Now there’s an oxymoron, right? “Healthy” and “Crash Diet” in the same sentence.

As it turns out there is such a thing as a healthy crash diet, and I’ll explain it to you here in a second, but first some words of caution and a disclaimer (to cover my own butt):

I’m not a doctor or dietician, nor do I play one on TV.  Don’t do this stuff without consulting a doctor first.  This advice is for educational purposes only…

And now the words of caution:  What I’m about to explain to you is hard!  There, I said it.  Don’t let the simplicity fool you, this is tough and you need to get ready for it.

—————————————

If you want an “easy button” these instructions are not for you

—————————————

Still with me?

Okay, here’s what we’re going to do and I want you to keep in mind we’re only going to do this for five days.

And since you’re still here, I’ll tell you this can result in you dropping 10 pounds over the course of five days (that’s what my son lost when he did it, and he didn’t have a lot of weight to lose in the first place.)

It’s a great way to kick start a diet plan or to break through any plateau you’ve hit.  It’s not a long term diet plan itself, but I think it’s a great component to add in to a long term plan as it helps mix things up.

So what type of magic elixir are we going to take to pull this off?

Juice.

Fresh juice and only fresh juice… for five days.

Told you it was simple.

Of course, getting fresh juice from the store is pretty much impossible these days – everything has been pasteurized and preserved or it’s made from concentrate – that’s not the stuff we’re looking for.

So that means we’re going to have to make our own (or visit juice bars several times a day – that gets inconvenient after your 2^nd visit that day).

So what are the rules you ask?

Well, as I mentioned earlier, as long as it’s fresh juice, you can have it.

Carrot juice is actually pretty tasty and fresh apple juice is yummy (but cloudy – not like the stuff you get in the store – tastes more like a mix between unsweetened apple sauce and apple cider).

One of my favorites is to have fresh grapefruit juice – if I’m doing this, I drink a LOT of that stuff and of course you can have orange juice.

You can get more creative and start mixing and matching stuff – for example, here’s a video showing you how to make your own green lemonade which tastes pretty darn good:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNQYJxBo-XU

You can make your own lemonade without cheating provided you use fresh lemons and 100% pure maple syrup (use a 1:1 ratio of syrup to pure fresh squeezed lemon juice and add water to taste – two lemons usually makes about 20 ounces worth of the stuff once you add water and syrup).

Now what happens if you just absolutely need something to munch on?  Try some watermelon, but try to stick to juice as much as possible.

If you like tomato juice, you can give that a whirl in your juicer as well.  Some people have even reported that cucumber juice is really good after a few days on this diet.

Just remember that you get juice… only juice… and nothing but the whole juice.  You can also have as much water as you’d like – but no flavor packs or mixers – just pure good ol’ H2O.

Stick to this for five days and you’ll lose a lot of weight fast, and here’s the kicker that makes this even more effective than not eating at all for five days (which I don’t recommend as about the only thing you’ll want to do after the 2^nd day is sleep).  You’ll have enough energy to exercise while on this “crash diet” – heck, the last time I did it, I had more energy than normal for exercising and was actually able to increase the intensity of my workout.  Very few other extreme diets like this can pull off that feat of very limited calories and exercise and still provide you body with tons of vitamins and minerals all at the same time.

Keep in mind, this “crash diet” is a lot healthier than the typical American diet consisting of burgers, French fries, and Diet Cokes.

How much can you lose in 5 days?  It really depends on your body and how much weight you have to lost total, but anywhere from 5-15 pounds is considered normal.

And don’t be surprised if you’re skin looks brighter, younger, and starts to glow.

How long can you stay on a juice fast?  About 2 weeks is the most I’d recommend though some people do it for a full month.

If you have a lot of weight to lose, you could give “juice feasting” a try which can be done for up to 90 days at a time.  With juice feasting, you’re still drinking just juice, but you’re drinking a lot of the stuff each and every day.

1) I Don’t Have Time

2) I’m Tired

3) I Don’t Feel Good

4) It’s Too Early

4) It’s Too Late

5) It’s Too Hot Outside

6) It’s Too Cold Outside

7) I Have a Headache

I Don’t Feel Like It

9) I’m Too Fat and Out of Shape To Go To The Gym

10) I HATE Exercising

I’ve used all those reasons many many many times – sometimes in combination (example: “I’m too tired to go for a walk and it’s too cold out anyway”).

But…..

I WILL NEVER USE THOSE EXCUSES AGAIN!!!

Why?

Last week at my weight management class we had someone who achieved her weight loss goals.  She didn’t give up and she didn’t quit even though while trying to lose weight she dealt fractured a bone in her hip (kept on eating healthy and did chair exercises every day while her hip was healing); and then found out she had the big “C” – Cancer and is now taking experimental drugs to try and stop those damn cancer cells from destroying her body.

Either of those two things would have caused me to have a major pity party that featured lots of chocolate, pizza and chips.  And I know I would have been too busy feeling sorry for myself to exercise.

