TIPS

Drink Lots of Water Every Day!
Most people do not get enough water. Water is vital for the function of the kidneys that purify the blood. When the body does not get enough water some of the load is shifted to the liver. The liver's main function is to metabolize the body's fat for energy. If it is busy doing the kidney's job, you are not burning off fat! (Not to mention all the other benefits of a well hydrated body!)

Some recommend drinking 8 glasses of water each day, but that is the amount of water it takes for a sedentary 128 pounds person to stay hydrated. If you are bigger or more active, you will need more water to take care of your body's needs. (Makes sense to me!) An easy way to figure out the minimum amount of water you need is to divided your weight (in pounds) by 2 and drink that many ounces of water daily. Example: A 180 pound person would need a minimum of 90 ounces of water to stay hydrated daily.

Stop Eating "Fast Food
Two words, "Supersize Me."McDonald's, Burger King, Dylans." They are all trying to KILL YOU! Just looking at the nutritional information alone is a health risk. Seriously!! You could have a heart attack from the SHOCK... and that's not even counting what eating that "food" does to you!
If you MUST eat "Fast Food," a sub place is really your only sane choice. Try one of Subway's "7 under 6" sandwiches. (Mmm, Veggie Delight!) But try to pass on the chips, even if they are "baked" they have no real nutritional value.

Another trap to be wary of is the condiments you put on your sandwich. Cheese can add on up to 150, and mayonnaise adds another 150! Skip the cheese and ask for spicy brown mustard instead of mayo. This will save you some calories which you can eat in chocolate later!

Limit your intake of fatty meats
It is not that HARD! There are lots of delicious lean meat alternatives out there. Find one that suits your pallet! It will be hard for me though!!! I am a meat a terian!!!

Try to Limit Sweets
Please note, they do not say cut them out! Natural Sugar is the safest sweet, and it is a beautiful simple carbohydrate for your body to create energy from! Don't get sugar-free or "lite" treats. (Unless you are diabetic...) A TREAT should be a REAL treat!

Eat More Fruits
If there is only one simple thing you can do to improve your health: eat more whole fresh fruit. Nearly everyone likes fruit, and fruit is so convenient. It's nature's handily "prepackaged" snack food. Keep a bunch of bananas or a sack of apples/oranges nearby for frequent snacking throughout the day. This will curb hunger and keep your metabolism revved up, as well as your brain sharp! Fruits also help "combat" a sweet tooth and assists in fat loss and disease prevention.

Over the years, low-carb propaganda wound up grouping fruit with candy and soda, which is total bull. Nutritionally, they are nothing alike, other than containing some form of carbohydrates. It's like equating a jumbo jet to a roller skate because they're both forms of transportation which contain metal.

They want you to confuse whole fruits with fruit JUICE. Fruit juice - even if it's "100% juice" - has over 100 calories per 8 oz serving, and is not filling at all! Be sure to limit yourself to just one serving of fruit juice daily!

Here are some ways to start eating more fruit:
Take an orange, apple, or banana to work and eat it as a snack each day.
Get a party tray of fresh strawberries and pineapple for dessert!
Slice up a banana, or add raisins to your AM cereal.
Add berries to plain yogurt, or put it all in the blender for a "smoothie

Eat More Veggies
Veggies are so good, and good for you! There is no real reason not to eat them!!! You are an adult and you have the power to eat what you like. Gone are the childhood days of over-cooked mushy canned peas. Free yourself from those traumatic veggie memories of yore, and start thinking about the good ones!Remember how good those onions and peppers are on your Fajitas? How about the broccoli, pea pods, and baby corn in your favorite Chinese dish? Mmm! Those are the kind of veggies you should think of!! (Not just "rabbit food.")

Here are some tips to start getting more green into your diet:
Add lots of lettuce, tomato, onion, to your veggie burgers and subs.
Make vegetable laden casseroles or chili.
Add corn and/or diced tomatoes to your taco filling.
Order a veggie or spinach pizza instead of a meat one.
Order a spicy vegetable dish from the local Chinese/Thai/Indian restaurant.
Always go for a garden salad, instead of a creamy soup.

Don't "Diet" When Dining Out!
Surprised by this one?Going out to a nice restaurant is a treat, so get what you want!! Go ahead and order the crab-stuffed mushrooms as an appetizer, a butter drenched pasta for your meal, and split a Chocolate Volcano for dessert! But do not take this as an opportunity to over eat!The trick to eating out, and eating what you want, is knowing portion size.

If your main dish arrives on a platter you could serve a Turkey on, set half of it aside to take home. If you are temped to eat all of it, ask for a take-home container right away! You can also ask for a "1/2 sized" or kid's sized portion to help keep you from over-eating.

Note: Remember that eating out is an indulgence and you should not do this more than once a month!

Switch On Your "Feast Mode" Metabolism!
No matter how advance we think we are, our bodies are still very primitive. Our natural instincts to food is to eat, eat, EAT!!! This is because people were built to go long periods without food. When our bodies are introduced to ample food, our bodies eventually enter "feast mode," and your metabolism shifts into high gear to burn all the incoming food!

Having a feast day followed by moderate calorie control = excellent weight loss.

