10 Weight Loss Success Strategies - Part 2 of 2

Success Strategy #6: Cut out soda and sugary drinks

It is no secret that Americans consume more sugary soda, sweetened iced tea, and other high-sugar beverages than water, daily. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, sugary drink consumption is associated with obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and other health problems. Here's why this is important to you. Your weight loss is at stake, and nixing sugary beverages from your diet can be a huge boon to your success. By eliminating sugary beverages, the average American could lose about 15 pounds in a year without making any other changes. 

Do yourself a favor and stop drinking liquid sugar. And remember, this includes sweet tea (whadup, Alabama and Georgia!), which is loaded with sugar and calories. Try making your iced tea without sugar, flavor- ing it with fresh mint, ginger, or a splash of lemon, lime, orange, peach, mango, even cucumber, instead (the citrus and cucumber are alkaline in nature and reduce inflammation in the body). It may take some getting used to, but before you know it, you'll love it--and when you take a sip of sweet tea, you'll wonder how you could stand that overly sweet taste!

Switching to diet sodas may not be the solution, even though they contain many fewer calories than sugar-sweetened drinks. The same study, as well as others, found that people who drink diet sodas have a higher risk of diabetes than those who don't. This is referred to as the diet-soda paradox. 

Success Strategy #7: Avoid eating within 3 hours of going to bed

At the end of the day, your digestive system needs to slow down and rest, so I recommend that you avoid eating anything within 3 hours of bedtime. Eating before bed can interfere with sleep quality and throw off your circadian rhythms. It can also contribute to heartburn and acid reflux. If you must eat before bed, choose a small protein-rich snack, such as a cup of yogurt.

Success Strategy #8: Use a daily food diary

Keeping track of everything you eat and drink can truly help with weight loss. Tracking your food makes you think more about the foods that you choose to eat. Mindless eating is one of the biggest contributors to weight gain, and keeping a food diary helps to get your mind back into the correct process of eating. Reflecting on what you eat, when you eat it, and the emotions you feel before, during, and after eating can help you to understand the habits and emotions that impact your eating choices.

Looking back at your food diary gives you an opportunity to identify trends and unconscious habits—for example, you may realize that you overeat on days that you work late or that you do a fantastic job of sticking to your eating goals on days that you exercise vigorously. These kinds of patterns are different for each one of us, and one of the best ways to understand your own individual patterns is to put everything in writing.

Using a food diary also helps to up your accountability—to yourself. By writing down everything you eat, including the "cheat foods," you give yourself space to be honest with yourself, which is one of the first steps toward true mindfulness. With accountability and honesty comes true acknowledgment of what you're doing, how it's helping or harming you, and what you can do to improve your habits and your health.

Success Strategy #9: Shop with a list

Always use a shopping list when you go to the grocery store; it is a surefire way to cut back on junk food. Not only will this save you from eating food you hadn't planned on eating, but it will help you to lose weight and save you money, too. By sticking to the foods on your list and refusing to buy other, unplanned foods, you spend the money that you previously planned to spend, which supports your calorie and weekly or monthly food budget, as well.

Using a grocery list is an example of what's referred to as a precommitment strategy. These kinds of strategies help build momentum for success because they allow your present and future selves to work together. When you write a grocery list, your present self is promising your future self that you will make smart choices in the grocery store. This commitment can spread out to other choices, as well.

In a study published in the journal Nutrition & Diabetes, Australian researchers found that women who used shopping lists lost an average of 27 pounds (9 more pounds than those who did not use lists). Ultimately, these researchers found that planning your meals ahead of time by creating shopping lists helps you to gauge food intake better and stick to the meal plan while avoiding the pitfalls of strategically placed, unplanned treats that you might otherwise buy on impulse at the grocery store. Their results support the reasons that I have used shopping lists for my entire career to help clients stick not only to their food budget but to their calorie budget, as well!

Success Strategy #10: Take special care if you work nights

Shift work disrupts your circadian rhythms, which are the physical, mental, and behavioral changes that follow a 24-hour cycle (think of it as a clock) within your body. Circadian rhythms are directed by environmental cues such as sunlight, darkness, and temperature. People who work night shifts often experience disruption of their circadian rhythms, which affects their sleeping and eating patterns. Because of circadian rhythm disorders, people who do shift work can have higher rates of heart disease and mental health conditions such as depression. Shift workers are also more likely than 9-5 workers to be overweight or obese.