But listening to her say how giving up has never an option for her, no matter what, made me realize how lucky am I to be as healthy as I am and that I’ve been nothing but a whiny baby.

I vowed then and there to stop using stupid excuses to not exercise and take care of myself.

Even though that happened less than a week ago, I’ve been “tested” in my resolve.  I found out my Dad likely has the big “C” too although we won’t know for sure until he has more tests this week.  The day I found out I wanted to sit on a park bench and cry rather than take my planned 2 mile walk around the park, but I remembered my vow and did the walk (but only after a lot of fighting with myself because a big part of me really didn’t want to do it).  I also almost tossed my healthy lunch in the back of my vehicle in favor of a bacon burger with fries with a turtle sundae on the side because I wanted comfort and something to take away the emotional pain I was feeling, even if it only lasted a couple minutes.  And a big fat juicy burger with greasy fries and a giant sundae are my idea of comfort food.  But I didn’t.  I managed to let myself feel the pain, which is a new experience for me because I’ve always used food as a way to deal with unpleasant things in my life.

The result of not giving in to a food pig out?  I’m still on track with my weight loss and exercise program.  It’s a hard fight with myself to not give into the comfort food, a fight I”m having with myself about 50 times a day but I think I’m finally really realizing that overeating doesn’t solve anything and won’t fix all the “bad” things that happen.

The exercise?  I’m finally seeing how it helps relieve stress.  A vigorous walk or workout relieves some of that pain and built up tension.  I never really believed it was possible but it’s actually kind of amazing how much it helps.

How about you?  Are you ready to vow to not give up with your exercise and/or weight loss program – no matter what?

I look at them and think “yeah -right.” My “ideal” weight on the chart below is between 127-141 pounds (The data originated from Met Life’s Ideal weight charts first established in 1943 and revised in 1983).

I haven’t weighed 127 pounds since I was a junior in high school where I regularly skipped breakfast and lunch (and only picked at my dinner) so that my size 5 hip hugger jeans would fit.  I was lightheaded and dizzy every afternoon.  No thanks to doing that ever again.

Today my realistic “get real” weight is 160 pounds.

How did I come up with that number?  Nope, didn’t just pull it out of my butt and decide it was a nice number.

After the birth of my second child, 160 pounds is the weight I maintained for a little over a year (until I got pregnant again).  I felt healthy and energetic at that weight, and even though I couldn’t get into single digit jeans, I still fit into normal clothes.  And, maybe most importantly, I didn’t look into the mirror at that time and hate what I saw.

So that’s why 160 pounds, which isn’t even close to what some stupid chart says I should weigh, is the weight I think I should weigh and is even the weight my doctor agreed would be okay for me because it’s sure a lot better than the high of 286 that I was at 3 years ago (and am NEVER EVER GOING BACK TO).

What’s your “get real” weight?

At what weight will you feel healthy and feel good about yourself?

Height & Weight Table For Women

Height & Weight Table For Men

I ate eggs fried in butter with a side of all the bacon I could eat (sometimes a whole pound!) for breakfast, shoveled bun-less burgers (lettuce instead of a bun please but don’t forget the cheese, mayo and bacon) into my mouth at lunch, cooked huge hunks of beef, pork or chicken for my dinner with a side of broccoli or salad, and in between snacked on lots of cheese. Bread, pasta, grains of any kind and fruit were shunned.

The weight practically fell off me. I was in hog heaven. Who knew a person could lose lots of weight while eating all the bacon they wanted and without every being hungry? My piggish happiness lasted until I couldn’t stand not having any bread or fruit. One bite of it and the weight stated to pile back on almost as fast as I lost it.

The sensible part of me knew that eating a diet consisting mainly of saturated fat wasn’t healthy and eventually my body made its unhappiness known because it got to the point where I was always tired and sluggish and could barely get through my normal day, much less a vigorous workout.

That was 2004. Since then I’ve tried the South Beach diet (another low carb diet), the Zone diet (yet another low carb diet), the Sugar Busters diet (giving sugar up completely makes me really crabby – just ask my husband) and for the last 2 years, Weight Watchers.

The only diet where I’ve had success, meaning I not only lost weight but have kept it off, is Weight Watchers; but I’ve been backsliding with Weight Watchers recently and have gained back 15 of the 57 pounds I’ve lost. I’m so sick of counting “points” for every bite of food I eat and have stubbornly refused to do it for the past several months hence the extra poundage that’s slowly finding its way back to me.

So it’s back to “square one” for me, looking for an eating plan that will help me lose weight but this time I want one that I don’t have to convert every food I eat into a “points” value. A lower carb diet still appeals to me because I know they work, but I’m not going to going on an unhealthy low carb diet again and to me Atkins is definitely not a healthy way to go.

