Losing Weight in 2006 – Still Going Strong

As the first week of 2006 draws to a close, I am writing to tell you that I have lost 7 pounds so far. The good news is that it wasn’t that difficult. Of course the bad news is that now that the momentum has slowed the weight loss traditionally slows as well. I know we need to continue to try to write in our journals the perils of our daily life in order to figure out why we eat to excess. Have you been writing down everything you have eaten this week? Have you continued to write down how and when you move? My guess is not as much as you could but more than you have in the past. That wouldn’t be far from my situation. I still need to move more. I still need to eat better. More vegetables and less meat. No eating after 7pm. We all know the rules, but doing them?………….

Well my goal for this week is to only eat at mealtime. The good news is that popular opinion is to eat 5 or 6 small meals a day. Of course small is relative. My meals are usually HUGE! As am I. Another trick is to stop using large dinner plates and only use saucers or salad plates for your meals. Then only fill them up once.

Remember I said to eat fruits and vegetables as close to the ground as possible? Raw fruits and vegetables not only provide trace minerals and vitamins that would be lost in the heating process but they are a good source of fiber and you actually burn calories eating them.

Another thing to concentrate on is eating slower. Some have said that you need to chew each bite 30 times to give your body the best chance to break the food into nutrition. This is really tough. But think about it. Can you imagine passing a whole apple through your system? Besides you use more stomach acid to digest larger pieces of food. The smaller, simpler the amount of food swallowed, the less acid theoretically would be needed to digest. Remember saliva also aids in digestion.

So, to conclude this week’s tips:
1. Continue to write down all that you eat and every time you move. Also write down how you feel prior to eating.
2. More and more fruits and veggies
3. Use small plates and eat more small meals
4. Eat slower, and chew your food extremely well. Take your time and enjoy. My mother used to say “How can you remember what you ate?” Think about it. Have you ever forgotten what you ate at a meal?

Don’t forget to drink more water. Anything that you drink with a meal can complicate the digestive process. Water is the most natural fluid and helps to digest your food. Anything else could hinder digestion.

Thanks for hanging in there with me and I hope to hear from you and your success stories.

Let’s continue.

Bud

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