short, restrictive dieting can trigger binges and leave you hungry even after you've eaten normal amounts of food. This is true for most Runaway Eaters, and even for those dieters who do not develop Runaway Eating problems.
The psychological consequences of dieting were clearly illustrated in a classic study of the effects of semi-starvation done in 1950 by Ancel Keys, Ph.D., and his colleagues at the University of Minnesota. In the study, 36 healthy, young, psychologically sound males were observed over a period of 1 year. During the first 3 months, the men ate normal amounts of food; during the next 6 months, they were given half as much food; and during the last 3 months, their food allotment was gradually increased. During the semi-starvation period, the men became preoccupied with food and constantly talked about it, read cookbooks, clipped recipes, and daydreamed about eating. When a meal was served, many took an inordinately long time to eat it, trying to make it last. Over time, the men became extremely depressed, anxious, and irritable.
Once they made it through the period of semi-starvation, the men ate nearly continuously, with some indulging in 8,000- to 10,000-calorie binges. The men reported that their hunger actually increased right after meals, and some of them continued to eat to the point of being sick without feeling satisfied. Although most of the men finally reverted to normal eating patterns within 5 months of the study's end, some continued with their new patterns of "extreme overconsumption."
We see these same patterns in dieters: the preoccupation with food; the anxiety, depression, and irritability; the tendency to go off the diet and eat more than one would have in the pre-diet days; and a propensity toward bingeing even after the diet has ended.
Reprinted from: Runaway Eating: The 8-Point Plan to Conquer Adult Food and Weight Obsessions by Cynthia M. Bulik, Ph.D., and Nadine Taylor, M.S., R.D. © 2005 Cynthia M. Bulik, Ph.D., and Nadine Taylor, M.S., R.D. Permission granted by Rodale, Inc., Emmaus, PA 18098. Available wherever books are sold or directly from the publisher by calling (800) 848-4735 or visit their website at www.rodalestore.com
By Buzzle Staff and Agencies
Published: 1/6/2005
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
What’s in a word—especially a word like "fat"
There's an old proverb that counsels, "Make your words soft and tender, lest you should later be obliged to eat them".
What’s in a word—especially a word like "fat"
Enlarge Image
So it’s not what you say, but how you say it, and when it comes to weight issues, there’s some good hard data now that shows the truth of that conventional wisdom.
The research, conducted at the University of Pennsylvania, focused specifically on the terminology used by doctors when discussing weight problems with overweight patients. But for anyone who has occasion to discuss weight or size with an overweight person, whether as a patient, an employee, a customer, or a loved one, there’s a useful lesson in the research: Don’t let your message get lost in your words.
It’s a sensitive issue. Terms for overweight have long been used in very negative ways, against almost anyone. ‘You big, fat ‘ is appended to the beginning of almost any schoolyard epithet: liar, bully, coward, braggart, etc., regardless of whether the subject is overweight or not. And if the subject is overweight, then ‘fat’ serves as an epithet all by itself.
Discriminatory treatment and pervasive prejudice against the overweight are well-documented among both children and adults, and negative attitudes about them are almost as universal as they are undeserved.
The truth is that overweight and obesity have long been seen as a moral or aesthetic failing. Gluttony, after all, is one of the seven deadly sins of biblical notoriety. But the causes of overweight in today’s society are a lot more complex than they were in biblical times.
Think about it. Back then, the physical requirements of everyday life ‘ including just getting a meal together ‘ were such that most people achieved an appropriate energy balance just getting by, day to day. That is, they burned about what they took in, and didn’t need to count calories or watch their carbs or worry about dietary fats.
In fact, it probably took some special indulgences to eat enough to get overweight. In a world where starvation or malnourishment was a far bigger risk than obesity, an overweight person might well be suspected of undue indulgence.
But we are not living in that world. The world has changed much, and so much in just the last few generations ‘with industrialization, mechanization, transportation, and marketing‘ that our progress has outpaced our ability to even recognize all its ramifications.
When Ray Kroc applied assembly line principles to burgers and fries at McDonald’s in the 1950s, who imagined that this convenient new dining would be, in just a couple generations, directly linked to an epidemic of obesity in America’
And it is an epidemic. Two-thirds of Americans are now overweight, one third are clinically obese. How can such numbers be attributed to a moral failing, to mere over-indulgence’ Particularly when so many among that number have been overweight since childhood, and so many children are among that number now’
Obesity is a medical problem, a public health problem. It does have behavioral aspects, but as more attention and resources are devoted to considering all its aspects, we learn every day how multifaceted and complex it really is.
