15 Tips for Life Long Weight Control

Losing weight can be hard. Maintaining weight loss can seem even harder. Here are some tips that can help you lose weight NOW, and help you keep it off for the long term.
5 Tips for Eating, 5 Tips for Exercise, and 5 Tips for Lifestyle...

EATING TIPS
Studies have shown that some ways of eating will help keep you full and satisfied, and will naturally control and suppress your appetite. If you have medical conditions which require a special diet, please follow the guidelines by your healthcare provider; in general, however, these tips can be useful for almost everyone.

1. Eat breakfast. Studies have shown that eating breakfast which contains low fat or fat-free protein, can help you feel more full all day. Include plenty of fiber (found in WHOLE grains, vegetables, and whole fruit - not just the juice), and you will stay even more full. Include a small amount of "good fat" for extra appetite control.
Examples: whole grain cereal, skim milk, blueberries, and some chopped walnuts; fat-free Greek yogurt with raisins and slivered almonds; egg white scramble with vegetables, and a side of whole wheat toast with Benecol or Take Control spread.

2. Plan ahead for your meals and snacks, and bring them with you so you don't have to raid the vending machine, or eat out in a place that doesn't offer healthy food. Eat healthy meals and snacks throughout the day, and try not to go longer than four hours without eating. This will keep you from getting too hungry, and overeating later in the day. Make sure each snack and meal has some protein (at least 10 grams per snack), and ideally some fiber.

3. "Don't invite the enemy to the table." Or to your car, or your desk... If you know that certain foods or snacks "trigger" you to overeat (think potato chips), keep them away! Don't try to challenge yourself to see if your willpower will win - why make life more difficult?! If a family member or co-worker keeps unhealthy "trigger" food around, try to hide it from your sight. You can put it away on a top shelf, tie it in a white plastic bag so you can't see it, or just stay away. Remember, if you can't get to it, you can't eat it! Studies have shown that people eat less candy when they merely push the candy dish out of reach on the other side of a desk!

4. Eat the healthiest foods first. Start your meals with lower calorie, higher volume foods, that ideally contain fiber and protein. Examples are soup (broth-based, low sodium), chili, or a green salad with grilled chicken. Studies have shown that people who start meals with broth based soup eat 30% fewer calories during the rest of the meal, without even trying! Fiber, high-water content foods, and lean protein actually signal your brain to eat less. These can act as natural appetite suppressants.
DO NOT start your meal with refined carbs (like white rolls or low fiber crackers) and saturated fat (like butter) - you'll end up eating much more!

5. Pay attention to how much you are eating. It is possible to eat too much of a good thing! If you are trying to lose weight, total calories DO count, and people who count calories (along with paying attention to balanced eating) are going to do the best. If you are not ready to count calories, at least portion your meals out on your plate - 1/2 the plate with non-starchy vegetables (or some fruit), 1/4 of your plate with whole grains or starchier vegetables (like sweet potatoes), and 1/4 of your plate with lean protein. Don't overload your plate - you can always go back for seconds if you are truly hungry.
DO NOT eat out of a box or bowl- you'll have no idea how much you are eating, and will likely overeat. Other tactics to stay aware: eat with the lights on so you can see your food, and avoid distractions such as television. You will actually experience your food, instead of unconsciously scarfing it down!


EXERCISE TIPS
Of course, check with your health care provider before starting any exercise program. For healthy people with exercise clearance, exercise can do more for your health than almost anything else! The trick is to start gradually, find something that doesn't hurt, that you don't dread, and then make activity part of your day, almost every day!

1. If you are sedentary, or do not have a formal exercise program, begin by adding a minimum of 10 minutes per day of "scheduled" exercise, like walking, riding an exercise bike, dancing, swimming, etc. It doesn't sound like much, but studies have shown it WILL give you health benefits! Before long you will notice it gets even easier, you'll begin to have more energy and endurance, will feel better, and will find yourself adding a little more. If possible, try to get 10 minutes in first thing in the morning - everyone is an individual, but studies have shown that people who exercise in the morning are more likely to keep up with it long term.

2. Long term exercise goal: "heart pumping" exercise 30 to 60 minutes five or more days per week. You can achieve maximal health and weight control by gradually building up your time - but the good news is that you can break your exercise into three 10 minute sessions, or two 15 minutes if that is easier! "Heart pumping exercise" is any activity that gets you breathing a little harder. Check with your doctor, but generally you can use the "talk test" to see if you are working out properly. You SHOULD be able to talk in full sentences without gasping, but should be working hard enough that you would rather not have a deep conversation!

3.Your next goals are to add strength (resistance) exercise, and balance exercises. If you are new to these, do not try to do them on your own. A personal trainer or physical therapist are great resources, or you can purchase a video if you have some previous experience and know proper form.
Check out collagevideo.com for videos.

4. Get active with your family. It is fun and healthy for everyone to get active together! In the winter you can build snow forts, snowshoe, sled, skate, or ski. In the warmer months you can play ball in the yard, bike, hike, play frisbee, etc. Even washing the car can be healthy and fun with the whole family involved.

5. Variety is the spice of life. Try new activities to keep it fun, stay well-rounded, avoid overworking any joint, and keep up your calorie burn. There is something called the "FITT principle" of exercise - you can break through a weight loss plateau by changing your exercise Frequency, Intensity, Time, and Type.


LIFESTYLE TIPS
It is one thing to "know what to do", and another thing to keep doing it! Here are some tactics that have been shown to help people stay on track.

1. Pay attention to "triggers" that push you toward unhealthy choices. Most of us who struggle to stay on track with healthy eating and exercise have factors in our life which push us toward unhealthy behavior. Keep a journal to start to learn about your "triggers". A trigger might be the sight or presence of junk food, a stressful person or situation in your life, some basic need not being met in your life (lack of sleep, all work and no play, lack of creative outlet, social outlet, spiritual need, or some other basic need), loneliness, boredom, disruption in your routine, lack of planning, etc. Look at times that you HAVE been able to take care of yourself - and then try to figure out what threw you off track. Often it is one particular trigger, over and over. Once you know the trigger, you can start to plan to deal with it.

2. Make yourself a priority, and TAKE time to take care of yourself. Remember, you can't take care of everyone else, if you are unhealthy. Besides, you DESERVE to take care of yourself!

3. Do what you can to lower stress during your day. Time out for yourself, exercise, slow deep breathes, meditation, self-hypnosis, calling a friend, laughing, just taking a break and getting away from whatever is stressing you can all help! Don't feel guilty - just do it!

4. If you feel a craving coming on - distract yourself, and quickly! Get out of the room, away from the "danger", go out for a walk, call a friend, put on music and dance or clean your house, run an errand, hop on your exercise bike, etc. You get the idea. Try to do something that is a "non-compatible activity with eating" - you can't easily ride a bike and eat a hot fudge sundae at the same time. Another trick it to distract your mouth - with a piece of minty gum, Listerine Pocket Paks Breath Strips, or Sugar-Free Halls Mentho-Lyptus cough drops. Snacks won't taste quite so interesting after these!

5. Pat yourself on the back every time you make a healthy choice. Whether you have shopped and stocked up on healthy food, planned out your healthy meals and snacks, laid out your sneakers to work out first thing in the morning, or successfully distracted yourself from your cravings, stop for a minute and say "Darn, I'm good!" Get good at patting yourself on the back! Take yourself out for some new clothes, CD, craft supplies, sports equipment, or jewelry to celebrate your successes!