Thanksgiving Success Tips

Thanksgiving is a time of year in which overeating is common. By setting yourself up for success with some pre-planning and a commitment to staying on course I am confident you will do well. The good news is it's not as hard as you think to have a guilt free and pleasurable Thanksgiving meal.

Remember...Thanksgiving is only one meal. One meal won't derail your weight loss goals. What will derail them is using one holiday as an excuse to indulge until 2010.

Here are some tips to help you through Thanksgiving dinner without sacrificing your weight loss goals.

1. Plan Ahead/visualize: Think about what you're going to eat before the big day. What will be on your plate? What will leave you feeling the most satisfied?

2. Wear Snug Pants: By wearing pants that fit a little snug you will be less likely to over indulge.

3. Drink Lots of H20: Water helps control your appetite by making you feel full.

4. Eat Before the Party Starts: Don't go to dinner starving. Eat a low calorie healthy mini meal before going to the big party.

5. Scan the Food Line Up: Before diving head first into the buffet line; give the line up of food a look over. Ask yourself which ones will make a satisfying and healthy dinner and support your goals. What indulgences will you allow yourself?

6. Eat Slowly: It takes 20 minutes for your brain to register that you are full. Give your mind a chance to catch up with your body.

7. Use a Smaller Plate: Fill your plate with small portions of your holiday favorites.

8. Stop When You are Full: Although it sounds easy it is probably when of the harder things to do at Thanksgiving. Push your plate away when you are satisfied and remember to stay focused on your goal.

9. Get Active: Take a walk with a loved one after dinner instead of plopping in front of the television.

I hope you find these tips helpful and may you and your family have a blessed, safe & yummy Thanksgiving together.

Jennifer Rundall

How to Break the Binge Cycle

Ever had one of those days or several moments within your day where you are craving the foods you feel you shouldn't have in order to lose weight? But you know by binging on them can create mayhem to your weight loss plan you have been so diligently following.
Binging means you have temporarily lost control over the amount and or type of food you planned to eat. So if you are going through out your day and happily following your new food plan by eating your veggie, fruit & protein filled diet, but you hear the chocolate cake you just baked for your husband calling your name from the fridge, you most likely are on your way to binge city.

Here are some suggestions to help you stay focused on your goal but also allow yourself a treat too.

Allow Yourself a “Mini” Treat
The key to weight loss success is to be aware of the foods that are your weaknesses and to allow yourself the ability to have them and budget them into your food plan.
By allowing yourself the ability to budget in a little something sweet every day, it is ok to do and also will practically eliminate the desire to binge on that favorite food. Just be sure to log it within your journal and make sure that the portion size is within reason. For example a mini piece of chocolate or a few tootsie rolls.

People who are on a mission to drop the weight find ways to adapt their food plan into their lives and at the same time to achieve the right balance not only with calories but also to allow themselves the ability to indulge in the things they like the most; just within reason.

Pre-packed Portion Sized Treats
Another way to avoid temptation to over indulge is to remove all items from your home that will sabotage your weight loss goals or you can purchase pre-packed portion sized treats. Ex: The 100 calorie snacks are great for this! Check them out at your local grocery store.

Budget Calories
When you find a way to balance these calorie-dense foods by budgeting your calories to include the treats you love with better nutritional choices, you won't be as tempted to overindulge.

To Your Weight Loss Success!!!

How to Lose Weight Even with a Non-Dieting Spouse or Household Member

So you've been trying to lose weight and stick to an eating plan that helps you feel good and achieve your goals, only to watch your significant other bust out a bag of Doritos and a candy bar as a snack. Whether your spouse is naturally slender or ignoring his own weight problem, you can take steps to keep your weight loss journey from going off track.
Many of us wish our spouse or significant other would change his or her eating habits so we could reach our weight loss goals. Even though it may be tempting to throw in the towel, creating alternative strategies to halt those feelings of frustrations can help.
While you may be frustrated that your spouse or significant other doesn't "get" your life change and goal to lose weight, they actually might feel threatened by your choice. But if they understand how important it is and they realize you're trying to do it to change your health and you're not going to leave them, it may help.
Although it may not seem like your attempt to lose weight shouldn't bother your spouse or significant other even family members & friends, however they may worry that certain activities you used to do together, such as going out to eat, may not be an option any longer.
By reassuring them that you will still do things and go places together you have enjoyed in the past, however it just may not be as frequent. When you do decide to go out with them I encourage you to set yourself up for success by deciding where you will be going prior to going out and what you will eat. This way you will know that what you are eating fits with in your new lifestyle plan.
Regardless of what situation you find yourself in with your spouse, significant other, family, friends, co-workers, etc...communicating your goals is crucial to your weight loss success.
Here are some ideas:

• When speaking of your weight loss goal and new lifestyle plan, be positive about it. When speaking about it say: “ I love you and I know you love me and by me taking care of myself I am showing a form of self love and I know that you want me to do that.”
  
• Share what your plan of action is and help them understand the process. If your family gives you a hard time about your life changes for example weighing in weekly, weighing portions, etc you can explain that by doing these different things it makes you more successful.
  
• Share with others what you CAN eat instead of what you can't. This helps you remain on a positive mindset about the changes you are making within your life and also lets others know you are happy with them.
  
• Cooking separate meals when necessary, however if you can encourage others in your household to try some of the new dishes you are incorporating within your new lifestyle plan that will not only help those in your household who also have a weight problem too but you never know, they might just like them!
  

By being open and honest and simply having good communication and a mutual understanding that will make your weight loss journey so much easier to stick with.


To YOUR Weight Loss Success!!

Eat More & Lose Weight

When you are on your journey to losing weight it is proven that by having more "mini" meals within a day helps stop cravings and controls overeating. By spreading your calories through out your day it helps regulate your blood sugar levels and also helps prevent feelings of hunger that often lead us to grabbing for foods that are unhealthy.

You most likely are also aware of the importance of keeping an eye on the number of calories you consume; however you may not know that how many calories you eat at each sitting can make a difference in your weight-loss efforts, too.
Evidence shows that people who skip breakfast and eat fewer, larger meals during the day tend to weigh more than people who eat a healthy well-balanced breakfast and four or five smaller meals through out the day. The reason for this is because they end up feeling much more hungry, thus making it so much easier to give into temptation to eat unhealthy foods and overeat.

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When you go for hours without eating, your blood sugar levels dip, which can leave you feeling hungry and shaky. A drop in blood sugar can also trigger people to lose their willpower and reach for a treat that is loaded with calories as well.

By eating smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day, your appetite will be better controlled, in turn helping you stay with to your weight-loss plan and goals. By consistently fueling your body with food, even small amounts you can avoid the feeling of starvation that easily tempts people to just give up within their weight loss journey.

When you consume less calories every day as a part of your "new lifestyle meal plan", it is even more important to eat on a regular basis through out the day so your body does not go into starvation mode. You see, if you eat too few calories your body will slip into starvation mode and it will hold onto those calories you consume and they are stored, which can sabotage your weight loss efforts due to not seeing results of the scale going down; but instead going up.

My suggestion is to eat 3 main "mini meals along with two snacks for meals. If you are interested in what a meal plan for a day or week looks like; feel free to post a comment with your email address requesting a meal plan for a day or week and I would be glad to email it to you.