Reducing
– Try This Approach to Summer Dieting!
by
Margaret Durst
The Green House
Previously
by Margaret Durst: Health
– My View
Reducing
or losing weight is a topic I get a lot of questions about. Many
of you already know that I dont believe in diet pills or magic
solutions that simply melt off excess weight without proper changes
in diet and exercise.
That being
said, lets talk about weight loss. As we age our metabolism
begins to slow and it becomes harder to take off that extra weight.
What I notice in particular is that our habits become more ingrained
and we get busier so that we dont have the time to do what
we know makes us lose weight. Here are some steps that will help.
Step 1. Drink
water lots of it. Start at 2 quarts. You may find that when
you start giving your body enough water that you want more. Its
O.K. to drink more and get your system flushed out. Limit other
drinks to one cup of coffee or tea per day.
Step 2. Stop
consuming sugar. Yes, just stop. Now is a great time because there
is plenty of fresh fruit available. Sugar is a major problem food
because it is addictive meaning the more you eat, the more
you want. Sugar substitutes arent much better. Aspartame and
Splenda both have problems associated with them. It is best to get
your taste buds retrained so that they do not have to have something
sweet.
Step 4. Stop
eating bread, crackers, pasta and anything else made out of wheat.
Wheat is inflammatory to almost everyone and tends to make you retain
fluid and excess weight. I am not recommending a low-carbohydrate
diet. There are plenty of good carbohydrates such as beans, brown
rice, oatmeal and sweet potatoes that will help satisfy the appetite
without adding to inflammation or blood sugar reactions.
Step 3. Eat
at least 4 servings of non-starchy vegetables per day. Again, this
is a great time to do this since summer vegetables are beginning
to come out of the garden. Make sure that at least 2 of these are
raw. You can eat more non-starchy vegetables, up to 8 servings per
day. For weight loss, raw is better, but there are some things that
are just better cooked for example, green beans.
Step 4. Eat
2 servings of fresh fruit per day. Grapefruit is a good choice since
it helps burn fat; however, since it is not in season, you can eat
cantaloupe, peaches, plums, apples, cherries, watermelon, apricots,
etc. Fruit is best on an empty stomach at least 30 minutes prior
to a meal.
Step 5. Start
walking at least 30 minutes per day. Walk briskly, but slow enough
that you can still talk. A good goal is to walk at least 4 of the
7 days of the week.
Step 6. Remember
to eat lean protein at each meal. This can be chicken, fish, turkey,
lean cuts of beef, low fat cottage cheese, or plain yogurt. There
are some good vegetarian combinations that work such as beans and
Ezekial bread or beans and brown rice.
With these
steps in place, there are a few supplements that will help speed
up weight loss. L-carnitine is one that helps to mobilize fat and
turn it into energy. Conjugated linoleic acid or CLA is another
supplement that helps turn fat into muscle.
I also recommend
Citrimax a mild weight loss supplement that increases metabolism
while decreasing appetite. Green tea and yerba mate tea both give
an energy boost and help suppress appetite. One cup of either green
tea or yerba mate in the afternoon helps get you through the day
with plenty of energy and no cravings. And, its much better
for you than a soda.
Try these
steps and see how you do.
July 5, 2011
Margaret
Durst owns The
Green House, a vitamin, herb and health food store in Mason,
Texas.
Copyright
© 2011 Margaret
Durst
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