A few days ago I decided to try a lower carb eating plan along with 17 other people at the Curves facility I work out at. The meals and recipes I’m using are from the Curves Complete diet plan, which while encouraging more protein (but healthy lean protein like chicken breasts and fish instead of fatty cuts of meat like my beloved bacon). It’s going good so far even though I’m not following it completely – I’m eating a lot more fruit than what the plan recommends. Fruit can be high in carbs, but they’re good carbs and they help me have enough energy to get through my workouts.

It’s making me think that there can be a lower carb diet that is healthy. The meals I’m having this week are filled with lean protein (including nuts – yum!), low fat dairy, whole grains, vegetables and fruits. There’s no soda, sugary desserts or junky snacks without any nutritional value. That may sound boring and hard but it’s not nearly as difficult as I thought it would be (okay, I have had a couple bites of chocolate but a girl’s gotta live right?).

Honestly, I don’t think I could eat like this every week, but I don’t have to. I can add in some dessert and even chips if I want to next week but small amounts or I won’t be able to meet my protein, fat, fiber, carb, and caloric intake targets.

Maybe I’ll even take the plunge towards super healthy eating and try the “Eco-Atkins” high protein, low carb diet. The the “Eco-Atkins” eating strategy (sounds much nicer than “diet” doesn’t it?) has been developed by David J.A. Jenkins (he’s the person who developed the glycemic index which you may or may not giving a “flying hoot” about).

It’s a high protein meal plan filled with protein rich plant-based foods instead of animal foods. It’s a completely animal free vegan meal plan. That blows my mind. I didn’t think it was possible to eat a high protein diet without eating any animal products (at least eggs and cheese).

According to information on the Web MD website, people who tried the “Eco-Atkins” eating plan got their protein “primarily from gluten, soy beverages; tofu; soy burgers; veggie products such as bacon, breakfast links, and deli slices; nuts; vegetables; and cereals. The diet emphasized viscous vegetables like okra and eggplant, along with other low-starch vegetables.”

Maybe low carb eating, but the healthy kind (words I never thought I’d put in the same sentence), will find a new resurgence of popularity and we’ll all to a healthy normal weight!

Walking is so normal to our bodies and can be a great aid in our weight loss efforts.  Plus there are tons of free “walking to lose weight” plans available online from reputable sources.  Just Google “walking to lose weight” and you’ll get a bunch of options to choose from.

There’s two big mistakes that many people make when they embark on a “walking to lose weight” plan though.

1)       They don’t walk briskly enough or long enough to effectively zap fat.

2)       They don’t invest in a good pair of walking shoes.

Walking to lose weight is different than taking a leisurely stroll around the block.  Work up a sweat and aim for 60 minutes of walking most days of the week.  It should be hard to talk in full sentences, so if you can carry on a full bore conversation while walking it’s time to step up the intensity.  Do it slowly though, building distance and intensity over time.  Don’t expect to get sixty minutes of brisk walking in most days of the week if you’ve been a dedicated couch potato.  And always talk to your health professional before starting any exercise program.

You say you don’t have a 60 minute segment of time to devote to walking each day?  Then try for 30 minutes or walk in 10 minute increments throughout the day (during a break at work; during your kids soccer practice, after dinner, etc.).   And don’t give up those leisurely strolls.  Every step you take is good for your body and burns calories (and every calorie burned counts!).

Also, take the time to get yourself a good pair of walking shoes.  New Balance and Saucony are my two favorite brands.

To making walking more fun and to help you stick with it, use these tips:

-          Get a walking buddy (being accountable to another person will help you get your butt off the couch on those days that you’re feeling less than energetic).

-          Get a dog, but only if you have the time to take care of and love a dog.  My dog is my best walking buddy because she’s always ready to go for a stroll no matter the time of day or the weather.  Dogs are a big commitment though.  They need to be fed and bathed and loved.

-          Get a pedometer to track your distance and time and to help you build up your speed and endurance.  Optimally, work yourself up to 10,000 steps a day.

-          Listen to music while walking (headphone in just one ear for safety though please).  Good music makes the time fly.

-          Get a change of scenery.  Walk in different places; your neighborhood, a nearby trail, on a park trail, in the woods, and even while power shopping with friends (I racked up 7 miles during a shopping trip a few weeks ago).

-          And, as mentioned above, invest in good walking shoes

Walking is the easiest and cheapest exercise to do because it can be done almost anywhere – no gym memberships required.  All that’s needed are comfortable clothes, a good pair of shoes, and the will to get your butt out the door and do something good for yourself.

You name the diet or diet pill and I’ve probably tried it (the grapefruit diet, Atkins, the popcorn diet, the three day diet, Nutri-System, Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, South Beach, Dexatrim, cleansing diets, dieting for dummies, liquid diets, fasting, raw food diet, Cabbage soup diet, Curves diet, LA Weight loss, the Zone diet, the chocolate diet, the apple cider vinegar diet, and many many more that would literally take pages of space to write).

But, to write you a condensed version of what I’ve learned: “the best way to lose weight, keep it off, and be healthy” is to do it the old fashioned way – diet and exercise.”  Yeah, what a bore and what a blow to the multi billion dollar diet industry that little tidbit of news is.

