Since excess weight is a strong risk factor for high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and kidney disease, spring is a wonderful time to start slimming down to be healthier.  Moreover, you will fit your swimsuits and shorts more easily, feel more energetic, and enjoy a happier mood.   

 

A Dozen Tips to Lose Weight Here are twelve easy tips to help you win the battle of the bulge this season.

1.      Limit consumption of soft drinks.  Each 20-oz sugared soft drink contains up to 250 calories, which is 1/8 of a 2000-calorie daily diet.  Drinking three bottles per week without increasing exercise will cause a weight gain of 11 pounds a year!

2.      Eat breakfast and include protein.  When you don’t eat breakfast, a hormone called ghrelin builds up to make you hungry, so you crave carbohydrates like bread, pasta, and candy. Eating breakfast with protein evens out your blood sugar, so you feel full for more hours.  Healthy quick breakfasts with protein include hardboiled eggs; whole-grain cereal or oatmeal topped with walnuts; low-fat cheese melted on whole-wheat toast; a slice of low-fat turkey or ham on whole-wheat toast or whole-grain bagel; and .a whole-grain waffle topped with peanut butter or fruit yogurt.

3.      Increase water consumption to 8 cups a day.  People often mistake thirst for hunger. Drinking adequate water decreases joint pain, so you can enjoy physical activity.

4.      Incorporate movement into daily life.  Garden, dance, golf, and walk in nature.  Get a step counter, and aim for at least 5,000 per day. Mark your daily steps on the calendar. Walk with a friend or your dog several times a week.

5.      Eat more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.  These contain fiber, which reduces fat absorption and speeds movement of food through the intestines, thereby alleviating constipation.  Fiber also increases your feeling of fullness. Eat fruits and vegetables instead of drinking juice; liquid calories are not filling because they lack fiber.

6.      Reduce caffeine intake.  The caffeine in coffee, tea, colas, iced tea, soft drinks, and pain relievers raises norepinephrine, which stimulates more insulin release and increases hunger.

7.      Turn off the TV and go to bed by 10 p.m. You’ll miss the food commercials and related snacking. You’ll also get more sleep, which is known to reduce stress, blood sugar, and weight.

8.      Get out into sunshine and eat in the light.  The more sunlight you get, the less you will crave carbohydrates.

9.      Decrease alcohol consumption to reduce calories.  A 12-oz can of regular beer is 160 calories; light beer is 90.  One shot of liquor has 100 to 125 calories so a Manhattan could be 300 calories. A whisky sour or vodka Collins has up to 200 calories.  For average adults, maximum calories for weight loss range from 1200 to 1800 daily.

10.  Eat smaller portions of meat and starches.  A 3-oz portion of meat is the size of a deck of cards, so large chicken breasts should be cut in half.  One potato or pasta serving should be the size of a computer mouse. Fill up on vegetables, salad, and soup. When you are served a large meal at a restaurant, ask for a carry-out container before you start to eat.  Put part of the meal in the box to take home, so you aren’t tempted to eat too much. 

11.  Consider chromium picolinate. Recent studies show that chromium picolinate helps control appetite, reduce blood sugar, and decrease bad cholesterol.  Starting doses range from 200 to 400 micrograms daily; you may need more if you have diabetes.  If you take insulin or oral medication for diabetes, you need to carefully monitor your blood sugar levels if you add chromium picolinate. Food sources of chromium include wheat bran, wheat germ, lean ham, split peas and lentils, whole-wheat bread and flour, soy flour, spinach, lamb, dark meat of chicken, corn, and potatoes with the skin.

 

Sandy Baumann, M.S., is a biochemist, author, and professional speaker. To learn about her services, go to www.FeedYourBrain.org, or email her at emergingfree2000@yahoo.com.