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I will post the article below that I wrote------I haven't edited or sent it in yet, but decided to go ahead and post what I have written so far.
Here goes:
A HEALTHY, IMPROVED VERSION OF YOURSELF!!!
Because I am a dietitian, I have seen numerous diets cross my path over the last several years. Overweight men and women come in, hopefully, clutching a copy of the newest diet craze. My usual reaction? I tell them to see if the bookstore takes returns. You wouldn’t believe the millions of diet books resting on the shelves at these stores, from the ridiculous cabbage soup diet, to the dangerous, high-fat Atkins diet, which can put your body into a precarious state called ketosis and severely limit fiber and vitamins.
Yes, there are numerous ways to lose weight. If all you want it to watch the scale numbers budge, you can go on a starvation diet, limit certain food groups, and be happy. Well, at least you’ll be happy for the few days you manage to keep the weight off. Once you return to normal eating, you’ll be adding the pounds you lost and possibly even more.
On the other hand, if you want to lose weight easily, never go hungry, have boundless energy and keep the fat off forever, there is only one sure plan. It is not a “diet’ at all. It is a way of living. It is a lifestyle change.
I know, I know. We all want the quick-fix, the “I’ve got 3 weeks to fit into this dress” fix. I wish it were that simple. Unfortunately, there IS no magic pill. Research has shown that a habit takes around a month to form. Therefore, give the lifestyle change I am going to talk about below a try for one month. I guarantee if you can stick to it, you will feel much better and, even more rewarding, see your body change for the better!
A great body is 80 percent nutrition. You can burn calories all day and it still comes down to what you put in your body. ( I speak from experience---I am an Ironman and avid marathoner ;)
The most simple way to be healthy and lose weight is to eat clean. It’s not about denying yourself or going hungry. It’s about eating with thought and planning. The backbone of healthy, clean eating depends heavily on fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein. These foods are eaten at regular intervals over the course of a day.
Let’s start at the grocery store. A great tip I always tell clients is to walk in the store, walk around the perimeter of the grocery store. That is where you will find most of the clean items. Fresh fruits, veggies, fresh meats, dairy, etc. can all be found around the perimeter. Only make a trip down the middle aisles for a few things, such as oatmeal and whole grains, or frozen produce, etc. When you start shopping down the center aisles, you begin to get into the processed foods. These are the foods with hidden sugars, saturated fats, sodium, etc. that our body doesn’t need in excess.
Some clean-eating tips:
• Eat 5 or 6 small meals per day, spread out around every three or four hours.(around 300-400 calories per meal, depending on your height/weight)
• Combine a source of lean protein and complex carbohydrate to every meal(protein makes you feel more full)
• Make sure you stay well-hydrated throughout the day
• Carry a cooler, loaded with healthy foods to get through the day
• Depend on fresh fruits and vegetables for fiber, vitamins, and enzymes
• Watch the alcohol intake
• Avoid saturated and trans fats
• Stick to proper portion sizes ( a VERY important tip!!)
• Allow yourself a cheat meal once or twice on the weekends
As far as dining, always remember that it takes your body twenty minutes to register to your brain that it is full----twenty minutes!!!! That’s quite a long time if you think about it. I can chow down on a meal in 5 minutes if I am in a hurry! Concentrate on what you are eating; ENJOY it. Savor it. Put your fork down between bites.Your stomach is the sizeof your fist. Think about this. Have a bottle of water before your meal. Sometimes, thirst registers as hunger. Make sure you are well hydrated throughout the day.
I mentioned a cheat meal above on the list of tips. I advise never going “cold-turkey” on anything. From experience, if you make certain foods off-limits, such as your favorite cookies, candy, chips, etc, you will crave them even more and possibly binge on these, which would later lead to guilty feelings. This might make you give up all together with your new way of healthy eating. Allow yourself one or two meals on the weekend in which you choose which favorite food you will eat. This will make it easier to eat clean most of the time, knowing that you are not completely depriving your body of anything.
These are just a few basic tips I have learned over the years through my experience. Healthy eating is a way of life. If you fall of the wagon, don’t beat yourself up. Just jump back on. No one is perfect, and you can’t hold expectations of healthy eating all of the time. Just make the effort and with time, it will get easier and become a way of life---a true lifestyle. That IS the bottom line, after all!!!!
Amanda Cassell, RD, LD
Now, if I could just learn to practice what I preach ;) Dang you, sweets and candy!!!!!