To me, (and please keep in mind that I’m not a nutritionist or medical expert- just someone who has decades of experience trying to lose weight), I think the best diet for women is one that includes everything in moderation.  Banning foods (especially chocolate and carbs) is, IMO (in my own opinion), a certain disaster.  After all, women have that special time of the month (lucky us) and what do most of us crave then?  Yep, it’s huge bars of chocolate and entire loaves of bread.  That means if we are doing our best to follow one of those crazy diets that completely bans carbs or completely bans sugar (get real please) we get to the point when no amount of willpower is going to keep us away from that Hershey bar or delicious soft pretzel.   Then, instead of having a single serving (aka – one normal size candy bar or just one soft pretezel) we typically say “Well I screwed up so I may as well eat the entire bag of chocolate candy or the entire box of pretzels.  Then, the downward spiral to gaining the weight back starts.

Personally, I think us women need to take a look at guys to help us understand weight loss better because a guy typically can lose weight so much easier.  Why?  It’s a well established fact that men’s bodies have more muscle than women’s bodies and, pound for pound, muscle burns more calories than fat.

But I’ve also noticed that, given a choice, most guys at a buffet head right for the proteins while women give the bread and dessert sections longing stares before heading over to the salad bar for some greens and fat free dressing.  A perfect meal to a lot of guys is a steak with a side of steak.  For a lot of women the perfect meal is warm crusty bread with a side of warm crusty bread and a little chocolate for a sweet ending.

While both men’s and women’s bodies need both protein and carbs for good health (the chocolate is healthy too as long as it’s dark chocolate), protein is a building block for muscle and helps to muscle that’s been stressed (from working out) to repair and build itself.

Plus, protein is satisfying and helps us feel full longer (and who wants to go hungry and feel like they’re starving when they are dieting?).

So, doesn’t it stand to reason that a diet that includes generous amounts of protein would be perfect for women (okay not steak with a side of steak though).  That doesn’t eating protein and excluding other food groups like the Atkins diet promotes.  I’m talking about a diet that includes a broad range of healthy foods from every food group: proteins, fruits, vegetables, low fat dairy, whole grains, small amounts of healthy fat like olive and grapeseed oils; and treats here and there because everybody needs some wiggle room in their diet.

I’ve also noticed guys tend to never feel guilty if they eat something less than healthy.  They’ll eat a piece of chocolate cake, enjoy the experience, and move on.  Women, on the other hand, tend to feel guilty about possibly taking a tiny little bite of cake – whether or not they actually give in and eat any.

I’m not here to advocate a specific diet plan for women and that’s because I truly think there is no “one size fits all” diet plan.  Just as each of us are different individuals with different personalities and different lifestyles; we have different diet plans that are a better fit with our lives and our likes and dislikes.

But, to help women find the best diet for them that gives them the best chance of long-term success here’s the things I think should be looked for in a weight loss/diet plan:

- promotes healthy eating and doesn’t ban entire food groups

- includes at least 2-3 servings of protein a day

- promotes a slow and steady approach to weight loss; no more than 1-2 lbs a week

- encourages physical activity (at least 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week)

- includes emotional support (whether it’s face to face meetings or online forums) because us women are nurturers by nature and we need nurturing and support of our own when facing the challenges of trying to lose weight successfully

- fits your lifestyle (for example, the odds of failing are high if you love to cook and have to cook for your family but choose a meal delivery program that doesn’t allow you to prepare your own meals; and vice versa – if you choose a program that asks you to prepare all your own food when you and your kitchen appliances, with the exception of your microwave are sworn enemies).

And I bet if you’ve purchased any of that equipment it’s probably now languishing in the closet, in a corner of the garage, or has been sold on eBay because those rock hard abs never materialized.

Why?

It’s because most of us who succumb to those advertisements have extra fat around our stomachs and until we lose that fat, the abs we work so hard to tone won’t be visible because that extra fat hides it.  And just because we want to lose the extra fat we have hanging around bellies before we lose fat on any other part of our body, our body decides where it’s going to lose the fat first no matter how may sit-ups, crunches or other ab targeted workouts we do.

Does this mean you are stuck with a belly that jiggles like a bowl full of Jello?

Absolutely not!

But here’s the solution you may not want to hear.

The best way to lose belly fat (and other annoying fat deposits) is by diet.  Exercise is definitely important too but people who want to lose fat should put their biggest focus on eating fewer calories than they take in to lose weight.

I’m not saying to skip the exercise.  It’s important too, but ask almost any doctor and bona-fide fitness expert about the best way to lose belly fat and they’ll say to focus 90 percent of the effort on losing excess weight and 10 percent of the effort on cardio and resistance training.  Most of us who want to lose that annoying belly fat do just the opposite.

So stop torturing yourself with those endless reps of crunches.  Instead focus physical activity on high intensity whole body workouts that turn your body into a fat burning furnace (sweating is good!) and do strength training (typically 3 days a week of each, alternating cardio workouts with strength building workouts, but always consult your health professional first).

