Weight Loss

   Want to lose some weight? You don't need to spend a lot of money on fancy pills or nutritional bars.  It's all about calories in vs. calories out (fyi: calories out need to be greater than calories in... very important!). The number one way to keep up with your calories is by keeping a food diary. Keep a pad of paper in the kitchen and write down everything you eat - EVERYTHING! This not only helps you see how many calories you're ingesting, but also makes you aware of them and holds you accountable. Another benefit of a food diary is it helps you learn portion sizes and control because you are having to read labels.

     Still reading? Good. Next you need to figure out how many calories you burn daily - click here for a good web tool to help you. The final step is figuring out how to increase the calories burned (hint: exercise) and decrease calories consumed. Set a calorie limit for your weekdays and allow yourself a slight increase on the weekends - that way you will feel like you are getting a reward each weekend and won't feel so deprived. A good start is to decrease your calorie intake by 400-500 below the average amount you burn each day. Even with an increase on the weekend, this will give you a weekly calorie deficit of about 3000 (3500 = 1 pound). If you add exercise on top of this, you can easily lose a pound a week, if not more.

   Just remember, sometimes when you start an exercise program it causes you to feel more hungry than normal.  To offset this increase, make sure you are eating quality foods such as whole grains, lean proteins (low fat cheese, greek yogurt, skinless chicken, eggs), and good fats (olive oil, nuts, avocado, olives). This will help you feel satisfied most of the day. And remember my motto "If you want to lose weight, sometimes you're gonna be hungry." Just make sure to curb the hunger with smart choices. If you get too hungry, you are more likely to make poor food choices. Sugar and white bread are the worst - causing blood sugar spikes which eventually cause a crash - plus high in calories and low in nutrition.  If you try any of these ideas, let me know how it goes and how you progress.