subject: 16 Steps To Losing Weight Permanently! [print this page] Written by Judy Ben-Asher Hirshfeld, certified Integrative Health Counselor
We all have busy lives and end up with those not so great eating and
lifestyle habits. If you follow my 16 steps you will not only lose weight, it will
never come back! I believe small, consistent steps over time help you win
the race. If you want to lose weight forever, you have to make lifestyle
changes and incorporate them every day. There are so many reasons why
we all gain weight, but if you follow these simple guidelines and change
your habits, you will change your body and your life!
1) Do not eat in front of the television. If all you have is a coffee table in front of the TV, turn it off before eating. Meal time is about the enjoyment of the food, gaining the days nutrients and relaxing. When you try and do too much at once and ignore the food on your plate, you skip a vital part of the satiation of a meal and then chase that feeling all day with junk. When you give yourself the respect you deserve and stop and enjoy your food, you will find you need less, crave less food and feel more satisfied.
2) Put away all electronics and all distractions: no iPhone, Blackberry...at the table, DO NOT MULTI TASK at meal time. It is vital to view meal time as its own thing and not a multitasking event. Meal time is an appointment with yourself or with other great company, honor it!
3) Eat at the dinner table. It's a must to establish great and lasting habits. The dining table is created so you can sit alone or with friends and family for the sole purpose of eating and enjoyment.
4) Enjoy your family at meal time. It is nice to check in with them and talk about the day. If you have a huge family, speaking one at a time brings in a bit of calm. It slows everyone down and that is the goal here. If you are eating alone, make it a wonderful experience at every meal. Play some quiet music, light a candle. Give yourself some love and enjoy your own company! Make meal time enjoyable all the time and make that a habit!
5) Put your fork down after every bite. Enjoy what you are eating and don't shovel! It's very important to let all the receptors that accompany digestion work. Give them a chance to work.
6) Slow down. Taste your food! Enjoying what you eat is half the fun!
7) Chew at least 10 times before swallowing. The more you chew your food, the better. Digestion begins in the mouth. Saliva begins the digestive process, so the more you chew the better. If you skip this step, whole, undigested food ends up trudging through your digestive track and comes out...sooo, chew your food!
8) Stop eating BEFORE you are full. The amount of food on your plate is irrelevant. You will eat again so take the panic out by reassuring yourself that if you love the flavor of whatever you're eating, you WILL have it again another time. You do not need to finish it all now. Give your body the nutrition it needs without clogging the system with overload.
9) Eat often. Enjoy 3 meals a day and 2 snacks. A meal does not have to be massive. A key to weight loss is keeping your metabolism working. If you starve yourself by not eating enough, your body will hold onto every calorie you put in it. When you eat often, you keep your blood sugar level consistent, so your metabolism is working all the time. The food you eat will burn off and be used for energy while feeding your body what it needs for optimal function.
10) Only eat when you are hungry. Some of us have lost the ability to feel hunger. Some people eat too much all day and some simply don't eat enough. It's time to stop what you are doing and listen to your body.
11) Think before you eat. Is what you are eating on your plate because it's fast and you have no time? Is it on your plate because you are mad, depressed, don't care...? What do you actually want to eat? How much does your body want of that? Don't eat because its noon and you are supposed to eat then. Feel your body, listen and give it what it needs. Take a breath and think it through. Give your body the nutrition it needs for the day and for its lifetime.
12) Make a plan. Plan meals. Make sure you have what you need so you never are in hunger crises mode! Make large batches of brown rice, quinoa and other grains one day of the week for a base or a side dish. During the week, I just grab some of those and put them with salads or whatever strikes my fancy in the moment. You can buy frozen vegetables if that works best for you and heat them with every meal...just think it through.
13) Make time for just you! We all have busy lives! Take time at some point in your week or weekend for self care. Schedule you! Give yourself a mani-pedi, take a bath, do yoga...whatever it is that helps you relax and feel soothed. It's vital to the nutrition of your life, to carve out space for yourself. We all give so much of our time and energy to others.
You deserve a healthy, happy life too!
14) Respect your right to perfect health. Sometimes we feel we do not deserve time to ourselves, to stop working or simply can't just sit alone with our thoughts. We all have a purpose in this world and I guarantee you your purpose was not to be unhappy and overweight. You deserve every happiness. If you haven't ever felt that way it's about damn time!
15) Eat your breakfast. There are people that never or rarely feel hunger, please eat within an hour of waking up. You must give your body nutrition to start your engine and get revved up for the day, so eat within an hour of waking. Your brain needs nutrients to work properly and disease comes in when your body chemistry get out of whack. Keep everything steady with a great breakfast, green juice or smoothie.
16) MOVE. My good friend, owner and CEO of prestigious 805 Get Fit, a company providing personal trainers from Calabasas to Camarillo, California, Doug Waldman says "You need to move 5-6 days a week. A well planned circuit workout will burn the same or more calories than an equal time doing cardio. There are residual benefits of building a stronger body that burns more calories. The theory of Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption revs your metabolism for 30 hours after the workout. Then fill out the rest of your week with cardio work like walks, jogging, biking or whatever your favorite activity may be." We take better care of our cars than we do our bodies! You deserve to feel great all the time! We live in a world of super-sized portions. You can't watch television without food commercials coming at you constantly. We have gotten away from cooking and depend on fast and easy. So much of fast food is mostly chemical, which is not only addictive but poisonous. You can get rid of most disease with great nutrition and exercise! You are important! Your health is vital for your happiness and the happiness of those around you! Take time to love and take care of yourself!