In addition, watch sodium and alcohol intake because they can cause us to retain water and bloat which can make our stomachs look bigger than they really are (and who needs that?).  Plus, drink plenty of water to discourage fluid retention.

Any health diet plan you can follow will help you shed those extra pounds whether it’s joining an online program, attending weight loss classes, scheduling one-on-one sessions with a nutritionist, or following the program detailed in one of the numerous weight loss books available (try before you buy and check one or two or ten out of your local library).

Focus on healthy foods instead of filling up on processed foods, chips, refined carbs, and oodles of sugar that’s in soft drinks and candy (don’t completely eliminate these foods if you love them; instead have them as a treat instead of as part of your daily food intake).

Lean protein along with low fat dairy, plenty of fruits and vegetables, and whole grains will help you not only with weight loss but will also help you have the energy to exercise and build muscle, which will help you burn even more calories.  It’s a win-win situation.

So stop spending your money on ab gadgets and ab targeted workouts.  Instead focus on a healthy weight loss plan along with a combination of cardio and strength training exercise so that you can lose that belly fat for good and find those toned abs that have been hiding underneath it. 

And yes, it can be done without thinking you’ll have to be hungry for the rest of your life or subsist on meals of steamed broccoli, plain chicken breasts and salads with fat free dressing.  Yuck!  Living like that is no fun.

How can losing the weight and keeping it off be done?

Here’s my 28 best tips for long term weight loss:

1)       Remove the word “diet” from your vocabulary. Losing the weight and keeping it off means changing your lifestyle instead of dieting to lose the extra weight and then going back to old habits, resulting in constant yo-yo dieting.  Replace the word “diet” with the word “healthy.”

2)       Eat when you are hungry; not when you are bored, sad, happy, etc. Find non-food ways to deal with emotions and instead of stuffing your face with food to deal with them.  Yes, chocolate gives you a natural high but that great feeling won’t last if you gobble down 3 Hershey bars in 10 minutes.  Find activites such as painting or woodworking or knitting that keep your hands busy so you can’t stuff your face with food when you’re not hungry.

3)       Think slow and steady when it comes to losing weight. Experts agree that 1-2 pounds a week gives a person the best chance of keeping it off.  That means no “crash dieting.”  The weight didn’t pile on overnight so don’t expect it to come off overnight.

4)       Write down what you eat. Yeah, I know writing down what you’re putting in your mouth is a pain in the arse.  But, it helps you remember what you’ve eaten throughout the day and makes you accountable to yourself.  You don’t need a fancy food journal.  A small inexpensive notebook, a piece of scrap paper or even the back of an envelope will work just fine.

5)       Eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables every day. Fresh fruits and vegetables are high in nutrients and fiber and are low in calories.  Make them a part of your everyday food consumption.  But eat a balances diet.  Also have lean protein, low fat dairy and whole grains, plus work a treat in every once in a while.

6)       Eat high fiber foods.  There are lots of delicious healthy whole grain breads available and don’t forget about popcorn. It’s high in fiber and delicious (just avoid drenching it in buckets of butter).

7)       Adopt the motto of “everything in moderation.” That means you’ll never completely ban a food from your eating plan.  Why?  Doesn’t being told you can’t have something make you really really want it?  It’s like telling your toddler not to touch something.  It almost guarantees they are going to make an effort to touch it anyway.

8)       Learn what your “trigger” foods are and don’t keep them in the house. By “trigger” foods I mean ones that you can’t stop eating and don’t stop eating until the entire package/container is gone.  Mine is kettle potato chips.  I don’t stop until the bag is gone even if I’m feeling stuffed.  My husband’s are Milk Duds and Mounds Bars.  One of my friend’s is Peanut M&M’s.  When any of us really want those foods we either buy a single size portion or take it to a party/family gathering where other people will help eat it.

9)       Stop thinking you have to look like Twiggy to be healthy. Experts say that losing 10 percent of your body weight can make a significant positive difference in your health (lowering cholesterol, blood pressure, pressure on your knees, and your risk of diabetes).  I’ll use myself as an example.  After losing 25 pounds (10 percent of my body weight which means that yes I’m a big girl and still have more to lose) my fasting blood sugar went down 20 points, my blood pressure went from borderline high to normal, and my cholesterol went down a little (not a lot but I was lucky and it was in the normal range even before I lost weight).

10)   Have regular checkups at the doctor.  That helps you keep being healthy as the focus of your weight loss and can help pinpoint factors that might be hindering your weight loss efforts.  For me, I found out my thyroid was sluggish after a simple blood test my doctor recommended when I said I was always tired was having an extremely difficult time losing any weight.

11)   Aim for 8 hours of sleep a night.  More and more research is pointing out how our modern day lifestyle of cheating ourselves of enough sleep is also creating more risk for being overweight.  Give your body what it needs and get enough sleep.

