Friday, January 15

Top Ten Weight Loss Tips

Happy New Year everyone- I have a great feeling about 2010 and I hope it's a great year for all of us! I am re-posting my top ten weight loss tips- I feel that a lot of people could benefit from this info:

Top ten things I do each day to keep over 100 pounds off:

I haven't mentioned this in my blog until today- I used to weigh 250 pounds and I am now maintaining a healthy weight range of 142-147 (I'm 5'8"). If I was still obese I am almost certain that my health problems would be have been ten times worse because of it.

1. Eat six times a day- healthy meals with protein, veggies, starchy veggies, some fruit, some oil. I also eat organic as much as possible, and I limit eating out to a couple of times per week.

2. Exercise- I try and walk (sometimes moderately hike) everyday, and I do my best to practice a healing form of Chi Gong two to three times per week. It has done wonders for my body, my mind, and my overall health.

3. Pray- I keep as connected to my Higher Power as possible. If I don't remember that I am not in charge and I try and control things, then my food and my life get completely out of hand.

4. Journaling- I try and write every morning about what is on my mind, especially if something is troubling me. I find that this helps to keep me emotionally grounded and I no longer need to turn to food to cope with my feelings.

5. Drink plenty of water and stay away from soft drinks, coffee, and blended drinks of any kind. I usually drink different flavors of iced tea, and I brew several different kinds at home most days. As a side note: I no longer use artificial sweeteners- I prefer liquid stevia for all of my sweetening needs.

6. Don't eat processed foods- the amount of chemicals and additives in processed foods are nothing that my body needs. They don't give me the nutrition I need (usually they are empty calories), I feel like crap after I eat them, and in my personal experience most of them cause me to crave more food after I eat them. They simply aren't worth the trouble. If I need a quick snack I can have a piece of fruit and some nuts to get me by.

7. Prepare meals/food ahead of time- I try and cook a lot of my food in advance. I will buy five or six days of protein and either bake it in the oven or BBQ it. That way I always have healthy foods available when I come home to eat. Same goes with my veggies- I make several days worth at a time so that I am always prepared for my next meal without having to think about it (sometimes that can get me into trouble!).

8. Limit fruits- personally I have problems with my blood sugar and I find that when I eat a lot of fruit it not only goes straight to my stomach (the pooch), but it causes my blood sugar to drop about an hour after I have eaten. This is a big set up for a binge and I avoid eating fruit by itself as much as possible. If I do have fruit, I combine it with a protein to keep my body stable. I used to only eat fruit twice a week; now I eat it every other day instead.

9. Support group- I regularly attend a support group for people with eating problems. If I wasn't open to a group I would either see a therapist that was familiar with weight issues (I do that also) or I would find a buddy who would exercise with me and we could support each other in our weight loss.

10. Acceptance- I know that this is a hard concept for people, but it has worked wonders for me in all areas of my life. I had to accept that I was overweight and I needed help. While I was loosing the weight, my focus had to be on getting my insides better instead of obsessing about the extra weight I was carrying. Once I accepted myself as I was, and felt gratitude for the fact that I was doing something to improve the situation, the weight began to come off easily. I have also found that self- love is extremely important and telling myself that I love myself in the mirror everyday has become part of my routine.


Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about my routine or the support group I attend- I am more than happy to help.

11 comments:

  1. Hello Erika,
    Wonderful post. I really have to change my eating lifestyle soon because I haven't been good to myself in this department. I love to eat. Unfortunately, they're mostly the bad ones: chocolates, pastries, ice cream, and anything sweet. Thanks for your post, I'm encourage to really do something about it.

    BTW, you look fabulous. I'd never have guessed that you were once an obese person. Great job at keeping the extra weight off.

    Tasha

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  2. Awesome post, I like it all except the fruits part, i don't eat enough fruits and myself need to make myself eat more. you can get way more calories from things like fruit juice, bread, all pop drinks, jam.. water is the ultimate drink.. I love water now, at first it was a little hard to stop drinking pop, now I don't even crave it, I see pop drinks and all i see in my minds eye is chemical sweeteners, chemical colors, half a cup of sugar, harmful colors, and just the thought of pop drinks (pepsi or cola etc) makes me feel sick.. I succeeded in conditioning my craving and my thought process.
    At first it is hard, but soon after you get used to eating the good things, you look at that chocolate bar and say yuck, you see a hot dog and think oh gosh i wonder how much MSG is in that, you look at orange juice and think wow the calories! But it becomes a habbit, just give yourself a couple months. First you gotta have the mental thinking process to justify your actions, otherwise if you are not a 100% convinced of course you wont change your habits.

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  3. Thank you for this wonderful post. I'm in recovery from an eating disorder, and I'm currently really struggling with body image. It is nice to read about someone who has changed how they think into a healthy mindset. That is definitely my goal too.
    Take care:)

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  4. May I add, I stay away from any breads or starches, and eat mainly salads and fresh fruits and veggies. Also drink a lot of water, as you stated.

    Three to four times a week, I jog and do body weight exercises.

    This routine works for me to keep the weight off.

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  5. Acceptance can be so difficult sometimes. It's amazing how delusional we can be - when we want to!
    So many areas in my life have improved since I stopped isolating myself.

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  6. This is a great post! I especially relate to #3. "If I don't remember that I am not in charge and I try and control things, then my food and my life get completely out of hand."

    That is so true for me!

    Roxie

    You are invited to sign the Recovery Wall
    http://recoveryrocks.today.com/recovery-wall

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  7. Hi,

    Thanks for above given tips. I also want something to share. rachel ray tea

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  8. The list above is good and just in time for the new year. I hope I can do most of it especially the eating part. I am overweight.

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  9. Simple and nice tips I absolutely agree with.Not only to lose weight but to also keep healthy.Drinking water for example makes sure to flush out all the toxins from the body and exercise keeps the joint pains away...well most of the time.

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  10. Wonderful tips here.Of course admitting and accepting is the first step to a solution to the problem.Staying in denial does not help at all.Eating small meals several times does help a lot.

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  11. Hi, great tips. I can't believe you used to weigh 250 pounds, you looks great! A tip I always give my friends is stay away from white carbs - white bread/white flour/white pasta etc. Instead to use whole grain/multi grain for everything. And replace frying with grilling. My friend used these tips alone and she dropped almost 3 stone.
    http://beingmama.com/
    http://ohsoprettylife.blogspot.com/

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