Tips!

Brush your teeth. After you have eaten your meal or snack go straight in and brush your teeth so you don’t sit and pick at the food on the table. Also if you can’t seem to get the cravings to go away during the day, brush your teeth. Nothing tastes good after you brush!

Chew gum. You can’t eat with gum in your mouth and it can give you a sweet taste.

Plan out your meals and snack the day before or a whole week at a time. If you have the calories worked out for your day in advance you are less likely to be cramming them all in at night to try to reach your calorie goal and less likely to go over because you ate to much in the morning.

Eat all 3 meals and 2 snack a day.

If you have the munchies drink water.

Use mustard instead of mayo.

Make eating purposeful, not mindless. Whenever you put food in your mouth, peel it, unwrap it, plate it and sit. Engage all of the senses in the pleasure of nourishing your body.

Prepackage your snacks. If you by a large bag of almonds (or anything) put 1 serving in each snack size bag. Then you will only have to grab 1 bag and you know that is the right amount.

Take snacks and water with you. Keep something healthy with you in the car so you are less likely to stop at a fast food place if you are hungry or get caught away from home.

Make sure your plate is half veggies and/or fruit at both lunch and dinner.

Eat the low-cal items on your plate first, then graduate. Start with salads, veggies, and broth soups, and eat meats and starches last. By the time you get to them, you'll be full enough to be content with smaller portions of the high-calorie choices.

You might be surprised at how your cravings will vanish after going two weeks without sweets all together.

If you must eat your sweets, eat them smart! Carve out about 150 calories once or twice a week for your favorite sweet. That amounts to about an ounce of chocolate, half a modest slice of cake, or 1/2 cup of regular ice cream.

Give it away! If you make desert, give away leftovers to neighbors or delivery people. (Just don’t bring it to my house :) )

Keep a food journal. It really works wonders.

Cut size – instead of using a dinner plate, use a salad plate.

Overeating is not the result of exercise. Vigorous exercise won't stimulate you to overeat. It's just the opposite. Exercise at any level helps curb your appetite immediately following the workout.

Weigh ins are tomorrow! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!!!

What's the plan?!?!?!

Step 1: Decide what we want to change to have a healthier life.
I hope you have all taken some time to decide what change you can make to head toward a healthier life style.

Step 2:  Make a plan to achieve this goal
Now that you have thought of something to "give up" make a plan.   Remember that we talked about making decisions ahead of time and that helping us when we came to the situation.  When confronted with the situation what are you going to do?!?!?!  When the candy is sitting on the counter, what are you going to do?  When the dinner was so great you just need 1 more helping,  what are you going to do?!?  When it is your kid’s birthday and you NEED the cake, what are you going to do?!?!  When your kids eat their snack and leave most of it on the table, what are you going to do?!?!?!
You notice that I said WHEN not IF because you know it is going to happen.  So let's prepare!  Throw those ideas out to me!!

• Throw the candy in the trash.  I through away 5 suckers yesterday that were calling my name. 
• Put the temptation out of site.  I put away the box of nilla wafers about 50 times. 
• Try drinking water first.  I thought about eating the candy and turned to drinking water instead. 
• Chew gum.  Sarah had a great idea to chew gum during that hard time of the day when it is supper easy to snack.  (I just so happen to have a post coming up next week about the dreaded afternoon snacking.) 
• Just say no.  It is getting totally acceptable to just say no to a piece of birthday cake.  In fact it is getting to be the norm at the family parties I have attended lately.
• Clean it up!  When the food is sitting out it is so much easier to eat a little here and a little there.  Put it away!

So what are YOU going to do? 

Now let's get to it! :)

DO

So, now we are scheduled and ready to make weight lose a priority in our life!  I'm excited!  The only thing left to do is fallow through.  This is the part that counts the most.  You know you can plan, plan, plan, think, think, think and never get anywhere if you don't DO, DO, DO!  Like I said this is a very busy time of year but we are going to take this one week and one day at a time.  Today get a workout in and look at those calories. Each day is a new start and an opportunity to succeed.  Put the effort out and you will get where you want to be.  Now get up and go workout :)