12)   Don’t skip breakfast. Our metabolism gets sluggish when we sleep.  Help get it going in the morning by eating something even if it’s just a banana or a container of yogurt.

13)   Exercise regularly.  The American Heart Association recommends that “all healthy adults between the ages of 18-65 should be getting at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity activity five days a week.”

14)   Eat more than 3 times a day. Instead, have 5-6 smaller meals and don’t go more than 2-3 hours without eating a little something to keep your blood sugar stable and your metabolism humming.  Can skipping meals wreck your metabolism?  I think so.  I have a friend who only ate 1 meal a day for years because he was a truck driver and didn’t want to take time to eat until he stopped his rig for the evening.  He’s now retired but he readily admits he still can only eat one meal a day otherwise he gains weight.  He doesn’t pig out in the evening either.  He eats what I consider a normal size meal.  Don’t let that happen to you.

15)   Drink lots of low to zero calorie liquid, 8-10 glasses a day.  Water is best but if you can’t stand the taste of plain water then use flavor enhancers like True Lemon, True Lime, True Orange or Crystal Light.

16)   Eat most of your calories instead of drinking them. I love Starbucks and my vehicle pretty much knows how to get there without me having to steer it.  But some of the choices there (and at any coffee shop that makes specialty beverages) can have as many or more calories than an entire meal.  Instead of having whole milk in a latte, opt for skim or soy or almond and skip the whipped cream on top (although I admit to indulging in it once in a while as a special treat).  Those two  options can cut hundreds of calories from one latte.

17)   Stock your fridge and pantry with healthy choices. Lean protein, fresh and frozen fruit, fresh and frozen vegetables, whole grains, and low fat dairy are the best things to keep handy, along with single serve bags of healthy nuts like almonds and walnuts.   The problem for some people (myself included) is that a lot of healthy foods aren’t always quick and easy to prepare or handy for a quick snack.  Case in point: it’s much easier to grab a handful of chips to snack on than to cut up vegetables to eat.  Cut up vegetables when you bring them home from the store and put them where you can see them instead of hiding them in the crisper.  For the quickest lean protein, buy fish.  It’s a natural “fast food” because it cooks up in just a few minutes (shrimp literally takes 3-4 minutes to cook).

18)   Love yourself. Negative chatter inside our heads can be our biggest enemy when it comes to weight loss.  It’s mine.  That negative voice inside my head loves to tell me “it’s too hard,” “go ahead and eat that whole pie cuz you can always go back on your diet tomorrow,” “you’ll always be a fat pig,” “you’re crazy if you think you can really lose that weight,” and “you don’t deserve to be healthy and happy.”  Tell that voice to shut up (100 times a day if necessary) and instead start giving yourself positive messages such as “I’m worth it,” and “I deserve to take time to take care of myself.”

19)   Stop thinking you’re “bad” when you eat something less than healthy. There are very few people (actually I don’t know of any) who always make healthy choices and who never overindulge.  The key is to not use it as an excuse to keep on overeating and overindulging.  Have that treat.  Enjoy it.  Then focus on going back to eating healthy again.  I’ve read over and over again that the 80/20 rule works for food as well.  If you eat healthy 80 percent of the time, you’ll be okay.  That may sounds like you can pig out every day but if you are eating 1,500 calories a day that means having 300 calories in treats which could mean 1 teaspoon of butter on a white dinner roll and a small dish of ice cream; not the entire bread basket or the entire container of ice cream.

20)   Try modeling. No, not the kind of modeling that involves walking down a runway but modeling the behaviors of someone you know who is a normal weight and is healthy.  Watch how they eat and what their everyday life is like.  Then imitate them.  My friend is normal weight and never tells herself she can’t have a certain food.  But, she always stops eating when she is full – no matter how tasty the food on her plate is; and will push away an expensive dessert after just one bite if it’s not super delicious because she will not spend calories on food she doesn’t love.  Plus she has an active lifestyle, which brings me to the next tip.

21)    Adopt a healthy lifestyle. Most healthy and normal weight people are not couch potatoes.  Activity is a normal part of their everyday lives.  They enjoy hobbies and activities that are require physical exertion such as: gardening, woodworking, hiking, bicycling, tennis, sailing, kayaking, swimming, jogging, water skiing, downhill skiing, snowshoeing, bowling and putting lots of miles on their legs while strolling along the beach, taking in some culture at a local museum, or spending the day doing some power shopping.  They don’t spend the entire weekend plunked in front of the television eating junk food.

22)   Make eating an activity that is not combined with others i.e. watching television, while driving, etc. It means being aware of what you are eating.  How many of us have opened a bag of chips while watching television only to stick our hand in the bag, find it empty, and wonder where they all went – knowing full well that we were the only person sticking our hand in the bag and munching away?

23)   Eat less fast food and share or take home half of restaurant entrees. I think a big part of our society’s weight problems today are that we have no idea what a normal portion is because they have grown so much over the years (as have our waistlines).  Try cooking more of your own meals too because then you have control over ingredients (you’d be surprised at how much butter restaurants slather on food they serve you).  Don’t have a lot of time to cook?  Get a slow cooker and give it a workout.  Meals can be put together in just a few minutes in the morning.  Then at night you can walk in the door to a hot meal.

