A holistic way to weight loss. Part I
According to the NY Times(1), many people have gained weight during the pandemic. And now the holidays! If this is you, don’t beat yourself up, the weight will come off. Here are some practical steps for getting started.
1. Picture yourself–and tell yourself–that you are at your ideal weight. Our brain focuses on what we tell it. If we tell ourselves that we’re fat, then losing weight will be so much harder.
2. Go s-l-o-w-l-y. Going too quickly can result in excess (sagging) skin.
3. Exercise is a must. You need to keep your body toned and build muscle while you are adjusting your eating habits for weight reduction.
4. Get rid of ALL junk food in the house. Why keep temptation around to sabotage your goals? Ask other household members to support you in your goals by also not having junk food around.
5. Portion size. Follow the “pyramid” for the amount of food you eat. This means, largest meal is breakfast, smallest is dinner, lunch is in between.
6. Do not eat after 7pm. Your body needs to digest properly so give it the time it needs to do so.
7. Chew slowly and savor each bite. Eating quickly actually puts stress on your body but eating slowly and mindfully sends a signal to the brain that everything is okay. Overtime, you will feel fuller with less food if you train yourself to eat slowly and mindfully.
8. Use a much smaller plate. Studies have shown that a small plate filled with food makes the brain think that there’s a lot of food on the plate and can trick the brain into thinking that it’s full. (2)
9. Snack on fruit. Yes, nuts are great but it’s hard to have more than 4 or 5 at a time, so if you can’t keep to eating that number of nuts as a snack, fruit (or veggies) is a better option.
10. Make your own soups. Soups are really filling and are often low in calorie. Make your own if you can because there is way too much sodium in store bought ones. I make my own broth then add lots of tomatoes, carrots, celery, kale, lentils or other beans, whatever frozen veggies I have, and either chicken sausage, chicken or tofu for protein. Experiment to see what you like.
11. Drink lots of water (or herbal tea). This helps to give your body a sense of fullness and you’ll be less likely to be opening the fridge door.
…next up, Part II the best herbs to take while adjusting your eating habits.
(1) https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/04/well/live/pandemic-weight-gain.html?referringSource=articleShare
(2) Food as Medicine Conference, 2010, The Center for Mind-Body Medicine
Jayne Tamburello, LDN, CNS, RH(AHG)
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