5 Tips for a slimmer, healthier you in 2012
Hello everyone. We're already half way through January but I hope your holidays and New Year were fantastic. Now, since many of you are patients and have been around the Nutritional Healing Center of Ann Arbor for awhile I’m sure no one cheated on their diets these last couple of months. Since, I'm also sure you never ate a cookie, an extra piece of apple pie, a third helping of mashed taters and gravy or overindulged in marshmallow covered yams you are off the hook and can stop reading now.
But for the rest of us who were less resolved and may now be loosening the belt a notch or wondering how your clothes shrunk even though you washed them in cold water I've got a few pointers I've learned that helped me begin to conquer a lifelong struggle with the scale.
Using these 5 simple tips I've lost 75 pounds in the last year and am having no problem keeping it off. I feel great! I never go hungry and I feel very satisfied by the foods I eat. And it’s not a diet but a new way of eating based on some very simple truths about food and nutrition.
Secret #1: Change your eating habits gradually. When I looked at what I ate and allthe changes that needed to be made, I felt overwhelmed and hopeless.
I'd start making drastic changes that I couldn’t maintain and I'd hit the brick wall & quit faster than I'd started.
Finally, I decided to change only one thing about my diet each week. The first thing I cut out was drinking pop and sugary beverages - I lost 13 pounds in one week!
I was shocked and thought, "Ok, that worked, what can I change next?" Each week I found a new thing to change and kept up the things I tried that gave me results. The results could be: more energy, feeling better, slimmer fitting clothes, more lost pounds, etc. This was hugely successful and wasn’t overwhelming. It was like a game and each week I got to experience a new victory.
Secret #2: Get sugar out of your diet!
I used to think sugar was ok as long as it was raw and organic and I kept my calories low. But it wasn’t until I started getting rid of added sugar all together that the weight started to really come off. Sugar is the first thing you should start removing from your diet. Being raw and organic doesn't make it not sugar. Check labels! Sugar is hiding in many unsuspecting places such as spices, breads and sauces. Check labels for the words: sugar, dextrose, sucrose, maltodextrin, evaporated cane juice and high fructose corn syrup.
Secret #3: Eat protein for breakfast.
Photo by John Juan
It has been my experience that most people eat little to no protein in the morning. I used to either skip breakfast all together or eat a bagel with low fat cream cheese. Eating a high carbohydrate breakfast, like a bagel or cereal, sets you up for cravings throughout the rest of the day. Eating protein (like eggs) and good fats (like butter) helps you to stay full, keeps your blood sugar level and wards off pre-lunchtime cravings. Good proteins and fats are especially important at breakfast, but should be present in all your meals. Good proteins include meats and fish, nuts and seeds, as well as beans and legumes. Good fats include nut oils, extra virgin olive oil, butter, coconut oil, flax oil, plus many others. Canola oil and margarine should be avoided.
Secret #4: Eat low carb. 
Carbohydrates ultimately break down into sugar in the body. A diet high in carbohydrates causes a vicious cycle of cravings for bad foods. Refined carbohydrates (like white bread) should be eliminated completely. Gradually reducing the total amount of carbohydrates in your diet helps you maintain steady weight loss. A good way to start is to get a count of exactly how many carbohydrates you consume in a day then calculate your weekly average. It may be high and that’s ok. You should start by reducing your intake slightly each week (by about 25 grams). Although everyone's body is different, most people will start lose weight once their carbohydrates drop below 100 grams a day.
Secret #5: Get rid of the processed foods in your diet. Foods that are highly processed are high in sodium along with countless other chemicals. These substances can cause you to retain fluid and actually hold on to fat! Eliminate processed foods from your diet as much as possible. When you shop in the grocery store, you should shop primarily in the outer aisles of the store (the produce section and meat section). We also do lectures on what foods to buy, how to decipher food labels and even grocery store tours, so keep an eye out for future dates.
These are the 5 key secrets to how I lost 75 pounds. Making these simple changes could help you reach your weight loss goals or even simply have more energy and fewer health issues. I hope these tips help you to take off those holiday pounds and keep your resolution to take control of your health for 2012.