24)   Get support from other people.  Find someone to talk to about the struggles you face and to also share your successes with.  It can be a family member, close friend, or even online discussions with others.  There’s the old saying that “It takes a village to raise a child.”  I think the same thing applies to losing weight and keeping it off.  Don’t think it’s bad to need emotional and physical support.  Take advantage of help from wherever you can get it.

25)   Remove the negative from your life. This can be the hard to do but if people in your life are negative towards you and they won’t stop even after you talk to them about it then it’s time to be strong and cut them out of your life (for example the friend who is always saying “why bother trying to lose weight – you’ve never been successful the last 99 times you tried.”).  Surround yourself with positive and encouraging people. You deserve it.

26)   Manage your stress. Too much stress is bad for us in a lot of ways.  Besides the obvious negative of making us crabby, wound tighter than a drum, and ready to blow like Mount St. Helena at any moment; it can contribute to weakening of our immune system, is bad for our heart, and lead us to overeating as a way of dealing with stress.  Find ways to relax.  Practice relaxation techniques such as relaxation breathing, give yoga a try, or give biofeedback a whirl.

27)   Stop obsessing about every morsel of food you put into your mouth and stop feeling guilty for eating something you enjoy.  If you really want to have a piece of chocolate cake, then eat a small piece and enjoy the heck out of it.  Then go back to eating healthy and exercising.  That doesn’t mean you should eat the entire cake or have cake every day.  Remember to enjoy the foods you love “in moderation.”

That brings me to may last tip for long term weight loss.

28) Know that the choice is yours and that losing weight, maintaining weight or gaining weight is about choices you make. Work on making choices that help you with your goals.   That also means being accountable for your choices.  Nobody makes you have that extra piece of cheesecake.  The choices are yours.  Make the ones that are best for you.  Remember YOU ARE WORTH IT!

It’s not that I can say I now love to work out because I don’t.  But, I do love what it does for me.  It’s helping me lose weight, gives me more energy, helps me feel more clear headed and focused, is helping me get healthier and is making me look better because I’m building some muscle and getting toned rather than getting more lumpy every day by sitting on my butt and eating junk food.

That’s why I exercise.

Any exercise that gets your heart rate up and gets you sweating for at least 30 minutes will help you lose fat.  But, in my mind, some types of exercise are a whole lot more fun (when I say “fun” I really mean I’m able to get myself to do them instead of using all my energy to come up with excuses to not exercise).

Here’s my 3 favorites:

1)       Bicycling – I’m talking bicycling outdoors on an actual bike, not on a stationary bike in a gym or in the basement next to an old ratty punching bag.  Getting outside in the fresh air and riding bike is not only good exercise but it is refreshing and a throwback to my childhood when I jumped on my bike every chance I got to explore and go hang out with friends.

Most areas of the country have great bike paths – some are paved and easy to ride and others are rugged trails in woods that are a challenge.  Time passes fast while bike riding (an hour or two goes by in a flash) because there’s usually so much to see whether it’s a little chipmunk popping his head up out of the grass to see who’s invading his territory, deer meandering through the woods and having their dinner, a stream or lake with rippling water to marvel at, varying neighborhoods to take in while riding in urban areas with their unique construction and with the interesting landscaping homeowners and apartment dwellers like to display, and other riders who are almost always ready to exchange friendly Hellos.”

Try dusting off that bike sitting in the garage and give it a spin around the neighborhood.  You just might get hooked on it like I have.

2)       Walking – Yes it’s that old standby that’s the first type of activity a doctor will mention to get a person moving.  Of course, people new to exercise need to start out slow and always need to talk to their health care professional to make sure they are not overdoing it.

Walking to lose burn fat and lose weight is different than taking a stroll around the block with a friend or a spouse discussing your day though.  Personally I have the best fat burning walks when I’m either out with my dog (who is a bundle of energy and who is already to go a little farther and a little faster) or when I’m by myself.  To really get the heart pumping and to burn calories a person needs to be walking briskly enough that having a conversation is hard.  My doctor says that if I can say more than a few words at a time without having to take a breath then I’m not working hard enough on my walk.  So unless you have a fitness buddy that is into “silent support” while walking, save the fun filled conversational walks for another time.

Don’t use inclement weather as an excuse to not get out and walk.  Pretend you are the mail delivery person who doesn’t let rain or snow or cold weather stop them from getting their mail delivered.  If it’s raining, put on a rain coat and go out anyway.  You are not the Wicked Witch of the West in the Wizard of Oz – you won’t melt.  Invest in boots with a good tread or buy “shoe chains” to give you traction in snow.  Dress in layers to keep yourself warm and wear a hat because up to 40 percent of our body heat escapes through our head.  If it’s storming with lightning then find an indoor location to walk such as the local mall or wait for the storm to pass.

