Sizing down the easier way (1)

Weight loss programming has never lost its appeal. Wherever we go we could find friends, co-workers, or random strangers on the street who are caught up in the hype: there is always someone trying to shed a few pounds.


And then we find ourselves living in a world full of magic products and solutions that promise instant results, such as slim-down cleansing drinks, extreme work-out plans, and dieting etc. Do you ever wonder which products/services were just burning dollars yet not shrinking your pant sizes? Are there any other realistic ways to lost weight without much additional time and cost involved?


Yes, none of my tips below will take up more than half an hour of your day or cost you more than a meal's worth of food if you are willing to make changes. But it does take a bit of thinking and mindfulness when it comes to meal planning.

1. Eat breakfast

I know many non-breakfast eaters who never feel hungry in the moring or simply can't get into the habit of preparing one that once started having it regularly can no longer start the day without one. The hardest part is getting started. It takes about a good 3 weeks for any behavioural change to settle in. But if we can brush teeth every night for 5 minutes, what's so dreadful about making a 5-minute ready-to-serve breakfast. Yes, my simple starters' breakfast menu will only take 5 min or less to prepare:

• Your favourite yogurt (3/4 cup)
  


• Fruit (1 banana or a few strawberries or a handful blueberries, whatever is available)


• All Bran Buds (2/3 cup)


• Eggs (2 hard-boiled - note: don't have to wait in front of the stove, shower away in the meanwhile, it takes about 10 min for it to be cooked once starting to boil)


• Nutritional Info: 2/3 cups of All Bran Buds will give you adequate fiber intake (22 g) for the day for most people (older adults require more). Fiber (in the whole wheat bran and your fruits can hold you off longer by slowing down the digestion of food in to the intestines, which will keep you full and prevents overeating and hunger between meals. Protein wise, I like starting my day with a protein balanced meal, meaning roughly 20-25 g of protein for breakfast (I will talk more about it in my next post: Finding the right balance of protein and carbohydrate for lasting energy). A 3/4 cup of most yogurts provides 6-8 g of protein, and each egg has about 6 g so I am getting all the protein I need out of a very simple breakfast. And best part is: there is no added salt, no additional preparation like frying, and it's super fast! Feel free to add more fruit to your bowl, there is no limit when it comes to fruits and vegetables (unless managing/having diabetes is a concern)

2. Bring snacks

Healthy snacking throughout the day helps your body burn calories more efficiently and keeps your energy level up. Just like the concept of having breakfast, it prevents overeating at meal times by reducing cravings and keeping us full longer. Our bodies are amazing at adapting to changes in the eating environment: if we starve ourselves all day and eat a big meal at the end of the day, it will hold on to every single calorie that it takes in and learns to use it sparingly. Over a period of time, our metabolism will slow down and our body is kept in a storage mode - saving the energy that's coming in and storing it away as fat. But if we eat regularly and more frequently, it learns to do the opposite. Our body will burn fuel more efficiently knowing that it can expect a steady supply of energy and our metabolism goes up. For best results, we should generally avoid going longer than 4 hours without eating, and look for about 5-10 g of protein at each snack. To briefly touch upon the typical yo-yo dieting pattern that we often times see, this is the phenomenon when people attempt to lose weight over short term but quickly gains it back, and later tries to lose them off by starving or dieting again. It is not only ineffective and extremely frustrating in terms of weight loss management, but it also taking a toll on our health. Keeping weight steady is key to mastering health: constant weight losses and gains puts an enormous amount of stress on our heart, making us susceptible to cardiovascular events such as heart attacks and strokes. The easier and effective way to go is snacking. Here are a few quick snack ideas (recipe sources are from Cleveland Canada Clinic):

#1 - Trail Mix

• 2 parts dry-roasted soy beans


• 1 part raisins


• 1 parts bran buds


• 2 parts cereal (e.g. Shreddies or Cheerios)


• 1 part dry-roasted almonds or sunflower seeds
  

#2 - PM "Hold Me Over"

• 1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese
  


• 2 Tbsp. raisins


• 2 Tbsp. sunflower seeds


• Cinnamon, to taste
  

#3 - Refried Bean Burrito

• 1/2 cup (4-6 generous tbsp) low-fat refried beans (try President's Choice)


• 6'' or 12'' whole wheat tortilla


• 1 oz. low-fat cheese


• 1/2 tomato, diced
  

On the road: fast food, cafeteria, or restaurant choices

• Garden salad with grilled chicken, turkey, egg, chick peas, cheese, etc
  


• 6'' sub on whole-wheat with lean meat, veggies, and mustard


• Tuna, chicken, or ham pita or wrap
• meat or vegetarian chili

To be continued in (2)

3. Switch to smaller plates at meal times


4. Limit buying in bulk


5. Start dinner with a satisfying salad