Yesterday I talked about some strategies to help you shed some pounds quickly for the summer (or any other time of the year). If you have no seen them you can take a look at Part 1.
Have you implemented any of the changes yet?
Perhaps you are waiting for Sunday, or Monday as that is when most think it is a good time to start a diet. Well, here is a bit of honesty –> there is and will never will be a perfect time to start! Today is a good day, so why not start there? These strategies are small, doable, and realistic over the long term.
Let’s keep going and see what else we can adjust for successful fat loss.
- Brown bag it – all the time. Bring your lunch to work. Eliminate eating out at the restaurant, and the impromptu lunches out per with friends. If anything pare back to just one meal out per week or better yet every 2 weeks. Hore d’oeuvres, appetizers, entree, dessert, drinks, all these things add up very quickly. Eating amongst friends in a restaurant is a prime situation to overeat, and portion sizes are enormously large. When we are around friends we tend to eat how they eat. And if they eat a lot; you will too. Set yourself a limit on how many times you eat out at the restaurant per week. I recommend eating from home (which includes packing a lunch) at minimum 5 business days – Monday to Friday.
- Always prepare your food at home. It will save you money, and it will perhaps cut lbs off your waistline. Buy yourself a super snazzy lunch bag or cooler to bring with you everyday – see here and here for some suggestions.
- Get a meal plan – There are a few options on this one. With a little research online you will be able to find a meal plan to get you started. On the other hand, it never hurts to hire someone to achieve your weight loss goals. Having someone in your corner can help stay accountable and motivated might be just what you need. If you are doing it on your own, make sure you plan out a weeks worth of meals. Leading me to my next point….
- Weigh your food – I know it sounds a bit obsessive, but how do you know to cut back if you don’t know how much you are currently eating? I have clients who don’t want to weigh their food. They think of it as a bother. I use it as a verification tool, even if it is once or twice a week. I don’t see how you can make an accurate adjustment if you cannot recognize a portion size. We are bombared with media images, and food portions that are way over what we need to be eating. A large flat screen TV can make any serving size seem really large. Weighing your food will put a serving size back into perspective. What is a portion? Invest in a good digital scale.
- Buy what is on the meal plan – There is no shortage of [insert food here] in the world and when the time comes and you can have it, it will be available.
- Don’t buy just because it is on sale – Unless it is some non food item, don’t buy it. You don’t NEED it.
- Plan for a week’s worth of meals. I would stick with what is in budget and what is on your meal plan, and nothing extra. You won’t be eating it, so just don’t invest in it. Think of all the money you are saving by only buying food you will eat within the week – no more.
- Prep your food – Chop up vegetables, cook meats, in advance, so everything is ready to go. Reheat and serve. If you know you will be cooking, have all the ingredients on hand. You want to minimize your time in the grocery store. Sights and smells can be too tempting. There is a reason why in the US the bakery section is at the front of the store, funny, in Canada it is always produce.It is these small changes that can add up to big results.Let me know if you have tried any strategies, and feel free to comment below.
Have a great weekend.
A.
Paul Rickard
Very good information Allison. Useful for both women AND men. By the way, the first thing I see when I walk in the grocery store here, Frys, is the produce section. The bakery is at the back. 🙂
I also have a Six-Pack bag. I use it every day to work and everyone always says, “That’s a big lunch bag.” Of course I have to correct then that it’s not just lunch but my meals for the day. Most people don’t do that. They either have one lunchbag and eat from the vending machines, coffee shops, etc. throughout the day. So, I know my cooler looks alien to them. 😉