Thursday, December 17, 2009


I like to throw in these random posts sometimes when I find little bits of information I want to share with you. So, here we go on another random post day from Jody!

1. Food Journaling: Yes, I posted about this Tuesday but today I am following up with some statistics. I know for many, they hate to do this BUT IT WILL TELL YOU WHAT IS GOING ON if you are having trouble losing weight or getting past a plateau. You will see exactly what you are eating IF you write EVERYTHING down, including nibbles & you can convert that to tell you what your protein, carbohydrate & fat calories are per day. From Oxygen Women's Fitness:
 
Can food journaling really help you lose weight? According to a group of researchers involved in the Weight Loss Maintenance study, the answer is a resounding yes. In the study, which was conducted at four locations across the US including Johns Hopkins University and Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research, nearly 1,700 overweight and obese Americans were asked to keep a daily journal of both food and exercise and attend weekly classes on healthy eating and moderate exercise. After six months, participants lost an average of 13 pounds. When researchers analyzed the data, they found that weight loss virtually doubled between those who kept a journal and those who didn’t.

According to J. Graham Thomas, Ph.D., Co-Investigator for the US-based National Weight Control Registry (which monitors the habits and behaviors of more than 5,000 individuals who have lost weight and kept it off for at least a year), “Keeping a food log ranks up there among the top three or four most important strategies people use to lose weight and keep it off.” In other words, in addition to cleaning up your diet and exercising regularly, writing down what you eat is one of the most important things you can do to lose weight and best of all, keep it off.

2. Watch Your Sugar Grams: According to the American Heart Association, most Americans consume 22 teaspoons of sugar A DAY! That will equal 352 more calories per day which then turns to 128, 480 calories per year or 37 pounds!!!! Sugar is hidden in so many of our foods AND DRINKS. Label read & look for words like fructose, sucrose, dextrose, maltose, corn sweetener, HFCS (of course!), maltodextrin, cane juice, molasses & more. The labels also show you the sugar grams per serving. I also heard this statistic: We consume 100 pounds of sugar for every man, woman & child per year. OMG!!!! Check out this video from Sensei Talks on sugary drinks.. YIKES!

3. Portion Control: I know, been there & already posted that but it is always worth saying again! Many of us do not really pay attention to this! Back to my post yesterday & part of the challenge was to just "plate a meal" & then go back & check portion size before eating it. You may be surprised at how much more you are eating than you thought.... I always measure out a new food item first, get the feel & visual of what it looks like for a portion & then after a week or so, I don't need to measure it anymore.

Some great suggestions have also been to eat on a smaller plate or use a smaller bowl. But another one I just read is to switch to a smaller spoon or fork AND as I have written before, SLOW DOWN! Try smaller bites, put the utensil down between bites & chew it completely! Also, it does take the stomach 20 minutes to register fullness SO at least try to slow down!

4. NO!: Don't forget that it is OK to say NO. Evaluate all those invites to do things & go places. You have to have some quiet/you time & you also need time to do your own workout. With all the stresses of the day, this is so important! You will be a better person, mother, father, friend or anything else if you allow time for you! Do this during this hectic season & all year long!

5. Tomorrow Is NOW: I know I just posted about this but I cannot say it enough! Don't let your tomorrows & your health get away from you! Make a program you can live with. It is not one way fits all. Find a way that works for you & you can live with for life.. even if it changes along the way like mine has thru the years. Grab the reins NOW not tomorrow or Monday or January! Remember when Eric from The Biggest Loser said: TOMORROW IS THE DAY THAT THIS DOES NOT GO ON ANYMORE AND I KEPT LETTING THE TOMORROWS GET AWAY FROM ME....... Don't let this be you. Be good to yourself today!

Course I could go on forever with tips but I will leave more for another time. BUT, if you want to throw in any of your own words of advice, comment away! I know I have said all these things many times BUT it is always worth repeating especially this time of year & as we head into 2010!