Many dieters fail because they restrict their calories too much. This triggers the body into starvation mode!!! In starvation mode your body's metabolism slows to a crawl, and any extra calories are stored as fat!! Many weight loss plateaus are the body's reaction to being "death-marched." No matter how hard you try lose weight, you will get no where because your body is in met.

Being "Active" is Easy
I am the LAZIEST person to ever lose this much weight. You do not have to do anything extreme, or even all at once to burn calories. Just remember, little things add up!

Here are some easy ways to start burning more calories each day:
Use the stairs.
Park your car in the back of the lot to get in some extra walking.
Simple activities, like housework and gardening burn a lot of calories.
Walk over and talk to your co-worker instead of e-mailing them.
Take the "long way" to a co-worker's deskUse the bathroom on another floor.
Try taking 10,000 steps daily by wearing a pedometer.

Note: The best time of day to exercise is before supper, or before breakfast. These are the times when your blood sugar is at it's lowest. This helps you start burning fat faster!abolic lock down!The fastest way I found to break a plateau is to start eating the full amount of calories my body needs daily. After a week of "maintenance mode" calories - my body (finally) reacts when I cut back to get things moving again.

Eat Breakfast Every Day!
Eating a big breakfast helps to "trick" your body into "feast mode." Your body will be like, "Wow, we have FOOD today! It's a FEAST Day! BURN, BURN, BURN!!!

Try eating a high fiber cereal like All-Bran, or Cracklin’ Oat Bran, or oatmeal. The protein from the milk and the bulk of the fiber leave you feeling full for hours. Plus the fiber helps the fat you burned (which becomes waste) get out of your body faster.

Learn REAL Serving Sizes
At first you are like "WHAT?! Only this much?" But you'll soon learn the that your EYES were WAY bigger than the stomach. Soon you will become more in tune with what your body really needs. A healthy human stomach should only be able to hold one litter (about 20 oz)... although some people have stretched theirs out to twice that!!Note: Only 2 bites of food are the best, the first & the last!

Do Not Eat Directly Out of the Bag!
Get out the measuring cups, and see what one portion is! Note: Pre-measure servings into Ziploc bags, or buy the "variety pack" of individual bags.

Get Smaller Plates
There is just something satisfying about having a FULL plate... so make it smaller to avoid overeating!

Keep Food Out of Reach!
If you are sitting at a table and there is a serving bowl of food in front of you, you will be prone to eat more. Keep your serving and eating areas separate. (Food in Kitchen / Eat in Dining Room) If you are at a party do not lurk by the food table. Most "party foods" are EXTREMELY high in calories! Try to be active and social. Start a party game, and focus on the people, not the "cute" finger foods.

Eat Slowly!
Eating too fast leads to overeating because it take a while for your stomach and your brain and your mouth to coordinate things...Studies have also shown that the more delicious a food is the FASTER we inhale it!Slow down!!! Take some time to actually let the flavors linger on your tongue. Chew your food completely, and savor the texture! Extra time eating lets you feel full with less food.
Tips to help you eat better:
Take drinks of water between bites to fill you up faster and clear the palette.
Cut up your food and eat it in bites as if you were going to feed it to a small child.
Close your eyes and really focus on the texture and tastes you are experiencing.
Do not eat while watching T.V. or in front of the computer.

Give BIG Rewards
When you reach your goal, spoil yourself rotten! My rewards are always something I really want!! Try starting a collection of something that you REALLY enjoy, but you can't get the next one until you reach your goal. (This type of goal was great motivation for me.) DO NOT CRUMBLE AND JUST BUY IT ANYWAY!! Your goal must be tantalizing enough to inspire you! If you love new Clothes, say you'll get a new pair of pants when you reach your goals... and who knows, they could be a size smaller!

Note: Never, EVER, set FOOD as a goal.

Use Your "Before" Picture as Motivation
Looking at a picture of yourself in all your "fat glory" can really stop a food craving. A candid shot of all your rolls, flabby arms, extra chins will remind you that what you are feling isn't hunger; you are actually thirsty.

Note: Think of this picture as the "old you." This isn't "punishment," it is a reminder of who you were, and who you are going to be. :)

Get Some Shut Eye!
It may be hard to believe, but sleep is one of the best things you can do for weight loss. Sleep deprivation lowers leptin, a blood protein that suppresses appetite and seems to affect how the brain senses when the body has had enough food. Sleep deprivation also raises levels of grehlin, a substance that makes people want to eat. Most Americans do not get the "normal nights sleep" of 7-9 hours and this could be linked to the obesity epidemic we have today.

People who sleep two to four hours a night are 73% more likely to be obese than normal sleepers.People who get five hours of sleep are 50% more likely to be obese.People who get six hours were 23% more likely to be obese.People who get ten or more hours are 11% LESS likely to be obese.Another good thing about sleep and weight loss is that even though sleeping burns the fewest calories for any activity; When you are sleeping, you can't eat!!

Keep A Food Journal
Before making any changes to your lifestyle it is good to know what you baseline is. To find your baseline start keeping a "food journal." Write down EVERYTHING you eat or drink, and track the calories. You might also want to keep track of your weight and Exercise/Activities in the journal too!