This is another installment in our series of how little
changes can add up to weight loss success. Just as a huge,
luxury cruise ship turns in small increments to make an
adjustment, so can you. One day you don't eat a bag of
cookies for dinner and then the next day expect to be
satisfied eating nothing but vegetables. Extremes don't
work when it comes to making changes in your diet. Make
small changes and adjustments to achieve a u-turn in your
diet. As you accomplish one small change, add another
successfully, and another, etc., you'll find yourself
moving forward with positive momentum. It is more than
doable and before you know it, all these small changes
equal to big success in your weight loss goals.
1. Use flavorings instead of swimming in fat. Butter,
cream sauces, sugary sauces tend to encourage the mentality
of the more the better. Some of my clients use these fatty
items as pools that the food swims in rather than for
flavoring. Use flavorings such as hot sauce, salsa, and
Cajun seasonings. To keep your digestion and metabolism
fires burning, these seasonings provide flavor without the
fat and fewer calories. Adjust your taste buds to
flavorings rather than pools of fat.
2. Stairs as exercise equipment. Who needs expensive
exercise equipment or gym memberships? You can spend only
10 minutes a day walking up and down stairs to make a big
difference. For a 15-minute work break, you can spend only
10 minutes and have 5 to spare! According to the CDC
(Centers for Disease Control), it takes only 10 minutes a
day to help you lose as much as 10 pounds a year. 10
minutes a day for 10 pounds a year.
3. Skip e-mail or phone calls and walk it. The
convenience of e-mail and telephone have made us even more
sedentary. Are you stuck at a desk all day? Get up and
walk around the office or your home for five minutes per
day for every two hours. A brisk five-minute walk every
two hours will equal an extra 20-minute walk by the end of
the day. How easy is that? An added benefit is that it
will make you less likely to find yourself eating out of
the vending machine out of boredom.
4. Balance your starch choice with vegetables. At your
next meal, check out the proportion of your starch to your
vegetables. If you're like most dieters, your carbohydrate
choice far is larger your vegetables. To avoid a
carbohydrate overload, eat an equal size portion of starch
food choice to your vegetable choice. High fiber
vegetables will satisfy your hunger before you overindulge
in starchy foods.
5. To be smaller, order small. When you order a food
item, order the small size. Order the smallest portion of
everything. Super size, giant, jumbo sizes don't result in
a body size small. If you're ordering a submarine
sandwich, order the 6-inch rather than the 12 incher. We
tend to each what's in front of us even though we'd be
satisfied on less. Think small to be small.
6. Drive past the drive thru. If you're running short of
time or just plain don't feel like cooking, have a stash of
healthy frozen dinners that have been created for weight
loss. If you have problems with evening eating, you can
use frozen dinners as well. Many of us tend to eat more in
the evening than in the morning. An easy way to keep your
evening eating and dinner meal is to buy a pre-portioned
meal. You can supplement with vegetables and fruit.
Weight loss doesn't have to be done by making monumental
changes all at once. Actually, smaller changes tend to
build on the successes of each other. We're less to feel
overwhelmed by all the differences in our lives and give
up. When you build a brick house, it is built a brick at a
time. Build your own sturdy, solid foundation for weight
loss, built one small change at a time.
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Cathy Wilson is a weight loss life coach. Cathy lost 147
pounds six years ago. Her passion is helping clients
achieve their weight loss and life goals. Cathy works with
clients to create a weight loss life plan that is
customized to each client. Cathy is a member of the
International Coaching Federation, International
Association of Coaches, and Obesity Action Coalition.
Visit Cathy's website:
http://www.LoseWeightFindLife.com
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