Saturday, October 5, 2013

Nutrition Basics That Nobody Told Me

Don't try to change your eating habits overnight.  It will lead to "cheating" and maybe even giving up your new plan. Take it in small steps over at least a three month period. I started off, as you know by now with Weight Watchers. When I mastered that plan I cut out sweets, cut way back on starches, added additional vegetables and fruits, and then went to mostly chicken and fish, with an occasional beef entree. If you can make these small changes, you will find yourself adding other changes as you move forward.

The Ideal goal of healthy eating is to develop a way of eating that you can do for the rest of your life. This took me way to many months to discover, but it is right on. I am not on a diet, I'm changing my lifestyle to something I can keep for the rest of this earthly existence.

We all need a balance of carbohydrates, protein, and fat. It would be great if you could track that statistic and I would highly recommend My Fitness Pal. I plot my weight, food intake, exercise, and review the carbs, protein, and fat, not to mention sugar and sodium. It is a great little app.

Don't eliminate the foods you really like. If you like bacon, eat it once a week. If you eat something that you like that cost you an additional number of calories, cut that number on what you eat the rest of the day. You won't miss what you cut back on and the total calorie count will be where you want it to be.

Smaller portions are probably a must for most of us. The world "super-sizes" everything. We have to change that kind of thinking for ourselves. I weigh my entree when I am home and shoot for 1/2 cup of any vegetable that I eat. My trainer says, "Pile on the vegetables, They are complex carbs and will digest slowly and make you feel full." I don't know about that, but sometimes I add an additional vegetable in place of cornbread and obviously, I come out ahead as you can imagine.

I believe in eating breakfast. I usually eat oatmeal one day, cereal the next day, and an egg the third day. I started out with an English Muffin, but cut it back to 1/2 muffin after a short period of time. I have tried turkey bacon and turkey sausage with an egg and it does make you feel like it is special.

I am learning to eat a mid-morning snack (like a banana), lunch, a mid-afternoon snack, and dinner. It is like eating five small meals a day. Why do this? It keeps your energy and metabolism up.

I believe that green vegetables are a must for someone trying to change their eating habits. I like green beans, spinach, broccoli, but my favorite is lettuce, which is probably why I eat a lot of salad. I have been eating black-eyed peas and have recently added Great Northern Beans, pinto beans and just any other kind of bean that I can find.

Lastly, but not the least, reduce the amount of sugar you are consuming. I know you like sweet tea, you're from Texas, but try making the change. Sweeten it yourself. It will mean less sugar. Stop salting your food. That was difficult for me to do, but don't miss it anymore.

Good luck with your new way of eating. It will pay dividends over the next year and lifetime!

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