Shift working requires you to sleep during the day and work during the night, forcing you to go against your body's natural rhythm. As a result, your metabolism can slow down, which reduces your body's calorie and fat burning potential. Shift workers may also eat more because their mealtimes get mixed up. And if they don't get enough sleep, exhaustion may negatively impact the action of their hunger and satiety hormones. It can also be more difficult for shift workers to get the exercise they need, and it may be harder for them to schedule stress-relief techniques into their daily life. 

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Adapted from Lose Your Final 15

10 Weight Loss Success Strategies - Part 1 of 2

Weight-loss success is much more likely if you follow some important behavioral strategies in addition to the choices you make for every meal. Based on my many years of experience working with hospital patients and the clients in my private practice, I've identified 10 Success Strategies that go a long way toward helping people stick to a weight-loss plan.

These strategies are simple—no need to reorganize your life to fit them in. Just start working them into your daily routines, and before you know it, you'll be much better positioned for weight loss success

Success Strategy #1: Eat within the first hour of awakening

When you are at rest, your body wants to conserve energy, so your metabolism slows down. Just as you shut off the lights when you sleep, your body turns down many of the processes involved in metabolism. When you wake up, you want to turn everything up and start burning calories and fat as soon as possible. That's why I recommend eating breakfast within one hour of waking up.

By eating a nutritious, energy-revving breakfast, you are jump-starting your metabolism. When you add healthy food to your tank, so to speak, you prime your engines and get them ready to go, go, go for the day, so you can do everything that you have to do as well as those things you want to do, while feeling energetic.

Despite what you may have heard or read, it still stands that if you skip breakfast, you're telling your body to stay in conservation mode. You're setting yourself up to feel tired, lethargic, and irritable. When no fuel comes into your tank, your body starts thinking about holding on to calories and fat rather than burning them because it doesn't know when more food will come. This is absolutely not the way you want to start your day. Even if you don't feel like having breakfast, push yourself to have something—an apple, an orange, some yogurt, maybe a glass of vegetable juice. Something is better than nothing.

Success Strategy #2: Eat early and often

Many people follow this kind of daily eating plan: They either skip breakfast or have a small bite in the morning. They go light on lunch. Then their hunger roars like a starved lion in the middle of the afternoon, at which point they start eating sweet/salty junk food. Then at dinner, thinking they didn't really eat much during the day, they help themselves to giant portions of their evening meal, followed by dessert and bowls of ice cream and chips while sitting around watching TV for a few hours before bed.

This is not the way to eat.

It's much better for your body to eat early and often. That means having a healthy, lean, green breakfast; a morning snack to keep your metabolism humming; a healthy lunch; an afternoon snack; and a dinner that's smaller than you're probably used to, with a small snack in the evening. Ideally you should eat the bulk of your calories at breakfast and lunch.

Researchers have found that people who consume most of their calories before 3 p.m. are more likely to be successful at weight loss than those who pile on the calories later in the day. And get this: It takes 24 hours for your blood sugar to stabilize after a late-night meal. Eating earlier gives your body plenty of time to burn up calories and stabilize your blood sugar before you get into bed.

Success Strategy #3: Get 7 to 8 hours of sleep per night

We Americans are an exhausted bunch of people. Although sleep researchers recommend 7 to 8 hours per night, studies show that 30 percent of us get fewer than 6 hours of sleep a night. 

Being chronically tired truly interferes with your health. Lack of sleep is associated with higher rates of hypertension, diabetes, depression, obesity, and cancer. In fact, studies show that getting fewer than 5 hours of sleep per night is associated with a higher body-mass index. The more sleep-deprived you are, the higher your risk of obesity. Insomnia causes hormonal changes and cravings for carbohydrates. And when you deprive yourself of adequate sleep, fatigue lowers your ability to resist trigger foods. Instead of eating, try taking a power nap for a bigger, more effective payoff.

Nighttime sleep even has an effect on daytime hunger, influencing the production of the hormones that regulate appetite. When we're over-tired, we tend to eat more than we do when we are well rested. Overall, people who sleep less appear to weigh more. Be sure to get your 7 to 8 hours a night. If you're having trouble sleeping, see your doctor; you may have a sleep disorder, such as sleep apnea.  

Success Strategy #4: Eat snacks that are no larger than your closed fist

Incorporating snacks into your daily meal plan is a helpful way to prevent hunger. But in order to stay on track, you have to make sure your snacks are a reasonable size. One of the eas- iest ways to do this is to eat snacks that are no larger than your closed fist.

