{"id":90,"date":"2013-12-26T11:37:00","date_gmt":"2013-12-26T19:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/adamjacksonphoto.com\/life_and_health\/?p=723"},"modified":"2021-12-13T08:54:25","modified_gmt":"2021-12-13T16:54:25","slug":"how-to-lose-weight-part-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lifeandhealth.org\/food\/nutrition\/how-to-lose-weight-part-3\/1190.html","title":{"rendered":"How to Lose Weight \u2013 Part 3"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the last article<\/a>, I discussed the importance of taking the DIE out of dieting. We learned the importance of making small changes over time and forming new eating habits. Now, I\u2019d like to give some specific suggestions on how to lose weight, and develop healthy habits in the process.<\/p>\n

Use the Harvard Healthy Eating Plate<\/h3>\n

Are you familiar with the Healthy Eating Plate1<\/sup> put out by the Harvard School of Public health? It has a ton of tips (or new habits to develop) and is much better than the FDA\u2019s \u201cMy Plate\u201d. It\u2019s a healthier system and gives direction as to what kinds of \u2018grains\u2019 or \u2018protein\u2019 you should put on your plate. Here\u2019s a summary:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Half your plate should be fruits and veggies. No, french fries don\u2019t count!<\/li>\n
  2. Drink water NOT milk. Avoid sugary drinks (see below)<\/li>\n
  3. Eat whole grains<\/li>\n
  4. Limit red meat. AVOID processed meats like bacon, cold cuts, etc.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Print this out and leave it on your dining table:<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/a><\/h3>\n

    Shrink your stomach.<\/h3>\n

    Gastric bypass surgery works by physically reducing the size of your stomach. Patients who choose this option often say that they \u2018need\u2019 the surgery because they do not have the willpower to eat less on their own. There are typically 2 reasons why they fail. First, there is the feeling of being hungry itself. Secondly, and perhaps more damaging, is mindless eating\u2014eating out of habit, not out of need. An example would be munching on chips while you\u2019re bored\u2014soon enough you may have consumed the whole bag!<\/p>\n

    There are ways to psychologically trick your own stomach and mind. First of all you have to set reasonable goals. You won\u2019t be able to shrink your stomach to the size of a cup of food in a week. If you try, you\u2019ll have massive hunger pangs, feel miserable, and quit. You have to slowly shrink your stomach so that in time a smaller amount of food makes you feel full and satisfied. Soon that \u2018stuffed\u2019 feeling will be something you want to avoid as it feels worse than being hungry.<\/p>\n

    1. Drink 2 glasses of water at the start of each meal. <\/strong>Not only does water increase your metabolism, but the volume will help fill up your stomach and at zero calories is a great substitute for anything else you can put in there.<\/p>\n

    2. Be the last one to start eating.<\/strong> If you start eating 1st you will most likely finish 1st. While you wait for your friends to finish you will most likely nibble, taking in extra calories that you really didn\u2019t want to begin with. Wait in line, talk with friends, get served last, and eat less.<\/p>\n

    3. Eat slowly. <\/strong>The Japanese try to eat to 75% full to avoid overeating. If you eat fast you\u2019ll blow right past 75% and go to 110% full. Eat slowly so you can actually feel the full feeling coming on and know to start slowing down even more and then stop.<\/p>\n

    4. Use a smaller plate.<\/strong> Instead of a 12\u201d plate use a 8\u201d one (or smaller). It will look more full, you can actually pile food on it, but it will still be less than what you can get on a larger plate. This will help your brain think it\u2019s getting a \u2018big\u2019 meal, but you\u2019ll actually eat less.<\/p>\n

    5. Eat a lot of fresh veggies. <\/strong>Eaten early in the meal with water they really fill your stomach. With less room in your stomach you\u2019ll feel full and not eat more of other foods.<\/p>\n

    6. Save room for dessert, I mean fruits. <\/strong>Fruits are sweet. Save them as a treat at the end of every meal. Eat fruits that you like so that it is a treat. Remember that you will reward yourself at the end of every meal so that you\u2019ll have to save room (after the water and veggies) for them.<\/p>\n

