Night-time snacking can destroy the gains… rather… losses that you make during a day of being “good”. This week I’ll share some tips to help you stay on course and skip the desert course. So here goes.
Clean your teeth. Yes good oral hygiene is essential. Bad teeth can lead to all sorts of health problems. So this tip will help you in two ways. Right after dinner brush your teeth with mint toothpaste or swish some sweet cinnamon mouthwash. It will tell your brain you are done eating for the day while satisfying a sweet craving. If you want to insure that you won’t go ahead and eat again anyway, FLOSS. You won’t be tempted to hassle with it and you’ll really impress your hygienist the next time you get your teeth cleaned. As a plus you’ll have a really nice smile when you step on the scale!
TODAY: BUY A NEW TOOTHBRUSH.
Today try to get out of a “diet” mindset. Though you are technically dieting, you are really changing your lifestyle to reduce your food intake while still eating what you like. Change your habits, reach your goals and live a healthy lifestyle for life.
TODAY: SHORT AND SWEET. ENJOY YOUR FOOD, JUST LESS OF IT THAN YOU USED TO EAT.
In our quest for exercise to offset calories I encouraged you to start a small 10 minute exercise schedule. Remember it all adds up so try and get at least 30 minutes a day. Well, getting some of that time in the first thing in your morning will also give your energy level a boost. I used to catch up on the news while watching the Today Show and using a stepper, till the stepper wore out. (The Today Show is still my favorite, but I don’t care for Meredith Vieira) Now I just walk or ride my bike. I’ve actually noticed that that sluggish feeling in the afternoon goes away when I get started with some good exercise in the morning. I know it seems like ot should make you tired, but the exact opposite happens. I guess burning those calories just stokes your boiler so you keep up a good head of steam.
TODAY: START YOUR DAY WITH A GOOD EXERCISE SESSION.
If you can do a good thirty minute walk you can get more exercise value out of it by adding some different speed to your routine. Walk in intervals of slow and fast and push yourself a bit. Speed walking has as much aerobic value as jogging, and is a lot easier on your joints. Here’s how.
- Walk at your usual pace for three minutes.
- Increase the speed for one minute.
- Go back to your normal speed for three minutes.
- Repeat this till you hit your 30 minutes.
As you get more fit increase the fast time and decrease the slow. Of course ask your doctor about pushing yourself to a faster pace. I think you’ll find that your doctor is pleased with your efforts. They don’t hear that a lot.
TODAY: TRY AT LEAST ONE FASTER INTERVAL OF WALKING.
No time for a workout? I’m sure you have 30 seconds. Researchers have found that a measly half minute sprint on a stationary bike 4 to 6 times a week can fire up your cells to get more energy (glucose) from food. It will help keep diabetes away. It’s not enough to really aid in your weight-loss. But it will really help your muscles, bones and even your mood.
You still need that half hour of walking a day, but these little sprints will really make you feel like you’re doing something good, and maybe inspire a few longer sessions too.
TODAY: DO A FEW HALF MINUTE SPRINTS ON AN EXERCISE BIKE, STEPPER OR JUST AN EXTRA FAST WALK.
One of the keys to eating less is knowing what it feels like to be full and what it feels like to be hungry. We tend to eat at the same times every day, and eat the same amount of food. But we don’t consume calories the same every day. You may mow the lawn one Saturday, but the next it rains and you sit inside watching TV. If you eat the same amount on both of thoe days guess what happens. Oh, I forgot, it already has.
When you are really hungry your stomach will rumble, you’ll feel sluggish, you get irritable. But think before you eat. How long has it been since you last ate? How much did you eat? How much are you planning to eat? Then get a nice big drink of water. Thirst and hunger are very similar to our brains. It’s not that you are filling your belly with water, you may be giving your body what it wants. The calories would have been bad. You would still be craving, and you would be craving that drink that you should have had in the first place.
TODAY: HAVE AN 8 OUNCE GLASS OF WATER BEFORE YOU EAT.
I love french fries. I really love GOOD french fries. The ones from fast food restaurants just don’t do it for me since they stopped frying them in lard. Hey, it’s the fat that makes a steak taste good too! So dropping fries from a fast food meal won’t really matter much. It does add up though. A small serving of fries has 210 calories. That’s about the same as a burger and you get hardly any nutritional value. If you supersize them it’s 610 calories!
So choose your fries wisely. If they’re real fries, cut from fresh potatoes and fried in peanut oil. (Like at 5 Guys) Go for a SMALL ORDER (Unless it’s at 5 Guys where you will SHARE a “small” order… and have the single patty burger!)
TODAY: RESOLVE TO EAT ONLY THE GOOD FRIES. DON’T WASTE CALORIES ON THE ORDINARY ONES.
Daily Nag, Tips & Tricks | Diet Nag | 
February 1, 2011 6:10 am | 
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