5 Basic Tips to Lose Weight and Keep it Off.

Long-term weightloss and goal weight maintenence will never last, until we figure out that it's not simply a diet, but a lifestyle change. Most everyone truly knows what foods are good for us and what foods are bad. You either know or have a very good idea, be honest. It's when we finally determine within ourselves, "If I keep doing what I'm doing, I'll keep getting the same results" that will empower us to change our bad eating habits.

Here's 5 simple things to keep in mind.


1) Protein is the essential friendly ingredient, while fat content (bad fat) in a food the enemy. Read labels and compare. Don't just grab something off the shelf based on mass marketing. Do your homework before you shop. Protein is an absolute key to weightloss and weight management. Don't forget it!




2) Pay attention to vitamin contents also. Vitamins C and E are very important, but labels can be very deceptive. If you see a food having less than 5% of a couple or three vitamins it is most likely junk. Vitamin supplements are a good thing, since eating commonly found foods off the shelf won't provide enough, but they aren't a panacea for everything. Nothing like good, fresh, whole foods.



3) The old 'three square meals a day', and 7 basic food group recipe is outdated and incorrect. The human body needs nutrition when it needs it, NOT according to an artificial clock. If you tune in to your body it will signal you when it's time to eat, usually a little something every 2 hours. Eat when you are hungry, then stop when full. How simple is that?


4) Stay away from any diet soda or foods containing aspartame, a neuro-toxic poisonous food additive, possibly the #1 cause of obesity in the US, and which causes a craving for carbs. READ LABELS! Almost everything sweet on the shelf with a no-fat, non-fat, lo-cal advertisement on it contains aspartame. What good does it do you if you drink a diet soda then gorge yourself on several doughnuts? Aspartame is only one chemical link away from formaldehyde when it reaches room temperature. Research it, you'll be shocked! It's also linked to 92 illnesses, and you're better off with regular soda, plain sugar, and especially honey or brown sugar.



5) Eat slower. Pay attention to your chewing. Many of the foods that are better for you are those requiring proper chewing. Don't wolf down your food. Chew it thoroughly. The stomach sends a signal to the brain when full (based mainly on fat content), but the signal doesn't travel at light speed, so if there's excess food in there (or still on the way) you've usually eaten too much. Normally it takes about 15 minutes for the stomach to signal the brain that its full. Take a bite from your plate, then lay the fork back down, chew your food and enjoy the flavor, swallow, repeat. Most people don't realize how fast they eat. More chewing aids digestion too.

 
 
Should I even have to mention exercise? You know what you need to do. It's a very simple formula. Making ourselves do it is the hard part. Best of luck!