Along this journey, I'm learning new stuff about this body that God gave me. I'm learning about things that I thought I already knew, but didn't apply to myself. Such as:
- smaller portions REALLY DO fill you up! Chew slower. Take smaller bites!
- Drink a glass of water before you eat, and inbetween bites (of a snack or meal). Most of the time, you're just dehydrated, not HUNGRY!
- My body (or any body, for that matter) does not do well when it's not properly hydrated. Period. From poor eating choices, to dry skin, to feelin' cranky! Not good!
- I'm sorry, but unless you're a true skinny-minnie, you need more than 64 oz. of water. Enough said.
- Artificial flavorings are NOT GOOD. Do you know what they do to your (my) body? Make me crave other, nasty stuff! And the word "ARTIFICIAL" should be enough to scare you. Period.
- Stay away from processed foods. When I have processed foods after eating relatively "clean," my body revolts. It's not pretty. I feel bloated and nasty.
- Eventually, cravings DO subside. When you give your body 5 min. from the time you crave something, you can usually talk yourself out of it, especially if you drink water within that 5 min. If you're still craving it after 5 min, you can have it! But just have a BITE! 1-2 bites can be savored much more than shoving it down your throat in guilt and shame.
- YOU (ME ESPECIALLY!) HAVE TO TRACK YOUR CALORIES! Even if you "think" you know about how much you're eating, you can easily let it get out of hand. Too easy to do.
- Yes, you can have sweets! Yes, you can have dessert! Yes, you can "live" like a "normal person!" (first, define what "normal" is to you.) But if those sweets/desserts put you over your calorie count, make "room" for it through the week, and/or work it off.
- Yes, sometimes extra time on the treadmill IS worth that dessert! lol.... And on the other hand, sometimes it's NOT! But THINK IT OVER before you decide.
- There are times when you crave something, and when you eat it, it doesn't taste as good as you thought it would. At that point, STOP eating it.
- I learned on the biggest loser that when your body craves something, it activates seritonin, which gives you a pleasure feeling. (This is true for all people.) However, the "healthy" person can have that something (i.e. hamburger) and receive an additional seretonin secreation. For the overweight/unhealthy person, it takes 3 TIMES (OR MORE) OF THAT SUBSTANCE TO GET THE SAME FEELING! This is one of the reasons why overweight people still over-eat. Because what used to create the "good feeling" in the past isn't the same - 3x more of the food is needed to create the same "good feeling" in the brain.
I probably didn't explain that very well, but if you look up brain research and over-eating, it probably explains it better.
- stay away from High Fructose Corn Syrup. It's truly nasty stuff, and it's in just about EVERYTHING! (Including my favorite BBQ sauce...so sad)
- Slower weight loss not only typically STAYS off, but it shows that you're building good, life-long habits along the way; not just a quick fix.
- tired of water? There are so many different things you can do (including, but not limited to):
* add a lemon wedge
* add one of those "water enhancer/flavor" packages (make sure it is ALL NATURAL with no artificial stuff!)
* make tea - cold or hot!
* add an orange wedge
* add ice. Doesn't change the flavor, but it beats boring, ol' water.
- stress is a LIFE killer - not just a weight-loss killer. RELAX. Find SOME WAY to relax - yoga, a good book, a bath, good music. WHATEVER, just do it. You'll smile more.
- get enough sleep. Period. And I mean quality sleep - laying on the couch or bed does NOT count.
- priorities matter. If family "gets in the way" of your weight loss, your priorities might not be in the right spots. If family is HINDERING your HEALTH, that's another story.
- track your progress: weight, measurements and endurance. If all categories are not moving in the "right" direction, celebrate the ones that are! :-)
- if you don't think you can do it - you're right. But if you think you can - you're usually right too.
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