3)       Curves 30 minute workout. Okay, so maybe this one isn’t fair to the guys since Curves is a women’s only gym but since I’m of the female gender and since I faithfully go to Curves 3 times a week to do strength training, it makes my list of my three favorite fat burning workouts.

Why?

First of all, it’s strength training which builds muscle which is essential for fat burning because we all know that muscle burns more calories than fat, right?

Secondly I like that there are only women at the gym so I don’t feel self conscious going there.  A regular gym is way too intimidating to me.  All those incredibly fit people and all those horrible mirrors do nothing for my self esteem and make me want to run out the door, not stay and get a workout in

Third, it’s only a commitment of 30 minutes that I can fit into my day and that I know builds muscle because I can see the muscles I’m building in my arms (they’re still little but very exciting to see!).

If you’re not a woman or don’t have a Curves gym where you live, then look for a different way to get some strength training in.  Maybe there is a gym near you that you wouldn’t mind going to.

In addition to getting regular activity that gets your heart rate up and gets you sweating, don’t discount the importance of any activity to help you be healthy and remember to eat healthy as well so you have the energy and stamina to get your exercise in.

So are there really foods that can help a person burn extra calories?

Realistically, every food we eat gets our metabolism going to some extent because our body has to burn calories to digest it.

But, from what I’ve read and from what I’ve experienced myself I can see why a person’s body uses an apple differently than a bag of Doritos.

I think of it like this: our bodies know what to do when it sees a pure whole food source like an apple because it’s a food our bodies are meant to have and has nutrients our bodies know exactly how to utilize. A bag of Doritos on the other hand, while very tasty, aren’t exactly a whole and pure food source. They contain artificial ingredients and preservatives which our bodies aren’t designed to burn up efficiently so is it any wonder that our digestive system may look at those Doritos and say, “I’m not real sure what to do with these foreign ingredients so I’ll just stick them over here (aka–turn them into fat) and decide what to do with them later.”

Personally when I’m eating healthy and nutritious food I feel better, have more energy, can fight off sickness much better, and I lose weight.

When I fall back into my old habits of eating junk food and drinking soda, my energy levels plummet and I find it nearly impossible to lose weight even though I’m consuming the same number of calories as when I’m sticking to healthy food.

But I’ve wondered if there are healthy foods that can help rev up metabolism and help get pounds off. For instance I’ve always wondered if drinking cold water really does burn more calories than drinking room temperature water.

According to Web MD, the answer is “yes.” Information on the Web MD website says that both men’s and women’s metabolic rates increased by 30% after drinking water and they attributed 40% of that increase to the body’s attempt to heat up the water that was ingested. Plus our bodies work better when they are hydrated which can help keep our metabolism humming throughout the day.

So water is number one on my list of “foods that burn fat and ignite metabolism.”

Here’s seven more:

1) Breakfast Food – remember how your mother constantly told you that you should eat your breakfast? Mom was a pretty smart lady. After sleeping for several hours our metabolism has slowed and needs to get woken up. Breakfast does just that. Whole grain toast, oatmeal, whole grain cereal, eggs, yogurt, fruit and low fat milk are great breakfast foods that are nutritious and filling. You say you’re not hungry in the morning? I say eat something anyway, even if you can’t manage more than a piece of fruit. The idea is to get some food into the body to wake metabolism back up and get it going for the day.

2) High Fiber Foods – Fiber not only helps us feel full longer as our bodies work to digest it and break it down, but that extra work our bodies need to process that food through our system uses extra calories. Think fruits such as grapefruit and apples and bananas; vegetables like broccoli and spinach and sweet potatoes; whole grain breads and whole grain cereals; and beans – the high fiber food that makes you “toot.”

3) Hot peppers – Hot peppers contain capcaisin, a strong alkaloid produced by the glands of hot peppers. Capcaisin causes a body to burn extra calories for hours after being ingested which speeds up metabolism.

4) Almonds – This tasty nut contains essential fatty acids that help to raise body metabolism. I consider them a “win/lose” food though because although they help raise body metabolism it’s easy to eat hundreds of calories worth of almonds in a few minutes. Portion control is key. Try buying them in single serve bags.

5) Green Tea – It contains a healthy catechin, which is a tannin. It’s a powerful antioxidant and it also is known to speed up the brain and nervous system, which in turn causes a person’s body to burn more calories.

6) Coffee – I’m talking the high octane stuff that still has its caffeine in it. Caffeine gives our bodies a boost but be careful because overdoing it on the caffeine can turn a person into a jittery mess and cause sleeplessness.

7) High Protein Foods – Foods high in lean protein such as turkey and yogurt can help boost metabolism because protein helps build muscle and muscle burns more calories than fat.

Now here’s where I add a “catch.” While consuming the foods I just listed can help increase metabolism and burn fat, it doesn’t mean that calories don’t count. Calories do count. Bottom line: a person still needs to take in less calories than their body burns to lose weight.