Weight Loss Info Center

1. Unless your weight loss plan is proactive and personalized, your weight loss efforts are destined to fail.

Fix: Keep it real. Figure out what will and will not work for you personally. If you’re too busy to cook on weeknights, spend a few hours on the weekend to shop and prepare meals you can enjoy throughout the week. Get some healthy crockpot recipes so that a healthy dinner is cooking while you go about your day.

2. Too many foods on your “bad food” list.

Fix: Do not cut entire categories of food from your diet. According to Dayle Hayes, M.S., R.D., a nutrition consultant, “Any time you eliminate whole food groups (such as dairy, carbs, and high GI foods like carrots and beets), you wipe out important nutrients.” So tackle the bigger issue of planning, shopping, and preparing meals that contain some of the healthy foods on your “bad food” list.

3. You’re gaining in the double digits. Gaining 10 or more pounds is going to require a bigger commitment to weight loss than if you only gain 5 pounds.

Fix: Nip weight gain in the bud. Keep a food diary to track calories and emotional eating. Get monthly body fat checks. By reviewing your progress regularly and making small, doable changes to your eating and exercise habits, the next time you step o n the scale, you will see results.

4. You don’t plan ahead.

Fix: Getting hungry is normal, so instead of denying the fact that you will get hungry, plan ahead for the times when you know you’re going to feel those hunger pangs; otherwise, you’re likely to eat too much of the wrong foods. Never go more than 4 to 5 hours without eating. Also, bring health lunches and snacks to work that you can eat at your desk.

5. You cut out all fat. A low-fat diet is a great way to lose pounds, but cutting out all fat is bound to fail you.

Fix: Recent research shows that eating a little more healthy (most monosaturated fat) combined with a diet rich in fiber and lean protein (like skim milk) can actually help you lose weight because you will stay full longer. Enjoy controlled portions of fatty foods like olive oil, avocados, salmon, and nuts, and you might just find it easier than ever to lose those unwanted pounds.

6. You forget about calories. Research shows that many of us forget what we eat during the day or ignore anything we don’t actually see in our food (secret sauces, added fat, sugar and calories we sip instead of chew).

Fix: Pay attention to what you’re eating. Too many nibbles and sips can quickly add up and those “lost” calories will show up on your butts, abs, and thighs.

7. You cut out all meat just to shed unwanted weight. Deciding to go vegetarian has many great health reasons, but weight loss isn’t one of them. Why? Because most people who eliminate meat aren’t eating that much of it to begin with. In fact, research shows that many people who completely cut meat out of their diet actually gain weight because they replace meat with piles of pasta and rice (foods that more than make up for meat calories without providing protein’s staying power).

Fix: For a smooth transition to a meat-free lifestyle, consider taking a vegetarian cooking class or consult with a nutritionist for a healthy eating plan that satisfies you and coves all nutritional bases.

8. You’re stuck on the same meals. When it comes to your diet, you eat the same “safe foods” (yogurt, salad, grilled chicken) every single day of the week. However, too little variety can leave you feeling deprived. Eating the same thing every day can lead to food cravings, binge eating, and weight gain.

Fix: Try different flavors of yogurt or cereal for breakfast, mix and match a few of your high-fiber cereals with a variety of fruits, mix chicken into a savory soup. Basically, add some variety to avoid burnout.

9. Forgetting exercise. When it comes to weight loss, one of the biggest mistakes that people make is not realizing that some type of physical activity is key to losing those unwanted pounds.

Fix: Try to get in some type of physical activity at least 5 days per week. Whether it be walking, aerobics, weight training, walking the dog, anything that requires some movement. Don’t forget that everything you do will count towards your daily activity requirements, including cleaning, taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Exercise is key not only to losing weight, but your overall sense of health and well-being.

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Do you find yourself wanting to nibble but not wanting to blow your healthy eating habits?  If so, this list is for you.  These snacks are 100 calories or less.  Happy munching!