The exception to this is free foods (leafy green vegetables, which contribute few calories) and calorie-free beverages, such as coffee and tea. For example, a closed fist holds about half an ounce (1 tablespoon) of nuts. But remember, I'm talking about a closed fist, not an open palm.

Success Strategy #5: Drink half your body weight in water

Drinking water helps fill your stomach and boosts your body's metabolism, so fool yourself into drinking more water. It also keeps you hydrated, which is important because often we mistake thirst for hunger, leading us to eat high-calorie snacks when all our bodies really want is a glass of water. To figure out how much water to drink, divide your weight in half. If you're 160 pounds, aim for about 80 ounces (10 8-ounce glasses) per day. Liquids such as unsweetened coffee, tea, and seltzer can also count in your daily tally.

But keep in mind that caffeinated beverages, though acceptable, are also diuretics, meaning the caffeine dehydrates your body and makes you pee. A good way to offset this effect is to drink a glass of water for each cup of coffee or tea you consume. Make the water ice cold, because drinking cold water revs up the metabolism even more. Your body has to work harder to stabilize its temperature and, in so doing, burns more calories for you. Winner!

To add pizazz to water and seltzer, make grape-cubes. Place a grape or two in each section of an ice cube tray, and then fill with water. Once they're frozen, pop these grape-cubes into water for a refreshing, tasty drink. This works for cut pieces of almost any of your favorite fruits. Think pineapple, mango, berries, peaches, nectarines, and melon.

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Adapted from Lose Your Final 15

Common Things We Hear or Say That Hijack Our Weight Loss Success - Part 3 of 3

"You look so good; what are you eating?"

Why are we always connecting appearance to some diet or eating strategy? You may have noticed your friend's weight loss, but perhaps she looks so good because she's happy or is wearing a new outfit or just read an uplifting text from a good friend. Our culture is obsessed with external judgment, external measurements, and everyone else's business. How about reframing that question to "How are you? You look fabulous!" Or "How are you? You seem so happy!"

By thinking about someone's behavior, mood, and wellness, 

you'll stop engaging in the social stigma around appearance and weight. This will in turn help you to live in an easier, kinder world that is concerned with people on an emotional level, not just a physical level.

Remember: Focus on the wellness of the whole person. Ask "How are you?" rather than "How much weight have you lost or gained?"

​"My sister got the good genes, and I got the bad genes."

Genetics are definitely part of the picture that affects our health, our biological disposition, and even our temperament. However, we are now learning that our genes are not set in stone. You can turn certain genes on and off through environmental cues and behaviors. The rhythm of your body clock can influence the expression of your genes.

Remember: Work with your body to create wellness. Don't play the genes card; it's a cop-out.

"I could look like her, but I don't want to eat bird food."

Fruits, vegetables, granola, nuts, whole grains, wheat germ, and even dark chocolate all used to be considered "bird food" or "diet food." We gave them a label, called them things we should be eating more of, and as a result made these foods seem unappealing. But look at what happens when you adopt the attitude that all foods can fit into a healthy diet. Suddenly all foods become appealing. Nothing is sacrificed, so there's no stress.

By being mindful of the nutrients in your meals (protein, fat, and carbohydrates), you can choose foods and portion sizes consistent with your metabolic needs, all the while eating cookies and milk!

Remember: All foods fit. Eat nutrient-dense foods 75 percent of the time and less nutrient-dense foods the other 25 percent of the time.

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Common Things We Hear or Say That Hijack Our Weight Loss Success - Part 2 of 3

"No matter what I do, the scale never goes down."

How frustrating is this one? How depressing is it to go to your doctor's office, hear your weight, and be told you're obese according to the body mass index (BMI) chart. "I'd like you to start eating healthy and lose at least 50 pounds," your doctor says. "Have a good day. Next!"

Well, that wasn't helpful. You think, I'm trying, but nothing works. I hate the scale and I hate you, doc. Let's get one thing straight—health is not weight. They are not synonymous. Weight is just one of many measurements, including lab values such as triglycerides, glucose, and C-reactive protein; behaviors such as exercise and sleep cycles; and more that can help assess one's true health status and risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and even eating disorders. 

I don't like weight scales. They don't accurately gauge health or percent of body fat. The specific number on the scale reflects just a moment in time. It's the trend of those numbers and how quickly the numbers fluctuate that may provide insight into your health status. Remember that losing too much weight can be just as unhealthy as gaining too much weight too quickly. 

