Tips To Help Jumpstart Your Diet

Perhaps you are contemplating a new diet and/or exercise routine and are in the process of choosing the right routine for your taste and lifestyle, or perhaps you’re not ready to go quite that far yet but you want to do something positive for your health. Regardless, the tips outlined below can help you on your way.

Living a healthier life is by no means an “all or nothing” proposition, and there are many things you can do to start out in the right direction without launching yourself full-speed into a new life that includes a gym membership and strict diet. Here are some ideas you might consider that are easy to implement and that will start you down the path to fitness.

Snack

I realize that eating more seems like an odd way to improve your fitness, but bear with me for a moment. Many of us have very busy lives, and that all too often results in our skipping meals during the work day and eating enormous meals at the end of the day, right before bedtime. The consequences of this eating schedule include low energy throughout the day (which we often compensate for by drinking more coffee), and overeating at dinner because we are virtually starved by the time we sit down for what is effectively our first and only proper meal of the day.

By snacking throughout the day, you will maintain a higher energy level, reduce your need for caffeine, and lessen the chances that you will be famished by the time dinner comes around, which will result in your eating less at dinner. Although it may seem counterintuitive, you may end up reducing the total number of calories you consume daily by distributing your food intake more evenly throughout the day and eliminating the end-of-day dinner binge. As far as what to snack on, here are some ideas:

• Nuts: good source of protein, filling, readily available. They are relatively high in overall fat, but it is mostly the type of dietary fat that is relatively better for you, and if you manage the portion size you won’t be eating very much bad fat at all. Eat a couple of handfuls, not a bucketful!
• Pretzels: also readily available and filling, and typically very low in fat. Pretzels go very well with nuts, and by combining the two you strike a good balance of protein/fat/carbs and satisfy your appetite.
• Fruit: readily available, really good for you, and sweet (for those of us who like sweets). Fruit that is in season can be as sweet as candy. Find out what’s in season, buy some of it and treat yourself after lunch!

Tips for eating out

Portion sizes, especially at chain restaurants, are absurd,. The appetizers at some places are big enough to feed a family of four. Furthermore, the distribution of foods that you are served is heavily biased toward meat and starch (rice or potatoes) and away from vegetables. In fact, at many restaurants the only vegetable you are served is the decorative parsley. However, at most places you do have at least some say regarding what and how much you are served. Simply ask your waiter to give you more veggies and less meat/starch. A simple rule to follow is to ask that a third of your plate be filled with vegetables, a third with protein and a third with starch. Your meal will be much better balanced and you will be no less satisfied when you’re finished. Also, if your portion is fit for a family of four, then don’t eat it all. Take some home, offer some to your dinner companions, or simply leave it on the plate.

A little help from your friend… The Patch!

For many of us, the biggest challenge we face is not so much what we eat but how much, i.e. portion control. In order to change this long-term, we need to learn what appropriate portions look like and then get used to eating those amounts. As a first step in that direction, you might consider getting a little help.

There are several patches on the market that a simple web search will find. Make sure that you look at the product details and answers to frequently asked questions that are listed so that you are as informed as possible and, as always, consult your physician before taking any appetite suppressants. While these patches contain neither Ephedra nor Ephedrine (the nasty stuff that’s been in the press lately), it’s always better to be safe than sorry, and that means check with your doctor.

Please tune in next week for a new topic!

George Pace

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