At this time of the year many of us are thinking about losing weight, especially after all the yummy festive goodies we’ve consumed. I found these tips in a Diabetes New Zealand brochure that arrived in our mailbox. I thought they’d make an excellent TT topic.
Thirteen Tips for Weight Loss
1. Make a plan. It’s the best way to avoid that “grab a snack” thing that happens when you’re hungry.
2. Fruit and vegetables are great. Remember Five Plus a day?
3. Bread and cereals are good to fill you up, but remember wholegrain is best – and avoid sugary cereals.
4. Fruit juice can contain almost as much sugar as fizzy soft drinks. Water is best if you’re thirsty.
5. Chocolate, lollies and other treats aren’t healthy. Keep them as an occasional treat.
6. Know your food labels and learn what they mean. Even when labels say “lite” it’s worth checking the back to make sure they’re less than 10% fat.
7. Go for a walk. It doesn’t need to be far. Even once around the block will get things pumping.
8. Make friends with stairs. Whenever there’s an option, stairs are the way to go.
9. Set easy goals, make a plan and stick to it. It’s easier to do things if you’ve written them down.
10. Join a club such as walking, dancing or even an amateur theatre club to keep yourself active.
11. Aim for 30 minutes of exercise a day. (60 mins for kids) It doesn’t need to be all at once. You can split it up into 10 minute intervals.
12. During the first couple of weeks weigh foods and keep track of your calories. For a normal woman (i.e. me) aim for around 1200 calories per day to achieve weight loss.
13. Don’t try to do it alone. Recruit family members or friends to join you on your weight loss adventure.
Do you have any helpful diet tips to add?
Great advice! Another thing to know is that caloric content listed on food labels can legally be something like 10% higher than listed (if what I read years ago is still true). Demonic, eh? Happy TT!
Those are great tips, Shelley! I’m always on the diet wagon, so I love information like this. Happy Thursday! :grin:
Oatmeal/Porridge For me it is a ‘must have’ in my diet. It fills me up, and is a soluble fiber, lowers cholesterol and reduces risk of heart disease. Gotta love all that in one meal.
Happy T13~
Great advice and stated in a no-nonsense manner. I like that.
Now if I could just stick to it… ;)
Happy TT!
As much as I hate to follow all of those….I must….
Enjoy your Thursday!
http://harrietandfriends.com/2011/01/13-great-ways-we-can-volunteer-your-time/
If I eat eggs for breakfast (with half whole grain bagel and butter) it gives me a good start and I’m less likely to crave carbs. I also chew gum when I feel like I’m having trouble stopping eating.
Great tips!
*hugs*
Paige
My TT is at http://paigetylertheauthor.blogspot.com
Those are all great tips! My husband and I are using myfitnesspal.com to keep up with our food and exercise goals. A co-worker told me about it, and it’s a great website! My husband also has the ap on his phone (I don’t have a smartphone), so he can keep up with it on the go.
It’s all about the common sense. Good luck to everyone going down this road this year!
Happy TT,
~Xakara
13 New Year’s Goals
Some good tips. A few more:
* Make a grocery list and stick to it.
* You can’t eat what you don’t buy. If you don’t keep cookies or chips in the house, you won’t be tempted to eat them.
* Shop the outer aisles of the store (produce, dairy, meat) as much as possible. The inner aisles — at least in the States — contain all the processed (and therefore more fattening) foods.
A lot of will-power – especially if your home is full of large healthy males! I’m a juvenille diabetic and have spend the last 40 years cooking for males who love to eat especially CHOCOLATE!
My motto for staying on a diet is moderation is all things (which for me normally means not having it at all). Ah, but I do dream of cherry covered cheesecake!
Now I have a wild urge to go cut up some carrots.
The only advice I have is make sure to keep the refrigerator empty of all junk foods. Because if they are in there, I’m more likely to eat them.
Darla – I did not know that :eek:
Stephanie – I need to follow my own advice this year. I’m doing better now that all the Christmas treats are gone.
Adelle – I like oatmeal (we call it porridge here in NZ). I think breakfast is very important. It’s my favorite meal of the day.
Kimberly – stickability is the hard part!!
Colleen – gum is a good idea. When I think I’m hungry I have a glass of water. That always helps me.
Heather – all really good tips. It’s definitely not a good idea to shop when you’re hungry either. That’s a recipe for disaster.
Jeanne – sigh – sometimes the moderation thing is so hard. I’m better not to eat something at all. I have no willpower. I’m a very sad case!
Mary – that’s a good tip. You can’t eat what you don’t have. This is the very reason I don’t buy chocolate very often.
Awesome tips, Shelley. I think I’ve finally come to understand what “Eat Less And Exercise” means. It means…..friggin eat less and exercise. LOL!
I joined SparkPeople.com and it helped me take off 5 pounds last summer. I’ve kept that off, but havn’t lost more, mostly because i’m back to eating poorly.
Thank you for the great advice….
With the Divas’ Pound for Pound Challenge and my work’s Team Lean Challenge, this is another page I’m bookmarking. I’m sure I’ll be back often!
Happy T13!
I agree with #4. I try to stick to water or coffee/tea for beverages. Of course, wine does have calories too. Sadly!
Jennifer – LOL. It’s SO easy to eat too much and it’s really hard to get used to smaller portions.
Maddy – it’s easy to get sucked into bad habits.
KS – I think it’s a good idea to enlist the help of friends. It makes a hard job much easier if friends pitch in to bolster willpower and act as a cheering team.
Yvette – I do enjoy a glass of wine with dinner. I’m afraid that’s going to need to stop for a while.