Yet studies show that even medical professionals, who really should know better, are subject to the same negative stereotypes society in general assigns to overweight people: that they’re lazy, sloppy or undisciplined.
So is it any wonder that overweight people are sensitive about how their weight is characterized and referred to?
For instance, the word ‘obese,’ is really just a medical term, and a doctor might reasonably use it when talking to a patient about a weight problem. It defines a person who is 20 percent or more above the expected weight for their height. Typically, people with a body mass index of 30 or more are considered obese. And that’s all it means, nothing more.
But the negative connotations the word carries are so entrenched in the public psyche that the simple medical meaning is lost.
The Pennsylvania study on weight terminology quoted one female participant who had a BMI of 38. ‘I’m not obese,’ she said. ‘That’s for people who are really fat. It’s gross.’
‘Gross’ is a value judgment. ‘Obese’ is medical definition. But try telling that to her, or to any of the other overweight Americans whose body size is so often regarded ’even by them’as a reflection of their character.
Doctors need to know how patients hear these words, because if some emotional trigger causes the patient to tune out, the rest of a critical health message could be missed.
So the study set out a number of terms, many very similar, that a doctor might use in a discussion with a patient who was 50 pounds overweight, including ‘obesity,’ ‘weight problem,’ ‘excess weight,’ ‘large size,’ ‘heaviness,’ and simply ‘weight.’ Subjects in the study were asked to score them as desirable or undesirable along a range.
The simple term ‘weight,’ without any adjectives attached, was far and away the most preferred of those offered. The next favored terms, ‘excess weight’ and ‘BMI,’ weren’t even close, but still scored as desirable terms. Everything else was considered undesirable, with ‘obesity’ among the worst.
The research aimed at educating doctors to help improve ‘bedside manner.’ When getting heard can be a life or death matter, good doctors learn to tailor the message. They can’t afford to be offensive, even unintentionally, because critical medical guidance could get lost in a tangle of hurt feelings.
But there are important things that other people may need to say, too, and no one wants their words to obscure their message. Research like this helps us all communicate not just more considerately, but more effectively.
THROUGH THICK & THIN
While some size-acceptance activists are calling themselves fat and large-sized to try to remove the stigma by embracing these terms, most people aren’t yet going along. Research shows that if what you want is not to hurt, but to be heard, non-offensive, non-confrontational terminology is best.
About the author:
Caroline J. Cederquist, M.D. is a board certified Family Physician and a board certified Bariatric Physicians (the medical specialty of weight management). She specializes in lifetime weight management at the Cederquist Medical Wellness Center, her Naples, FL private practice, you can also get more information about Dr Cederquist and her weight management plan by visiting www.DietToYourDoor.com
She is the author of Helping Your Overweight Child - A Family Guide, which is available at, DrCederquist.com, Amazon.com, or by calling toll-free 1-800-431-1579.
By Buzzle Staff and Agencies
Published: 6/27/2006
There's an old proverb that counsels, "Make your words soft and tender, lest you should later be obliged to eat them".
What’s in a word—especially a word like "fat"
Enlarge Image
So it’s not what you say, but how you say it, and when it comes to weight issues, there’s some good hard data now that shows the truth of that conventional wisdom.
The research, conducted at the University of Pennsylvania, focused specifically on the terminology used by doctors when discussing weight problems with overweight patients. But for anyone who has occasion to discuss weight or size with an overweight person, whether as a patient, an employee, a customer, or a loved one, there’s a useful lesson in the research: Don’t let your message get lost in your words.
It’s a sensitive issue. Terms for overweight have long been used in very negative ways, against almost anyone. ‘You big, fat ‘ is appended to the beginning of almost any schoolyard epithet: liar, bully, coward, braggart, etc., regardless of whether the subject is overweight or not. And if the subject is overweight, then ‘fat’ serves as an epithet all by itself.
Discriminatory treatment and pervasive prejudice against the overweight are well-documented among both children and adults, and negative attitudes about them are almost as universal as they are undeserved.
The truth is that overweight and obesity have long been seen as a moral or aesthetic failing. Gluttony, after all, is one of the seven deadly sins of biblical notoriety. But the causes of overweight in today’s society are a lot more complex than they were in biblical times.
