Lose Weight Now

When trying to lose weight, you should not go strictly by what the scale reads. Instead you will need to take your body’s measurements along with your weight on a regular schedule.

What worked for me was making a simple spreadsheet with the headers: date, weight, chest, hips, waist, l. thigh, r. thigh. I did not measure my body every week like I weighed myself, but I went every other week with my measurements. So, every Friday, I would step on the scale, record the date and my weight for the week. Then every other Friday I would get the tape measure out and measure my chest, hips, waist and both thighs. You don’t have to do these exact measurements, as you can add other ones such as calves and biceps or not measure your thighs. You should, though, to accurately measure your body, do at least your chest, waist and hips.

Many times the scale may not budge one week or even 2-3 weeks, but when you take your body’s measurements on a regular basis you can see if you are losing inches and if your weight loss plan is working or not. Keeping a spreadsheet of all your weights and measurements can help you to be better organized and can help give you motivation to continue your weight loss. If you want you can even place your spreadsheets in a binder along with monthly photos of yourself to track your progress. Experiment and see what works best with you.

There are many people who believe that when they start a weight loss program that their groceries will be even more expensive. For me, I have actually found this to be the opposite. I can actually save money on my grocery bill when I am trying to lose weight and eat healthy. Here are some ways that I am able to save money at the grocery store.

*I only drink water, which is free from my faucet at my house. Every once in awhile I will buy a sugar-free drink mix as a splurge. This saves money on not having to buy pop or juice which can be expensive.

*Check out what lean lunch meats are on sale for the week at your grocery store. I only buy the ones that are on sale, unless they don’t have any specials on lean lunch meats this week. Making a sandwich for lunch everyday is a lot cheaper than eating out or eating frozen meals.

*Even though veggies and fruits may cost a little bit more, it’s still cheaper to stock  up on them than to buy bags of chips and cookies. Also, I look for what fruits and veggies are sale that week and try to use recipes and snacks based on that. Usually your grocery store will have the in-season fruit and veggies on sale.

*My grocery store often runs specials on bulk skinless, boneless chicken breast, often at buy one, get one free. I will buy a big package of the chicken breast and get one the same size free. I then divide the chicken breast into Ziploc freezer bags so that I can have plenty of chicken in the house and get it for a cheap price.

*When losing weight, you end up not buying as much food because an apple or an orange will fill you up for longer than a cookie will.

Basically, pay attention to what is on sale at your grocery store. Chips, pop, cookies, and ice cream are not the only sale items that stores have!

So, are you one of the many people that woke up this morning and had Thanksgiving regret? Did you eat way too much yesterday? Well, if you are one of those people, realize that you are just human and it will happen. The important thing that is to remember that today is a new day!

So, don’t let one day force you off your weight loss plan. Go ahead and head to the gym today. Try to get in an extra 30 minutes on top of your normal workout.

If you have any turkey leftovers, eat them in a healthy way. Take some white turkey meat and put it on your green salad. Add tons of veggies and a low-calorie vinaigrette dressing. You know have a healthy lunch that is packed with protein and veggies to give you the energy you need to get your butt back in gear for your weight loss!

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Here are some more helpful holiday weight loss tips for everybody.

**Don’t Waste Your Diet Because of One Day. Tons of people who are trying to lose weight often do this. They have one bad day and so they figure what’s one more bad day of eating or what’s the difference know if they eat extra calories that they already blew it. Do not let one bad day of eating ruin your whole weight loss plan. Get over it and get right back on the next day.

**Create a Great Plate When Eating. Just because it is a holiday meal, doesn’t mean that you still can’t try to eat healthy. Split your plate into sections and fill the biggest sections with the vegetables. Try to avoid the vegetables that are loaded in butter or cream sauce. Next, fill a 1/3 of what is left on your plate with a lean protein. Turkey is a great lean protein, just try to eat it without the gravy. Then fill the rest of your plate with your choice of starch (potatoes) or your cheat food. This way at least you know that most of your plate is healthy and you still have your cheat foods.

One of my favorite side dishes at Thanksgiving has to be the green bean casserole. But, even though you are eating green beans, a green bean casserole will pack on the calories. All of the cream of mushroom soup with milk and the fried onions, make this one side dish that will make your sides bigger! If you can’t live without your green bean casserole on Thanksgiving, then make sure to have a single serving of it only or you can try this healthy alternative instead.