• 1 piece of string cheese
• 4 chocolate kisses
• 1 hard-boiled egg
• 3 vanilla wafers with 1/2 cup fat-free milk
• 1 frozen fudge pop
• 1 miniature bagel topped with 1 tbsp. reduced-fat chive and onion cream cheese
• 2/3 cup Cheerios with 1/4 cup fat-free milk
• 3/4 cup minestrone soup
• 1/2 English muffin topped with 1 slice of tomato and 1 tbsp. shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, broiled
• 1 medium ear corn on the cob with 1/2 tsp. butter
• 1/2 small baked potato topped with 3 tbsp. salsa
• 1 small banana
• 1 medium plum
• 3/4 cup blueberries
• 3/4 cup red grapes
• 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 medium celery sticks with 1 tbsp. reduced-fat cream cheese
• 3/4 cup sliced strawberries with 2 tbsp. reduced-fat frozen whipped topping

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So how many calories can you eat and still lose weight?  Here is a super easy way to find out.

If you only do light activities, take your goal weight and multiply it by 13.  For example, if you weigh 175, but your goal weight is 145, you would multiply 145 x 13 to get 1885 calories.

If you exercise for 30 minutes, 4 days a week or more, multiply your goal weight by 15.  Using the example above, 145 x 15 = 2175 calories. 

The above is the method I used to determine my suggested caloric intake when starting my weight loss journey after the birth of my first child.  I think I tweaked it just a little because I was weight training, but it will definitely give you a good starting point.

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Even though I am back to working out with Debbie Siebers, creator of Slim in 6, I am still wearing my pedometer and my goal is 10,000 steps per day, which I usually meet or exceed.  When looking at that number, 10,000 steps seems overwhelming, so I have been keeping track of how I get that many steps in a day.

Getting kids ready for school.  I put my pedometer on as soon as I get out of bed (every extra step counts!).  I get up at 5:30, do my morning routine, and then get my kids up at 6:00 a.m.  and they leave at 7:00 a.m.  My minimum has been 1300 and a maximum of 1600 (if it’s a really hectic morning).  Steps gained:  1300

Taking breaks.  I work at home (most times in my pjs!), so taking-the-steps-instead-of-the-elevator advice or the park-as-far-away-from-work-as-you-can spiel doesn’t work for me.  My office is only about 10 steps from my bedroom and 10 steps from my kitchen.  My work also requires a lot of sitting at a desk, and since I work quite a few hours a day, I had to come up with a way to get in some steps.  I take lots of breaks!  No, it’s not always feasible, but it helps get the step count up.  I take a break and get something to drink, walk around, whatever I feel like doing.  Steps gained:  1000 

Working out.  I’ve noticed that my short 24-minute workout (Slim in 6’s Start It Up) gives me an extra 1300 to 1500 steps.  The longer the workout, the more steps I will get.  Definitely wear your pedometer when working out and log those extra steps - they count!  Steps gained:  1300

Talking on the phone.  I don’t know about you, but I cannot sit still when I am on the phone.  I have always been that way.  I have to be up moving around, multi-tasking or just moving in general.  Not sitting still while on the phone gives me at the minimum 600 steps.  If it’s a longer conversation, I log more steps.  Steps gained:  600

Vacuuming.  With 2 kids, I can definitely find a room to vacuum on a daily basis.  Steps gained:  at least 600

We’re about halfway to 10,000 steps!

Fixing dinner.  Self-explanatory.  Steps gained:  minimum of 800

Shopping.  Lately I have had to run to the grocery store at least 2 times per week.  Now, this is a great way for me to get in some steps because I am usually all over the store since there is no rhyme or reason to the way I shop.  For example, I may visit the electronics department once, go to the freezer section and remember I needed something else from electronics, and then go back, then resume shopping in the frozen aisles.  I get, at a minimum, 2,000 steps on one shopping excursion!  On days that I have no shopping to do, I find other ways to replace them.  Steps gained:  2000

Laundry.  Again, with 2 kids and 2 adults, there is always something to be laundered.  I usually get a minimum of 1,000 steps for about two loads of laundry.  However, if I really need the extra steps, I will place clothing that is already on a hanger on the bed and walk a piece at a time to where it needs to go.  Steps gained:  1000

Tidying up.  Dusting, putting away books and toys that are strewn all over the floor, hanging up coats, clearing out clutter - they all count!  Steps gained:  500

After school activities and play time.  Going for walks with my kids, play time, after school sports activities gives me a good many steps as well, usually with a minimum of 1,500.  Steps gained:  1500

Total steps for the day:  10,000+

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