    -For a more detailed look at the psychology of eating check out \u201cMindless Eating\u201d2<\/sup> by Brian Wansink, PhD.<\/p>\n

    Don\u2019t drink your calories.<\/h3>\n

    According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), American\u2019s get over 45% of their excess sugar from soda, energy drinks, and juice. Want to cut your sugar intake substantially? All you need to do is switch to drinking water. It\u2019s the healthiest drink for our bodies\u2014and besides, drinking water will help you feel full for longer, keeping the urge to snack at bay.<\/p>\n

    \"\"\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

    Eat breakfast.<\/h3>\n

    Studies show that eating breakfast (rather than \u2018saving\u2019 on the calories) actually helps you lose weight! A healthy breakfast will provide you with the energy and nutrients you need to get your day started. It will also get your metabolism started in the morning (a great thing for those trying to lose weight). Furthermore, skipping breakfast has been linked to several health problems including obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.3<\/sup><\/p>\n

    Cheat, DON\u2019T crack.<\/h3>\n

    This one may not be for everybody, but bodybuilders make use of this habit a lot and to great success. Normally, they follow a strict diet and are very careful what they put into their bodies. However, one day a week (or perhaps one meal a week) they\u2019re allowed to cheat and have something they\u2019ve been craving. This has several effects:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. It gives you something to look forward to.<\/li>\n
    2. You don\u2019t have to use up your willpower every single day, at every single meal.<\/li>\n
    3. It helps you resist making bad choices at other meals since you know you\u2019re going to reward yourself sometime in the near future.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      A great example is why eat that so-so desert when you know you\u2019re going to get something you really like later in the week on your cheat day? Why eat that cheap ice cream you are being served when you should be saving your calories for Haagen Dazs or Graeters ice cream?<\/p>\n

      While the goal of this strategy is to keep you from cracking and giving up a diet altogether, it is important to cheat in moderation. Just because you have a cheat day (or meal) doesn\u2019t mean you should gorge yourself or skip vegetables for a day. It\u2019s important to eat healthy, even when you\u2019re treating yourself to something nice.<\/p>\n

      The key<\/h3>\n

      These are simple and effective strategies you can use in your quest to lose weight. That being said, we recommend picking only 1, 2, or at most 3 of these strategies to work on. Give yourself time and make them habits before moving on. You can\u2019t use up all of your willpower yet\u2014diet is only the first part of this game. You still have to start exercising!<\/p>\n

      Watch your thoughts, they become your beliefs.
      \nWatch your beliefs, they become your words.
      \nWatch your words, they become your actions.
      \nWatch your actions, they become your habits.
      \nWatch your habits, they become your character.<\/p>\n

      -Vince Lombardi<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

      <-Previous article in the series<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0Next article in the series-><\/a><\/p>\n

      Refrences:<\/p>\n

      1. www.hsph.harvard.edu\/nutritionsource<\/p>\n

      2. http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Mindless-Eating-More-Than-Think\/dp\/0345526880<\/p>\n

      3. http:\/\/circ.ahajournals.org\/content\/128\/4\/337.abstract<\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Healthy dieting habits you should know<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":21146,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,4],"tags":[217,218,203,74],"thb-sponsors":[],"yst_prominent_words":[791,749,1718,1719,880,1717,780,933,1227,1715,2577,697],"class_list":["post-90","post","type-post","status-publish","format-image","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthy-habits","category-nutrition","tag-healthy-eating-plate","tag-healthy-habits","tag-plant-to-plate-nutrition","tag-weight-loss","post_format-post-format-image"],"acf":[],"views":2353,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeandhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeandhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeandhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeandhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeandhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=90"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/lifeandhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21695,"href":"https:\/\/lifeandhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90\/revisions\/21695"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeandhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21146"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeandhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=90"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeandhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=90"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeandhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=90"},{"taxonomy":"thb-sponsors","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeandhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/thb-sponsors?post=90"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeandhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=90"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}