 Ingredients:

Fresh Green Beans

Fresh Mushrooms, sliced

Garlic cloves

Shallot, minced

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt and Pepper - to taste

Saute the green beans, mushrooms, and shallot in some extra virgin olive oil. Make sure not to use  more than what you need to saute the vegetables and have a light coating on them. Once those ingredients have sauteed for a couple of minutes, add the fresh garlic cloves in. Make sure not to burn the garlic. The vegetables should still have a slight crunch to them and the green beans should still have their bright color. Add some salt and pepper to taste and this healthy side dish is done.

Well, with Thanksgiving right around the corner, the holidays are officially here. Here is the first installment on holiday weight loss tips.

** Eat a healthy snack. Before you go to your Thanksgiving meal or a holiday party, make sure to eat a healthy snack. This may seem odd, but by eating a healthy snack before you go eat a meal, you can actually eat less. You will be less likely to fill up and over-eat at the meal. Eating a healthy snack can help you to eat less of the bad stuff at the party or meal.

**Make a plan and stick to it. Before you head out the door for your holiday meal or party, decide on how much you are going to eat or drink. If you  decide you are only going to have a small plate of food, then stick with it. Stick to your plan and don’t let others or the smell of the food sway you in another way.

**Allow yourself a cheat. If you only have pumpkin pie or eggnog during the holidays, then allow yourself to have a serving of it. Make sure to limit it to an actual single serving. Why deprive yourself all and get all worked up about it, when maybe you can have that slice of pumpkin pie and just decide to workout an extra hour that week.

With Thanksgiving only a couple days away, why not start being thankful today. Why wait until Thanksgiving to be thankful?

One way that you can be thankful is to take care of yourself. Think about all the friends and family members that would miss you if something happened to you. Being overweight can be a disease. It can be deadly. Yes, you should lose weight for yourself, but if you are having a hard time getting motivated, then think about all the people who love you. Do you really want them to have to live without you or do you want to be dependent on them because you suffered a heart attack or a stroke from being overweight.

Don’t wait until the new year to start losing weight. Think about how much you have to be thankful for and start losing that extra weight now!

When the cold weather sets in during this time, many people go running for the comfort food. I’m talking about the chili’s, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, stuffing, and pumpkin pies. This has actually been proven by research that people are more likely to eat these kinds of food when it gets cold, which results in people consuming more calories in the winter time. Not only are people consuming more calories in the winter and cold weather, but they are exercising less.

So, how can you avoid getting fat in the cold weather? First, you need to exercise. Just because it is cold outside, doesn’t mean that you stop exercising. Find new workouts that you like. You can still work out outside on some days. Talk a walk or run but just make sure to dress warm in layers. Or have a snowball fight with your kids or build a snowman.

The other way to avoid getting fat in the winter is to be conscious of what you are putting into your mouth. You can still have your comfort foods, you may just have to tweak them a little bit. Make your chili with lean ground turkey instead of ground meat and steer clear of the sour cream and biscuits. For more ways to make your comfort foods fit into your diet, read this article: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/941251/how_to_make_your_favorite_comfort_foods.html?cat=51

One thing that I found out when trying to lose weight, is that you can get burned out really easily. I was working out 7 days a week because I felt if I took a day off I was going to gain weight or not lose enough for the week. Let, me tell you, everyone needs at least one day off.

After about a month of working out straight, I was so tired and probably weighed no less than I would have if I worked out 5 days a week. I had read in a couple of different books and articles that you shouldn’t workout every day as your body needs a break. You can actually do more damage to your body by working out everyday.

Sometimes when you get so obsessed with losing weight, it’s hard to take a day off. Like me, you may get nervous that you will gain weight or will not lose enough, but speaking from personal experience. Everyone needs a day off!

So, give your body a break and take the day off!

With the holidays coming up, many people are going to be traveling. Whether flying or driving it is still possible to eat healthy on your travels. Remember these tips to help you out along the way.

*Pack a bag with healthy snacks in portion controlled sizes. If you are flying make sure to have then in your carry on bag. If you are driving, have then handy in a bag that can be easily reached.

*If your only option is to eat fast food along the way, then pick healthy options such as grilled chicken sandwich with no bun. Or a salad with a vinaigrette dressing and no cheese. Pick out the best options that are available to you.

*Make sure that you drink plenty of water. You may think you are hungry but you may actually just be dehydrated.

*If you are driving, then stock a cooler of healthy meals also. This way you don’t have to stop and eat the food at rest stops. pack some sandwiches on whole wheat, fruit, granola, and low-fat yogurt.

 Traveling during the holiday season doesn’t have to be an excuse to go off your weight loss plan!