Think about it. Back then, the physical requirements of everyday life ‘ including just getting a meal together ‘ were such that most people achieved an appropriate energy balance just getting by, day to day. That is, they burned about what they took in, and didn’t need to count calories or watch their carbs or worry about dietary fats.
In fact, it probably took some special indulgences to eat enough to get overweight. In a world where starvation or malnourishment was a far bigger risk than obesity, an overweight person might well be suspected of undue indulgence.
But we are not living in that world. The world has changed much, and so much in just the last few generations ‘with industrialization, mechanization, transportation, and marketing‘ that our progress has outpaced our ability to even recognize all its ramifications.
When Ray Kroc applied assembly line principles to burgers and fries at McDonald’s in the 1950s, who imagined that this convenient new dining would be, in just a couple generations, directly linked to an epidemic of obesity in America’
And it is an epidemic. Two-thirds of Americans are now overweight, one third are clinically obese. How can such numbers be attributed to a moral failing, to mere over-indulgence’ Particularly when so many among that number have been overweight since childhood, and so many children are among that number now’
Obesity is a medical problem, a public health problem. It does have behavioral aspects, but as more attention and resources are devoted to considering all its aspects, we learn every day how multifaceted and complex it really is.
Yet studies show that even medical professionals, who really should know better, are subject to the same negative stereotypes society in general assigns to overweight people: that they’re lazy, sloppy or undisciplined.
So is it any wonder that overweight people are sensitive about how their weight is characterized and referred to?
For instance, the word ‘obese,’ is really just a medical term, and a doctor might reasonably use it when talking to a patient about a weight problem. It defines a person who is 20 percent or more above the expected weight for their height. Typically, people with a body mass index of 30 or more are considered obese. And that’s all it means, nothing more.
But the negative connotations the word carries are so entrenched in the public psyche that the simple medical meaning is lost.
The Pennsylvania study on weight terminology quoted one female participant who had a BMI of 38. ‘I’m not obese,’ she said. ‘That’s for people who are really fat. It’s gross.’
‘Gross’ is a value judgment. ‘Obese’ is medical definition. But try telling that to her, or to any of the other overweight Americans whose body size is so often regarded ’even by them’as a reflection of their character.
Doctors need to know how patients hear these words, because if some emotional trigger causes the patient to tune out, the rest of a critical health message could be missed.
So the study set out a number of terms, many very similar, that a doctor might use in a discussion with a patient who was 50 pounds overweight, including ‘obesity,’ ‘weight problem,’ ‘excess weight,’ ‘large size,’ ‘heaviness,’ and simply ‘weight.’ Subjects in the study were asked to score them as desirable or undesirable along a range.
The simple term ‘weight,’ without any adjectives attached, was far and away the most preferred of those offered. The next favored terms, ‘excess weight’ and ‘BMI,’ weren’t even close, but still scored as desirable terms. Everything else was considered undesirable, with ‘obesity’ among the worst.
The research aimed at educating doctors to help improve ‘bedside manner.’ When getting heard can be a life or death matter, good doctors learn to tailor the message. They can’t afford to be offensive, even unintentionally, because critical medical guidance could get lost in a tangle of hurt feelings.
But there are important things that other people may need to say, too, and no one wants their words to obscure their message. Research like this helps us all communicate not just more considerately, but more effectively.
THROUGH THICK & THIN
While some size-acceptance activists are calling themselves fat and large-sized to try to remove the stigma by embracing these terms, most people aren’t yet going along. Research shows that if what you want is not to hurt, but to be heard, non-offensive, non-confrontational terminology is best.
About the author:
Caroline J. Cederquist, M.D. is a board certified Family Physician and a board certified Bariatric Physicians (the medical specialty of weight management). She specializes in lifetime weight management at the Cederquist Medical Wellness Center, her Naples, FL private practice, you can also get more information about Dr Cederquist and her weight management plan by visiting www.DietToYourDoor.com
She is the author of Helping Your Overweight Child - A Family Guide, which is available at, DrCederquist.com, Amazon.com, or by calling toll-free 1-800-431-1579.
By Buzzle Staff and Agencies
Published: 6/27/2006
Friday, March 6, 2009
Steps to Success - Ten Small Steps To Take Towards Weight Loss
Steps to Success - Ten Small Steps To Take Towards Weight Loss
Ten little things you can do to lose weight without going on an all-or-nothing diet.
Steps to Success - Ten Small Steps To Take Towards Weight Loss
I'm going to be honest with you: losing weight isn't easy. Keeping weight off isn't any easier. It takes discipline. It takes some major changes in your life. It takes a little motivation, too.
