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By Angella Dykstra of Dutch Blitz and Committed: The Ties That Bond
People who have met me in the past eight years or so have a hard time believing that I was ever a “Big Girl”. The cold hard truth is this: I was CHUBBY. I am surprised that the friction from my thighs rubbing together did not cause my pants to start on fire.
I did a stint in high school where I did not eat. For days. Yes, I got skinny, but guess what happened when I started eating again? Thigh burn.
Through trial and error, I have found some surefire, non-fad tips that help me to keep my weight in check.
1. Move it and lose it. Exercise in some form is vital. Walking counts. Unless you are walking to the snack cupboard.
2. Cut out the white stuff (bread, rice, pasta). Whole grains are the way to go.
3. For that matter, cut down on breads/starches in general. Apart from my morning Oatmeal, I try not to eat many more bread products in a day. 2-3 small servings is what my dietitian recommended.
4. Stop eating THREE HOURS before bed. Not a raisin, not a grape. NOTHING. I kid you not - you will lose 5 pounds in a week…if you don’t try and make up for it during the day.
5. EAT MORE VEGGIES. Seriously. Fill up on veggies (Green/orange/red ones. NOT potatoes. See starch note above).
6. EAT BREAKFAST. Breakfast kick starts your metabolism during the day. I eat oatmeal because it fills me up. The added bonus is that it is healthy.
7. CUT OUT SUGAR. If sugar is one of the first 5 ingredients in something, IT IS NOT FOR YOU. Seriously. Splenda is an alternative, as is stevia. I’ve heard that stevia is bitter though I have never tried it myself.
8. Have cheat days. Friday nights I allow myself to eat whatever suits my fancy. The regular dish was nachos for quite a while but I have been mixing it up lately. Calamari, anyone?
9. Drink a lot of water. Water flushes fat . Chug-a-lug! If it’s too bland for you, try adding Crystal Light or something similar.
10. Cut down on the cocktails. I KNOW . Trust me; you can add them back later. In moderation, of course.
Do you have any tips that you would like to share?
[...] My post is up over at Problem Solved. Apparently I was supposed to hit the “publish” button. You would think I would know how to do that by now… [...]
Dutch Blitz » *I* Had Technical Difficulties | October 10th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
GREAT post. . .I’m thrilled about this column.
Janssen | October 10th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
Great ideas! I just lost 36 pounds and it’s because of a lot of things on this list. Although I still haven’t managed to cut out foods right before bedtime!
Tabitha (From Single to Married) | October 10th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
You have always inspired me in this area, Angella. As you know, I’ve recently lost 23lb and I’m feeling better than ever. Your tips? Are RIGHT ON.
Hannah | October 10th, 2008 at 7:05 pm
Great tips, Angella. Moving is my downfall lately.
I was a roadrunner until I started blogging. Gar.
witchypoo | October 11th, 2008 at 12:32 am
Thanks for these great reminders!
BlapherMJ | October 11th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
awesome! as a carb addict i have been making diet modifications along these lines… step one being to convert to all whole grains and skip the white over processed/bleached products. and limit potatoes (far too tastely to eliminate!!) i just havent been so good at reducing them, i suppose that is step 2!
only thing i would add is try to try to eat the foods with high water content - grapes over rasins, apples and oranges isntead of just the juice, etc. the water and fiber fill you up and are good for you!!
Kate | October 13th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
Great post- although I worry about #7. Splenda is a horrible, horrible food additive. Made by refluxing chlorine gas through a sugar solution. The problem is that- there is more and more evidence that Splenda changes microflora content in the gut (important in flavonoid and polyphenolic metabolism), increases the fecal pH (affects nutrient absorption), and increases the expression of certain key enzymes and transporters in the gut that might alter oral drug concentrations leading to increased drug side effects. See: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18800291?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum If you are going to decrease sugar intake then do just that- don’t cheat with a sweetener, and if you do try to use a sweetener source with some nutrition value like honey and/or agave syrup. Also to help promote proper glycemic control try cinnamon- sprinkle it in your oatmeal, in smoothies, or on fruit like apples or peaches.
Matt | October 13th, 2008 at 7:32 pm
Thanks for this, Matt! I do use cinnamon on my oatmeal, but maybe I need to rethink my Splenda use…
Angella | October 13th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
Fantastic article! Thanks so much for these reminders!
Tracey | October 15th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
Useful tips friend. Over weight is becoming a problem for us. For working out to be slim we should also be mentally fit and even physically prepared. weight loss programs guides us a lot to make us prepared in both ways and make is perfect with ease.
Abraham | October 28th, 2008 at 7:01 am