There is no such thing as instant results. Even Instant Pudding has to be stirred for 2 minutes then chilled. If you are looking for a fast fix on your weight loss journey, forget it. It's the little, day-to-day changes in habits that end up making a difference over time. This blog is about sharing what I do, what I eat and how I stay healthy. Maybe some of the things I do are worth copying. Jump in and share what works for you, I'd love to hear and so would others! God bless. Elaine
Showing posts with label Lifestyle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lifestyle. Show all posts

Friday 17 February 2012

12 ways to lose weight today

Hands up if you want to lose weight with absolutely NO EFFORT!!!!

Oh dear. 

Do you also want to get a university degree without studying, writing exams or paying tuition? Have a ton of money without working? (oop, that's me....). Want perfectly behaved children and a serene marriage?

While you wait for Nirvana when all those good things will come true without you lifting a finger, here are a few tips you can implement today to help you along on your weight loss journey. Because the reality is, a healthy weight and healthy life style does take a little bit of effort and discipline but the Earthly rewards make it all worthwhile.

12 Ways to Lose Weight Today
  1. write down everything you eat. EVERYTHING. You're going to look at this list at the end of the day and if it's as long as your arm and full of things like chips and pop and natchos and cake then geepers creepers, Lesson Learned.
  2. mark your calendar. This is Day 1 of your journey toward choosing healthy habits for a healthy lifestyle. You need to know your start date so you can celebrate your anniversary dates later. 
  3.  IF you have dessert, have it earlier in the day and not late at night before you go to bed.
  4. tell 2 people that you're taking action to improve your eating habits and health habits and tell them you're going to report in to them on a regular basis whether they like it or not. You need to be accountable to someone, they're your support team!
  5. drink a big glass of water before each meal, even breakfast if you can manage. The water will help fill you up so you eat less.
  6. take the stairs. And don't use the handrail unless you absolutely have to.
  7. get off the bus before your stop and do some extra walking.
  8. go whole wheat. Whole wheat bread, whole wheat rolls, whole wheat crackers. No more white bread allowed, even the "fortified" stuff. 
  9. stop adding salt to your meals. If you're accustomed to putting salt on everything, stop cold turkey. Everything will taste awful for a little while but you'll be amazed at how quickly you adjust.
  10. don't butter your bread or your toast or your rolls. You won't miss it, I promise.
  11. add cinnamon where you can. Sprinkle it on your cereal, add a smidge to your coffee, get creative. Cinnamon is making the news these days for all the right reason so it's a good time to up our intact of this ancient spice.
  12. lastly, buy one healthy item at the grocery store that you haven't bought before and DON'T buy one unhealthy item that you usually buy e.g. buy some snow peas if you've never tried them before and leave the Doritos on the shelf.
It's all about the little things you do because they make a big difference in the end. 

Wednesday 1 February 2012

Just because it's on sale, doesn't mean you should buy it...

A good price doesn't mean it's a good value
About once every 2 months our local grocery store has a larger-than-usual sale and it seems like everyone in town drops in to take advantage of "Dollar Days". Whereas it can be a good time to stock up on regular items, some of the things that go on sale should be left on the shelf, and I don't mean your shelf.

Any of you who are married know that training your spouse is an ongoing endeavour. But I finally feel like I've made some headway with Ivan in this area of buying foods that are on sale simply because they were a good price.

The last time this happened, he came home with something akin to Pizza Pops. Of course the kids were interested so when he was heating one up for himself, extras went into the toaster oven for the boys. My innocence is far reaching - how bad could these things be with bread and cheese and some pepperoni in the middle? I was horrified when they were ready and he took a bite and I saw the innards first-hand. I got the package out of recycling and had a look at the ingredients. Full of Trans fats (Canada is slow at banning Trans fats from everything) and saturated fats. Enough sodium to meet your monthly requirement. 

When I showed it to my husband, I got the standard "but they were on sale, 2 for $1". I told him it didn't matter if they were free, stuff like this should never be eaten and there was no way the kids would be having it. No one's arteries deserves this kind of onslaught. Harm is harm, even when it's cheap.

For me, I'm not tempted into buying things I don't normally buy just because they are on sale. PopTarts aren't good for you regardless. And from a health perspective, they are a lot more expensive then you think.