Not ready to make such a large commitment yet? In order to make the task of losing weight or leading a healthier lifestyle in general a little easier, it's best to take it one step at a time. If you break it down into small steps you'll find it to be much easier than taking the huge leap many dieters do. In fact, many of those who do take it as a big leap tend to revert back to their old ways more so than those who break it down.
Here are ten small steps you can take to start losing weight. Start wherever you'd like, whenever you'd like. What's best is that you do this on your own terms rather than following some strict, rigid plan that nobody can follow to the T. Try taking one step every week or two until you've added each one into your life. You'll find that by the time you're done you'll feel better physically as well as mentally.
Step One: Cut Out the Pop
Soda. Pop. Coke. Whatever you call it, if it's not diet, it's going to pack on the pounds if you drink it regularly. Even diet soda isn't highly recommended, though if it's weight loss you're after and you're not willing to give up all sodas then they are a good alternative. The best drink alternative, however, is water. Tea comes in as a close second. If you normally drink a can of soda every day, cutting it out of your daily routine will save you around 150 calories. Over the course of three weeks, you will have saved 3150 calories. 3500 equals one pound of weight, so that's nearly one pound lost right there!
Step Two: Take the Stairs
Taking the stairs instead of the elevator is an excellent way to burn a few extra calories. If you're physically able, you should really give it a try. You'll burn more calories and the more you burn, the more you'll lose.
Step Three: Eat More Veggies
I'll admit: this isn't easy. I have a hard time with it myself. Regardless, vegetables are high in nutrition and low in calories. You'll feel full after eating them but you won't have consumed as many calories as you might have if you were, for example, eating potato chips.
Step Four: Park in the Back of the Lot
We've all done it, especially on cold or rainy days: driving around for fifteen minutes trying to find a closer parking place. By parking in the back of the lot, not only are you saving time and gas, but you're burning more calories during your walk to the door. Even when it's -10 degrees, you'll be glad you took this extra step because by adding in little extra bits of physical labor into your day you'll be one step closer to a healthier, happier you.
Step Five: Drink Your Water
Eight glasses a day seems like a lot, but it really isn't as bad as you'd think. A 20 oz. bottle of water is 2.5 servings alone. Two bottles is 5 servings, and if you drink a third plus a little more you'll have your servings down without a problem. The important thing is to spread it out during your day. It'll keep you from snacking as well as keeping your body hydrated.
Step Six: Cook With Olive Oil
Olive oil might be a little more expensive, but a little goes a long way both functionally and flavor-wise. Olive oil is a much healthier alternative to other cooking oils because it is filled with the good fats that we need in our diet rather than the bad saturated ones. These good fats will help us to feel satiated after a meal rather than hankering for seconds.
Step Seven: Take a Walk
I know I personally am not big on working out. It takes time and feels like a hassle. If you, too, find it hard to work out, try taking a relaxing walk instead. Don't think of it as working out. Think of it as an enjoyable activity. You can enjoy the outdoors, take your canine friend for a walk, or put on your headphones and listen to some music while enjoying the scenery. Even a quick trip around the block every day will bring you a little closer to better health.
Step Eight: Pump Iron
By pumping iron, I don't mean that you have to go to the gym and bench press or dead lift a large amount of weight. Go to your local department store and pick up an inexpensive pair of 3, 5, or 8 pound hand weights. These small weights are a great way to build some muscle mass without putting too much effort in to it. Look at fitness magazines, do a Google search, or check out a book from the library on weight lifting if you're not sure how to do a proper bicep curl or squat. Just five minutes and a few reps each day will help you to build a little extra lean mass. That muscle, in turn, will rev up your metabolism.
Step Nine: Put Down the Cookies
Think about what you eat in a day. Are cookies, cakes, or other sweets frequently in your diet? I know they were in mine! Try cutting a few things out. Say no thanks to that piece of birthday cake and when you go grocery shopping put the cookies back on the shelf. Little things like this will go a long way.
Step Ten: Smile!!
Just think of all the progress you've made!! By taking it one step at a time, you've brought yourself a little closer to being a healthier person. Don't be afraid to give yourself a pat on the back for all your hard work. Smile, and maybe even reward yourself with a shopping trip or another favorite enjoyable activity. You deserve it!!
Ten little things you can do to lose weight without going on an all-or-nothing diet.
