"Ten Tips and Secrets to Weight Loss for Life"©

Common sense tips that will make you successful ... but only if you follow them.

1. Throw away your bathroom scale ... it undermines your effort, makes you disappointed but the scale has no brain. Don't weigh yourself every day ... the variation in weight from day to day may go either way, so don't let your scale dictate your perspective. Only weigh yourself one day a week, using the same scale at same time ... best is to do it early in the morning, before you eat. When you start on a weight loss program, only weigh yourself once a month. Chart your weight visibly, so you can see how you're doing; put a chart up that you can update. Reminder that on a weight loss program, you'll be putting on lean tissue ... may lose a pound of fat but gain a pound of lean tissue, and that will be a good thing.
2. Start measuring the inches lost ... inches are more important than pounds. A pound of lean tissue takes up only 2/3 as much space as a pound of fat, so as you get more active and reduce your calorie intake, you will feel the inches in how your clothes fit and in how you feel. You will plateau in terms of pounds but will continue to lose inches. Waist to hip ratio is a more accurate predictor of health, very important ... if the ratio is greater than 1 to 1, risk of diabetes goes way up for both men and women.
3. Eat to lose weight ... regular meals are very important. You cannot starve the pounds off. When you skip meals, the body sends a metabolism signal that says "we're starting to starve so let's hold on to our fat." Dinosaur theory: Body was conditioned to store excess calories as fat, sending message to our body that there is a dinosaur coming ... dinosaur chasing us meant we had to live off of the food we had stored. Eat 6 small meals a day and you will lose weight ... the thermodynamics of digestion work such that when you eat 6 small meals per day, your body burns around 300 extra calories per day and helps regulate blood sugar. Start the morning with a meal replacement shake ... mid-morning have a small snack, like almonds or peanuts, string cheese, fruit ... lunch should be a healthy meal, salad, meal replacement shake ... mid-afternoon is another snack, peanut butter, nuts, lunch meat, protein, yogurt ... dinner must be a healthy meal, portion control is important, watch your calories, get protein and veggies ... mid-evening snack should be a protein snack, fruit with peanut butter, cheese. Salads are the best ways to get fiber, along with high fiber cereals.
4. Drink away the pounds ... at least 6 glasses of clean water, not soft drinks, get a container that is 64 ounces and drink that water every day. Drink a glass of water with each of your 6 meals. Learn to love water ... it's the best thing for you. Add powders to change the flavors of your water.
5. Get your feet in the street ... get active. Weight does not come off unless you move more. No need for expensive equipment or a fitness center. Simply walk and buy a pedometer ... keep up with your number of steps. One mile equals 2000 steps ... most people walk about 1000 to 1500 steps each day. Get more steps in and help boost your metabolism, so you can drop the pounds faster. If you want to do more, then balance cardio and weight training. Move more even when you're watching TV ... watch The Biggest Loser to get exercise ideas and principles, but realize you'll lose over a longer period of time. The key is to move more every day, even if you start off slow.
6. Weight loss plateaus happen ... you'll reach that point for sure. That is not a bad thing ... it's a natural thing that just means your body is readjusting. How do you get your body to jump start from a plateau? Do something different. Exercise differently or more. Drink more water. Have new food choices that are healthy. Eat your meals at different times or in different settings. Look for tips online to help you break though the next plateau.
7. Purge the pantry ... get all the bad stuff out of the pantry, only have safe stuff available. Make it hard to be tempted. Switch bad choices ... popcorn instead of chips, fruit instead of cookies, nuts instead of candy. More vegetables in the refrigerator. More fruits too. Lower fat choices like low sodium soups, foods that are low in calories and high in protein. Eat high fiber cereals more often, even as a snack. Have a safety box at work, filled with just good food choices.
8. "Make Better Bad Choices"© ... don't skip a meal. Think through your choices. Make different replacements, even at restaurants. Eat more vegetables at every meal ... even request more vegetables at restaurants, make substitutions whenever you can. Look at your favorite recipes and figure out how you could make them healthier. Look for newsletters that give you good information. Always think about what you're eating.
9. Share your weight loss goals ... tell people what your goal is. Share with people that can help you during your bad days. You lose weight a pound at a time, so you need support from friendly people that care. Keep a food diary ... Journal every piece of food and every beverage you consume ... read your journal to know what kind of eater you are ... share the knowledge with others and with yourself.
10. Celebrate your success ... what are you going to do to celebrate your weight loss? Have a healthy meal at a restaurant ... go to a movie ... buy a book you want ... buy a new wardrobe when the time comes. This is a journey and you need to celebrate your victories ...

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