Remember: Health and happiness matter more than the number on the scale. Feel confident and celebrate yourself the way you are. Be your own best friend. Forget the scale and focus on eating well, moving often, and being mindful of the many gifts and talents you share with the world, which is your real worth as a human being.

"I lost 40 pounds on one diet, but I gained it all back and more."

How many diets have you tried? Atkins, Weight Watchers, Nutrisystem, the Cabbage Soup Diet, the Scarsdale Diet, the BluePrint juice cleanse, and now this, the Body Clock Diet. Don't worry. This is not a fad diet. This is the anti-diet.

A fad diet has a beginning and an end point. And once you stop your fad diet, you tend to overeat and gain all the weight back plus more. This happens every time you choose a calorie-restrictive diet, so you end up with a higher set weight than if you had never restricted in the first place. This can lead to an unhealthy pattern called yo-yo dieting. 

Remember: Starving yourself ultimately makes you fatter. Stop dieting and establish a lifestyle habit of eating well.

"Tonight is my birthday, and we're going out to eat. I'll start my diet tomorrow."

This classic declaration is a sure way to set yourself up for failure. The idea of starting a diet tomorrow rather than choosing to create change right now is the MO of start/stop fad dieting. Self-care is not a game that begins and ends.

Habitual nourishment means establishing a pattern of eating with no right or wrong, winning or losing. Food, exercise, and self-care are choices we make. There is no cheating—only choices with consequences. Take a mindful breath, decide to eat or not to eat, and then move on. The cheating mentality is self-sabotaging. Who are you cheating? Yourself?

Remember: All foods fit, and it's about choosing which foods, how much, and when to eat. This is not a game, so cheating is not in your vocabulary.

Part 3




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Common Things We Hear or Say That Hijack Our Weight Loss Success - Part 1 of 3

Did you know that Americans spend $60 billion annually on diets, diet foods, and weight-loss remedies? The diet industry is pervasive, and we're all falling prey to it because it's impossible to avoid the constant drumbeat of "you're fat and you need help" messages. We need an obesity epidemic cleanse.

Let's start by deconstructing the negative thoughts surrounding our food and our bodies. Read through the following statements. Have you ever spoken these words? Chances are, they'll sound familiar. American women have spoken those phrases or at least heard other women say them. Let's dig a little deeper into those and apply lessons to each that will help you overcome the pervasive negativity surrounding food and weight.

"I know what to eat, but I just can't do it."

Many people tell me they know more about nutrition than I do or they know what to do, but they just don't do it. Well, bah, humbug! Who really knows how to eat, what to eat, and when to eat? Our parents definitely did not teach us this one. More than half of them don't have a positive relationship with food.

If someone really knew how to eat, what to eat, and when to eat, they would know that eating is more than just fueling your body. It's about enjoyment and fun. It encompasses mind, body, and spirit. Nothing in this world works alone; every little atom affects every other. Remember, we're like onions—we have many layers. And so does our food.

Remember: Our mind, body, and spirit are one. How we feel about our food, as much as the food we eat, affects our "one."

"On a good day I eat good food, such as proteins, fruits, and vegetables, but on a bad day I eat bad food—you know, carbs—bread, pasta, and sweets."

When did food become a value judgment? Why does what we eat determine if we are going to have a good day or bad day? Why does getting on the scale determine a good day with good spirits versus a bad day with mood swings? I'm not sure who came up with this notion, but throw it away. It's useless, and it sabotages all efforts to reset your body clock.

When we refer to body clock, please remember: Your body clock is mind, body, and spirit. I'm telling you now: There are no good foods or bad foods. Stop judging them by giving them labels. Just as there are no good kids or bad kids, just kids who behave badly at times, foods should be identified fairly, too. Granted, it's hard to break the labeling mind-set, but you must.

Remember: Stop labeling food with morals and values. Start identifying food by its name. Food is food. An apple is an apple and a cupcake is a cupcake. And a scoop of "death by chocolate" has never murdered anyone, so why call it "bad"?

"That skinny b**** . . . I'm so jealous. She can eat whatever she wants, and I just look at food and gain weight."

Here's a classic! Who hasn't said or heard this before? Finger-pointing, blame, jealousy, competition, and worse, hating yourself for being hungry—all negatives. Isn't that a sad way to go through life? But there's another way, which requires a shift in attitude that can be life changing.

Have you heard of the self-care and self-compassion movement? This psychological and behavioral approach is going to be one of the keys to your success.

Remember: Stop stressing and start smiling. Whenever a negative thought enters your mind, find a way to sweep it away by being positive and proactive.

Part 2 

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