HEALTHY WEIGHTS
I want
to know if I drink 2 protein shakes a day and eat one small
meal if that will increase my chances of losing weight I
am very overweight and it effects my everyday life stlye
so I need to change my weight.
You don't eat just to get thin.
You eat a good balanced variety of foods and nutrients for
a lot of other reasons, which have to do with cardiovascular
health, cancer protection, and bone health. What you should
consider doing is eating to lose weight. Eat enough food
so that you are NOT hungry but that you are ENERGIZED to
do quality physical activities. This will allow you to lose
weight SLOWLY (no more than 0.5-1 lb per week MAX). You
have likely taken years to gain excess body fat so lets
not try to change it overnight. However you have to agree
to proceed with this slowly - remember that it is the slow
moving but consistent turtle that wins the race (not the
fast hopping rabbit).
1. Keep
track
Keep track of your daily progress with a food and activity
log. That means measuring food and keeping track of # servings
you eat/drink EVERY day as well as activities. The people
that do this lose the weight by making changes in their
lifestyle - ones that they can keep forever...skipping meals,
eating bars and shakes rather than preparing your own food,
and severly restricting calories does not make a lifestyle
change however smaller portions does..so start with an analysis
of your weight loss efforts and energy balance so far.
2. Take
the focus off your weight
Rather than focusing on your weight, monitor your energy
levels and how your body changes shape over time with active
living and healthy eating. Use a measuring tape and measure
your chest, biceps, waist, hips, thigh and calf circumferences
(and make a note of where you took the measurement for example
hips at widest protuberance of your buttocks, thigh at 6"
above top of kneecap, etc).
3. Spread
your eating out
Spread your eating out over the day so that you are eating
more often rather than leaving hours between meals. Here
are some snacking tips for you to follow:
1. Include dairy foods (skim milk and yogurt) if you can
- yogurt is the
best choice
2. Include stoneground whole wheat and other whole grains
(rolled oats)
3. Popcorn is also a good alternative to high calorie snack
foods
4. Keep a stash of veggies ready and prepared in plastic
bags/containers
5. Have bean dips or yogourt based dips on hand (in the
fridge)
6. Eat less fruit and more veggies AND use legumes more
often (veggies with hummus dip would be a good idea instead
of fruit for a snack).
4. Choose
more low glycemic index foods
Choose more lower glycemic index foods to replace some of
the higher ones - these will help with hunger, energy levels
as well as
triglycerides and blood sugar. Here are some low glycemic
index snack choices for you:
stoneground whole wheat bread/toast with nut butter ( and
sliced 1/2 banana)
Quaker Oats pouch with skim milk (make in microwave)
175 gm container of low fat yogurt
Sourdough english muffin with cream cheese/nut butter and
strawberry jam
1/2 small Pita from Extreme pita (or Pita Pit) stuffed with
hummus and
veggies
Thermos of chunky vegetable soup, with barley, beans and
noodles
Microwave an ear of corn
5. Get moving!
Walking is not only the most popular form of exercise among
Canadian women it is also one of the easiest ways to add
physical activity into your day and get re-energized. Get
“on the move” with a regular walking program and
you will notice that you have:
