3-2-1 Blast off to Heatlhy Weight Loss

By John McCain

Have you ever been on a diet and felt hungry, deprived and frustrated? Well, I have some great news for you: you don’t have to go hungry by starving yourself in order to lose weight. You actually can and should eat all the food you want and never feel hungry. Just be sure your diet is balanced and healthy. So, go ahead, eat all the vegetables and fruits you want. If you eat meat, then choose lean, mean protein and stay away from all processed junk foods. Go for it!

When you’re starting a sensible weight loss program, these are the three most common changes:

1. You change what you eat.

2. You change your philosophy and relationship with food.

3. You change your exercise routine.

Too often, I see people who are just getting started and they try to do too much. When they do this, they almost always burn out quickly. It’s good to exercise when you’re starting out but it’s not necessary. If you choose to add exercise to your weight loss program, start slowly and then gradually increase the intensity and duration. Be sure to avoid over-exercising. If your heart rate is too high, your body will burn lean muscle instead of fat.

If you’re just starting out, don’t overdo it with too many changes all at the same time. You will likely feel frustrated, get burned out and quit. Instead, start with just one thing first. Don’t go cold turkey by giving up everything unhealthy all at one time; instead, slowly wean yourself off the unhealthy foods and replace them with healthier options that you will enjoy. For example, if you have three sodas a day, cut back to two a day the first week, then one a day the second week and then zero a day in week three. If you’re eating fast food three days a week, use the same strategy as the soda example. Celebrate the small healthy changes you make every day because over time, these changes will eventually lead you to big success.

If you blow it and have a bad meal, don’t get down on yourself. Instead, resolve to make the next meal a good meal. Here are a few more healthy tips to help you get on track to healthy weight loss.

Lean Proteins: Avoid high fat meat and select leaner meat like fish, chicken and turkey.

Meal Replacement Shakes: Choose shakes that are high in protein and nutrients and low in sugar and carbohydrates.

Drink Tea: Some teas can actually accelerate your metabolism while suppressing your appetite!

Reasonable Dinner: I recommend 4 ounces of chicken, salad and asparagus.

Change your Thinking: Envision yourself as a lean machine. Pay attention to the kind of fuel you are putting into your body to propel you through the day.

Drink Plenty of Water: Every cell in your body needs to be adequately hydrated to function properly. How much water should you drink? For every two pounds of weight on your body, drink one ounce of water.