Weight Loss Tips
The dreaded issue!! This is a constant struggle and this has got to be one of the most asked question I get as a family doctor. I’ve complied some of my tips that are every day changes. This is not anything fancy or over the top just a few suggestions that might help along the way. Loosing weight has to be a lifestyle change not a crash diet so it can be maintained.
1. Put half of your food in a to go box. We recently went to the Cheesecake Factory for lunch and as I was looking at the menu I noticed that they put the calories by the items. Almost everything was more than my daily recommended calories…for one item. It was good to realize how caloric everything in restaurant tends to be. That being said we are all going to eat out so something that helps is to take half of your food and put it in a to-go box as soon as the food comes out to save for later. A lot of the problem with weight gain is portion size, a lot of the sizes are what my whole family would eat.
2. 6 small meals a day. Eat more frequently. Another problem I see is that most people eat dinner, skip breakfast and then don’t eat again until lunch the next day. If you do this your body thinks it’s starving and stores everything as fat which is what we don’t want. Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day and starts your metabolism. Think of your metabolism like a fire that you have to keep feeding logs to. If you don’t keep it fed it will burn out.
The other advantage to eating more frequently is that you never getting really hungry. If you skip a meal by the time you are ready for your next you are starving, you make bad decisions and tend to overeat!
3. Don’t eat late. Eating late doesn’t allow your body to burn what you ate. Try to stop eating a little earlier and you’ll notice a huge difference.
4. Exercise. I can’t tell you how many times someone tells me they can’t lose weight but then says they aren’t exercising. There is no way to lose weight without exercise. The only way to lose weight is to decrease your input and increase your output. National guidelines recommend participation in at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity activity at least 5 days a week. If you have limitations find something you can do there are so many options. And I promise it will eventually be fun and addicting. Exercise also produces endorphins which make you feel happier and most people will sleep better as well and feel like they have more energy.
We were recently in Europe and I rarely saw someone overweight. It’s because they walk or ride bikes everywhere. It’s crazy how many more steps and miles I walked while there and it felt great. But even if you are walking or perform physical activity at work you should still have dedicated exercise time with your heart rate elevated!
I know finding time can be hard! Trust me, I have 3 small children, work full time, have church responsibilities and so on but I try and do something every day. Recently we did some exercise time at lunch at work with other co-workers. My go to is taking my children and doing something with them (it’s good for them too!). I remember having one child in a carrier, pushing one in a stroller and the other riding a bike while I sweated doing hills, but I lost weight and didn’t take time away from them and they realized that exercise was important and it ended up being great family time!
5. Drink water. This is huge. You should drink at least 4-6 cups of water a day. If you are serious about loosing weight I would drink a glass of water before you eat. Often times we think we are hungry but we are actually thirsty. And don’t drink your calories!! Soda, tea and other drinks are unnecessary and add a lot of extra calories. Plus, your skin will thank you.
6. Plan your meals. People tell me all the time they don’t have time to do this. If I can make time to do this, anyone can. It takes 10 minutes a week to plan your meals and only buy what you need. I have saved a lot of money doing this. I used to just go to the grocery store and buy whatever I think we needed but I spend a lot and always ended up with random things I didn’t need. Planning your meals helps you make healthy choices and actually enjoy dinnertime! And never shop hungry!
7. Find healthy options and count your calories. I know it’s hard to not eat out so find healthy alternatives. Even Mcdonalds sells a salad! But make sure you are looking a calories, just because it’s a salad it doesn’t mean it’s healthy. My favorite salad has over 1000 calories! If you really want to know how you are doing write your calories and carbohydrates down for a week and see how much you are getting, you will be shocked, at least I was! Most restaurants now have calories listed (even in the drive-through).
Be aware of how many calories you burn as well! Even when I’m doing a lot of exercise I’m shocked by how few calories I’m burning. That half hour on the elipitcal may have only burn 250 calories, that’s only part of one of your meals and remember what I said earlier- the only way to lose weight is to decrease your input (calories you eat) and increase your output (how much you exercise). Think of it like a math equation! It has to equal out, one can’t outweigh the other.
8. Get rid of the buns. I think a lot of our problem is that we eat to many carbohydrates in our society. Your plate should not be mostly white/yellow. Your plate should mostly have greens on it! You need 4-6 fruits and vegetables a day which most people don’t come close to. Get rid of all the bread and empty calories you don’t need. Jimmy Johns makes an un-which which is a sandwich without the bread and wrapped in lettuce. Some places will make a burger wrapped in lettuce instead of buns. I’m not saying don’t have any carbohydrates just limit it. All things in moderation.
9. Always take food with you. Take healthy snacks with you. Almonds, carrots sticks, etc. I find this prevents you from stopping to picking up something unhealthy.
10. Weigh yourself every day. I know this isn’t fun but it allows you to be aware of what you are doing to your body, it keeps you accountable. When you do this you can realize what that huge double decker sandwhich did to your weight or how exercise brought it down! You can do this! Believe in yourself!