Meal Timing
5 meals per day, spaced every 2-4 hours that you are awake helps keep your metabolism from taking a dive. Taking too long between each meal and getting too hungry will send the message to your body that you need to conserve energy by storing fats to burn later. Since our goal is fat loss, spacing out your meals to keep your metabolism high will help you burn through what you eat the most efficiently :) A good resource on meal timing can be found here
Every Day Habits
-Drink a warm cup of water with the juice of half a lemon for a daily cleanse/digestive health boost
-Stretch! Try a yoga class/youtube some stretches that target hips, hamstrings and shoulders to wake up the body and improve posture
-Eat something green at every meal, the fiber and nutrients of natural veggies are truly unparalleled :)
-Dont stress...stress causes your body to store up fats and other nutrients instead of burning them, add emotional eating in the mix and you have a recipe for an unhealthy, unhappy body. Have a relaxation plan: yoga, a walk, playing an instrument, dancing, anything that brings a smile to your face and allows your body to calm down at the end of the day :)
Yo-Yo Dieting?
A lot of people get started with the best intentions on a diet that worked for a friend or even gave them good results in the past. Diets such as Atkins are great short term, and tend to really shed those pound by cutting carbs and increasing protein. However, long term, these are DIETS not LIFESTYLES. My goal is to promote a lifestyle change that will give your body the nutrients it needs, without completely eliminating any food groups. Based on body type, size, and exercise regimens, I calculate how many calories I need and try to fill those calories with healthy, nutrient rich foods.
How to Encourage Yourself to Lose Weight
1. Know yourself! Do you know what motivates you? Is it fitting into skinny jeans or the number on the scale? If you are more visual, take a picture of yourself in a swimsuit, make sure to get front and side. This is your before shot. If you need extra motivation, think about putting the picture in your car/fridge to motivate you when you go out to eat or have a snack. If its numbers, take a polar assessment, get a measurement of your arms, abs, and legs, and an accurate body fat/weight measurement. Keep track of how those measurements get smaller every two weeks!
2. Be realistic! No one is perfect. The idea is that 30 days, you should be able to go for it with no cheat meals. But in real life/post the 30 days, make sure to give yourself 1-2 cheat meals every week, and let your mind and body get a treat!
3. Make a "dream board" with pictures of things that remind you of why you want to lose weight. A beach picture for a family vacation, sexy jeans, anything that you think of. Make sure these are pictures of things you can do that make you happy, and not of a skinny celebrity you've never met!
Favorite Books and Resources
The Beauty Detox Diet - Kimberly Snyder
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