Monday, October 18, 2010

ARE YOU EATING BECAUSE YOUR HUNGRY??

All my life I have ate like most people because of what time of the day it was and not because I was necessarily hungry.  For instance in the morning when I woke up I would have breakfast, then in the afternoon I would have some lunch, and in the evening I would have dinner followed by dessert before going to bed.  During my weight loss journey and now as i am maintaining my weight loss I listen to my stomach and eat when I'm hungry regardless of what time it is.  I still have breakfast, lunch, and dinner followed with dessert but not at a set time.  In the morning when I wake up and if I feel hungry then I have breakfast.  For lunch instead of eating right at when most people have lunch around noon I listen to my stomach and if I'm hungry then I eat and if not then I wait til I'm hungry.  The same thing goes for dinner and snacks during the day, I eat dinner and snacks throughout the day the same way by listening to my stomach and eat when I'm hungry.  This has really helped me out on my weight loss journey because I realized that I was eating because of what time of the day it was and not always because i was hungry. I tend to eat less often now and only when I'm hungry so my food consumption has dropped dramatically.  I also eat til I'm satisfied and full instead of when all the food is gone off my plate so I very rarely am stuffed and uncomfortable after eating.  So my tip for today is to try eating when your hungry and listen to your stomach instead of eating because it's a certain time of the day.  Have a very healthy day and upcoming week :o)

Monday, October 11, 2010

WHY BEING PREPARED WHEN GOING OUT TO EAT IS SO IMPORTANT

I know first hand from experience that when I go out to eat and have no idea what I'm going to eat how hard it can be to get something healthy.  In the past when I was not paying attention to eating healthy I would just order anything from the menu which looked or sounded like it may be good to eat and not worry about it. Now that I'm health conscious I pre plan what I'm going to eat ahead of time so there are no surprises and I know that it's a healthy meal.  In this day and age we are very fortunate to be able to go to most restaurants website and see what they have on there menu.  They usually have how many calories, fat, carbs etc that are in their meals and appetizers that make it very easy and simple for us to plan ahead.  What I do when I know I'm going out to eat is go to the website of the restaurant and find a healthy meal and maybe an appetizer that is on their online menu and write it down.  This way when I go out to eat I already know exactly what I'm going to order and dont have to wonder if it's a healthy meal or not.  This also makes my dining experience more enjoyable since I am not thinking or wondering how many calories, fat, carbs etc. are in the meal.  So a simple tip that I would suggest is if you know ahead of time that your going out to eat and you know where your going to eat is to check out the restaurants online menu. This way you will know exactly what your going to eat and how healthy it is before you get there.  Hope this helps you all out!!!  Have a great week everyone :)

Sunday, October 3, 2010

CHANGE UP YOUR EXERCISE ROUTINE AS OFTEN AS POSSIBLE!

I have found myself getting pretty bored with doing the same workout routine at the gym for the past year.  I have an excellent exercise routine that I got after seeing a trainer for 3 sessions last summer and have stuck with it religiously.  The problem is that it has gotten to be a bit stale and I know that I need to see him again to change it up and start doing more advanced workouts for 3 days a week.  In the meantime while I get enough funds for the personal trainer I have changed up my cardio exercise which has been great for me and something new. In the morning before i go to work I have been turning on exercise T.V. which have a lot of great 10 minute exercises with trainers that you follow.  I have been doing beginner/intermediate exercises that target the abs, back, and core. This gets me off to a great start in the morning and then I head off to work during the week.  In the evenings I have been going to the gym on my days off from lifting weights and been shootings baskets indoors which is a lot of fun and doesn't seem like exercise at all.  Another form of exercise that I have been doing is going to the mall near my place and walking around.  This is great exercise and is a great way to get some walking in and staying cool especially on those hot days that we have been having in southern california lately.   So a tip that I would suggest to everyone trying to drop a few pounds or maintain a weight loss is to change up your exercise routine as often as possible so that you don't get burned out from doing the same routine all the time.  Have a great and very healthy week everyone!!!