Shedding the weight after a bad day

Everyone has a bad day; a day of snacking, sweets, nervous eating, over drinking, etc. What's really important is to not punish yourself for it, but rather get over it as quickly as possible.

Sometimes breaking out of the routine is helpful if the body has reached a weight plateau and no longer reacts to the food you are eating. The trick is to begin the next day extra motivated to eat healthy food and maybe even add additional time of physical activity, even 5 minutes.

The fastest way to loose the weight you have gained is to stick to the following menu for a single day. The combination and timing of the food will eliminated the water retention that was caused by sodium and aid in burning the extra calories.

Breakfast: 1 to 2 servings of your favorite fruit. A single serving is a single fruit or a cup of fruit.
Mid-morning snack: 1 cup of coffee or tea with skim milk and splenda.
Lunch: 1/2 cup of grains (rice, pasta, 1 slice bread) with 1 serving of protein and a bowl of salad without cheese and with non-fat dressing.
Mid-afternoon snack: Tea sweetened with splenda.
Dinner: A bowl of warm oatmeal made with water.

If you are able to stick to this menu, you will have lost the extra weight in a single day. The different caloric intake in the two days will jump start your body and help you continue detoxing and getting to a healthy place.

Getting Back Into Exercise Routine

For many people the toughest part about leading a healthy life is incorporating exercise into their daily routine. No matter how many times they decide to join a gym, buy a workout video, start off on a new routine the end result seems to be exactly the same... to drop the activity after a couple of weeks and become completely unmotivated.

In my experience, the best way to incorporate exercise into the day is to dedicate a minimum of 15 minutes to a physical activity that you enjoy. Rather than thinking of this time as "mandatory exercise", think of it as the 15 minutes you dedicate to yourself. Do not worry about burning calories, increasing your endurance or muscle tone. Focus only on dedicating these 15 minutes, minimum, to yourself.

After sitting on my butt for six months, I got back into exercising by taking relaxing walks, doing floor exercises or free weights to my favorite music, doing a part of a workout video or using my favorite machines in the gym. The only requirement for the first month was to do the activity, whatever I chose that day, for 15 minutes. Gradually and without effort, I spent more and more time on my workouts. The ease with which I was able to increase my time is due to the fact that working out is not about burning, sweating, training or toning. Is is about wanting to do something I enjoy and seeing the benefits it has on my health.

Eating Oatmeal and Loosing Weight

People tend to stay away from grains when they diet assuming that food packed with so much nutritional value can only lead to weight gain. I got into oatmeal when my grandfather told me that the secret to his longevity (he lived to be 100 years old) consisted of having bowl for breakfast everyday. Although I like to stay slim, health, for me, takes a priority over weight loss. As a result, I incorporated into my daily diet certain food items with a high nutritional value. Contrary to what many people believe, these new additions keep me active, stabilize food cravings, satisfy my appetite and decrease water retention.
In addition to all these benefits oatmeal also lowers the level of bad cholesterol, diluting carcinogens in the colon (decreasing the chances of colon cancer), stabilizing blood sugar, preventing constipation and improving the appearance of skin. Rather than having oatmeal only at breakfast, I like to have a bowl for dinner because it is easy to make, it is warm and it is satisfying! Try it and I bet within a couple of days you will drop a couple of pounds just in water retention.

Directions: Buy a box of Instant Quaker Oatmeal of your favorite flavor. Heat ½ cup of water in the microwave until it boils and stir in an envelope. Let it sit for a minute or so and enjoy! Choosing a flavor with cinnamon or adding ground cinnamon has the added benefit that this ingredient supports the metabolism of sugar and fat.

Returning to the Food Pyramid

A couple of weeks ago I decided to take a close look at the FOOD PYRAMID and compare it to the way I've been eating for the last couple of years. Like millions of other people, I adopted a hybrid of the Atkins's Diet and decreased my consumption of carbohydrates drastically, limiting myself to vegetables, fruits and an occasional serving of grains. For the last 10 years or so, my meals have consisted of a large serving of protein accompanied by small servings of one or more aforementioned carbs. Looking at the FOOD PYRAMID made me rethink my eating habits, my primary concern being that I was not getting the nutrients (vitamins and minerals) my body needs to stay healthy now and into the future.

According to the FOOD PYRAMID, a person should have:
6-11 servings of grains (bread, cereal, rice, pasta, etc.)
3-5 serving of vegetables
2-4 serving of fruits
2-3 servings of protein (meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, nuts, etc.)
2-3 servings of dairy (milk, yogurt, cheese, etc.)
Use fats, oils and sweets sparingly.

Because women consume less calories than men, I used the minimum servings as my guideline. I also use the size of my palm as a approximate guideline measure for a single serving.

After only the first week I lost an easy pound, felt an increase in my energy level, went more frequently to the bathroom and felt less bloated. I also enjoyed having many more healthy choices in restaurants. Now, instead of avoiding the pastas and rice dishes, I just keep away from the dishes that have fat and cream.

Disclaimer

I am not a health professional. I did not study nutrition, sports medicine or physical therapy. What I am is an avid reader of topics relating to fitness and health. I like to be very fit and have plenty of energy to work, and play hard. Unlike many people, I genuinely enjoy eating healthy, trying different diets as well as exercise routines.

This blog is a collection of health related tips that I have tried. They might not be suited for everyone.