Weight Loss Doesn’t Need to be In Food Jail

Food Jail

When you are consumed with all the weighing, measuring and calorie tracking, attempting to drop a few pounds can seem as tedious as driving to Las Vegas in holiday traffic. In order for a weight loss program to be successful one doesn’t need to obsess on calories and calorie counting, as there a plenty of ways to cut or reduce them without being a slave to them! Lifestyle changes can make the greatest difference, and also set the foundation for a lasting change, as opposed to a ‘build a house on sand’ approach that most calorie counting diets instill!

Have a strategy to making a life change

Join a gym or club. Here’s why: Attempting to keep up with the numbers is more akin to guessing how many jelly beans are in a mason jar. According to a 2006 study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, Americans – even those who are at a healthy weight – continually underestimate the number of calories in fast food by up to 38 percent.

To control your portions without decimal points, you can try and serve meals on smaller plates, as the plate will look full, but with way less calories than it would take to fill a regular plate. Look on- line for a healthy lifestyle meal delivery service that has meals for each day for particular (individual) caloric needs ie; 1200- 1800- 2200 kcal per day, and so forth. This will keep your food intake within a preset caloric total, giving you meals on hand and therefore conditioning your mind to eat to a format that will regulate your body weight. I would recommend doing this for a period of at least (30) DAYS, the time it takes to create a habit!

Here’s an added plus: Through the use of smaller portions, they train you to recognize proper portion sizes, and make smarter decisions when prepackaged food is out of reach. You can get food service delivery from $ 10 to $ 20 per day, plus there are good choices in the freezer aisle as well, says Elisa Zied, RD, author of So What Can I Eat? Look for frozen dinners with less than 500 calories with at least four grams of fiber, no more than 15 grams of fat (less than three grams of saturated and trans fat free), and less than 700 milligrams of sodium.

Food ratios may not be the answer

Simply view the labels. Here’s why: If the diets, such as the Zone, Atkins or South Beach never worked for you, it may be because you cannot give up the high glycemic carbohydrates, such as white bread, bagels, muffins etc. It could also be because you’re too busy worrying about percentages and ratios at each meal. If you don’t have your own food service or personal trainer monitoring all your meals, try this: Take a minute to scan the main ingredients on your food labels. According to 2007 report by the Economic Research Service of USDA, Americans spend an average of 30 percent of their annual grocery bill on foods such as muffins, pies, cakes, biscuits, cookies, ice cream, candy, soda and donuts – all with sugar listed near the top of the ingredients list, worse still from corn syrup/ corn syrup solids. It should be a no-brainer that sweeteners pump up the calories, but also run your blood sugar through a roller coaster where you end up still hungry and eating after your meal in front of the television with the cookie jar!!! Please see my Articles on this topic under ‘Diets’.

You can stop this vicious spiral by incorporating natural, whole foods as the main staple of your diet. You should include fruits, vegetables and lean meats like turkey, and fish, as well as the foods that burn fat. Please see my Article ‘Food And Body Fat’ @ www.personaltrainerinla.com’. Choose packaged snack foods with whole-wheat flour, oats, peanuts, and real fruit, listed at the top of of ingredients. The idea is that these foods are low in calories and high in fiber and protein rather than those with lots of high-fructose corn syrup, sugar, or honey, as these will trigger a brain signaling mistake that will lead to a whole host of problems.

Instead of 30 minutes on the treadmill. . .

Try (HIIT) or High Intensity Interval Training to scale down. According to a recent study by Duke University Emergency Medicine Research, treadmills inflate the number of calories you burn by 10 to 15 percent. The study found also that 20 per cent of us treat ourselves after exercise by eating as many calories as we worked off, the work and reward method! See Article ‘(HIIT)’ @ www.personaltrainerinla.com

A most effective way to counter the dessert is to engage in resistance training. Despite cardio workouts burning more calories per minute, weight training keeps your metabolism burning long after you end your training session. A study published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise found that after six months of lifting weights for three days a week, the subjects increased their resting metabolic rate (the number of calories you burn simply sitting) by 7 percent. To maximize the effectiveness of your weight training sessions, reduce the rest between exercises, and train circuit style. Another study in the same journal indicated that the rapid lifting (for example, doing a squat for two seconds, then rising as quickly as you can ) burns calories 11 percent faster than doing them slowly. Researchers believe that explosive movements create more calorie burning muscle contractions.

You Do Not Need To Put Yourself In Food Jail

Enjoy the foods you eat! Being a slave to your kitchen scales will not change the one in your bathroom any faster. A 2007 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition confirmed that you can eat more and lose weight. This study compared weight loss in two groups of obese women. They all were instructed to eat a reduced-fat diet, but one group also had to consume a large amount of water foods like soups, fruits and vegetables. This first group ate 25 percent more in volume, but lost more weight (on average compared to 17.5 pounds 14). How was this possible? They were eating fewer calories, but they were still satisfied, thanks to the higher water content in the food. “Physical activity was the same in both groups, so if the people in one group lost more, they had to have eaten fewer calories,” says lead study author Barbara Rolls, Ph.D.

Instead of measuring your food, try a more natural approach, eat more slowly. It takes your brain 20 minutes to get the signal from your internal messaging that your stomach is full, so wait for the signal. The hormonal system we have includes the Leptin and gherkin hormones that do the job of controlling out appetite and hence food intake naturally. ‘If you pause between bites, you’ll probably get the signal before you head for second helpings. You don’t think you have that kind of self control? Pick foods that take longer to eat such as fruits you have to peel, shelled nuts, and spicy foods.

-Nicholas
If you are in the Los Angeles area and you would like a complimentary one-on-one assessment with Personal Trainer in L.A. Nicholas Barrett, please don't hesitate to get in touch! Personal trainer Los Angeles. Los Angeles personal trainer. Personal trainer marina del rey.

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