Steps to Success - Ten Small Steps To Take Towards Weight Loss
I'm going to be honest with you: losing weight isn't easy. Keeping weight off isn't any easier. It takes discipline. It takes some major changes in your life. It takes a little motivation, too.
Not ready to make such a large commitment yet? In order to make the task of losing weight or leading a healthier lifestyle in general a little easier, it's best to take it one step at a time. If you break it down into small steps you'll find it to be much easier than taking the huge leap many dieters do. In fact, many of those who do take it as a big leap tend to revert back to their old ways more so than those who break it down.
Here are ten small steps you can take to start losing weight. Start wherever you'd like, whenever you'd like. What's best is that you do this on your own terms rather than following some strict, rigid plan that nobody can follow to the T. Try taking one step every week or two until you've added each one into your life. You'll find that by the time you're done you'll feel better physically as well as mentally.
Step One: Cut Out the Pop
Soda. Pop. Coke. Whatever you call it, if it's not diet, it's going to pack on the pounds if you drink it regularly. Even diet soda isn't highly recommended, though if it's weight loss you're after and you're not willing to give up all sodas then they are a good alternative. The best drink alternative, however, is water. Tea comes in as a close second. If you normally drink a can of soda every day, cutting it out of your daily routine will save you around 150 calories. Over the course of three weeks, you will have saved 3150 calories. 3500 equals one pound of weight, so that's nearly one pound lost right there!
Step Two: Take the Stairs
Taking the stairs instead of the elevator is an excellent way to burn a few extra calories. If you're physically able, you should really give it a try. You'll burn more calories and the more you burn, the more you'll lose.
Step Three: Eat More Veggies
I'll admit: this isn't easy. I have a hard time with it myself. Regardless, vegetables are high in nutrition and low in calories. You'll feel full after eating them but you won't have consumed as many calories as you might have if you were, for example, eating potato chips.
Step Four: Park in the Back of the Lot
We've all done it, especially on cold or rainy days: driving around for fifteen minutes trying to find a closer parking place. By parking in the back of the lot, not only are you saving time and gas, but you're burning more calories during your walk to the door. Even when it's -10 degrees, you'll be glad you took this extra step because by adding in little extra bits of physical labor into your day you'll be one step closer to a healthier, happier you.
Step Five: Drink Your Water
Eight glasses a day seems like a lot, but it really isn't as bad as you'd think. A 20 oz. bottle of water is 2.5 servings alone. Two bottles is 5 servings, and if you drink a third plus a little more you'll have your servings down without a problem. The important thing is to spread it out during your day. It'll keep you from snacking as well as keeping your body hydrated.
Step Six: Cook With Olive Oil
Olive oil might be a little more expensive, but a little goes a long way both functionally and flavor-wise. Olive oil is a much healthier alternative to other cooking oils because it is filled with the good fats that we need in our diet rather than the bad saturated ones. These good fats will help us to feel satiated after a meal rather than hankering for seconds.
Step Seven: Take a Walk
I know I personally am not big on working out. It takes time and feels like a hassle. If you, too, find it hard to work out, try taking a relaxing walk instead. Don't think of it as working out. Think of it as an enjoyable activity. You can enjoy the outdoors, take your canine friend for a walk, or put on your headphones and listen to some music while enjoying the scenery. Even a quick trip around the block every day will bring you a little closer to better health.
Step Eight: Pump Iron
By pumping iron, I don't mean that you have to go to the gym and bench press or dead lift a large amount of weight. Go to your local department store and pick up an inexpensive pair of 3, 5, or 8 pound hand weights. These small weights are a great way to build some muscle mass without putting too much effort in to it. Look at fitness magazines, do a Google search, or check out a book from the library on weight lifting if you're not sure how to do a proper bicep curl or squat. Just five minutes and a few reps each day will help you to build a little extra lean mass. That muscle, in turn, will rev up your metabolism.
Step Nine: Put Down the Cookies
Think about what you eat in a day. Are cookies, cakes, or other sweets frequently in your diet? I know they were in mine! Try cutting a few things out. Say no thanks to that piece of birthday cake and when you go grocery shopping put the cookies back on the shelf. Little things like this will go a long way.
Step Ten: Smile!!
Just think of all the progress you've made!! By taking it one step at a time, you've brought yourself a little closer to being a healthier person. Don't be afraid to give yourself a pat on the back for all your hard work. Smile, and maybe even reward yourself with a shopping trip or another favorite enjoyable activity. You deserve it!!
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