10 Everyday Tips for Weight Loss
1. Meal prep!!! Make a calendar planning your meals for the week then make the meals and put them in containers. Take the decision making aspect out of a lot of your meals. When you are in a rush or have no clue what you are going to eat it leaves room for poor decisions that can completely overtake “willpower.” It might sound like a lot of work but it really is not. It just requires a minimal amount of planning.
2. Get familiar with five of your favorite meals that are easy to make and that you can rotate. For instance, overnight oats for breakfast in the morning. Turkey, lettuce, mustard, and cheese sandwich. Steamed vegetables and salmon. Steamed quinoa and beef tips. Choose whatever you like but make sure you know the nutritional values like the back of your hand and keep the ingredients stockpiled.
3. Cut down snacking. You are not an animal that grazes all day. You are a human whose insulin levels need a break during the day.
4. Log everything you eat. Use an app or a journal tracking your calories or net carbs.
5. Get a food scale and measure almost everything.
6. Get rid of the goodies in the house. If you are going to have a dessert or sweet snack then make it a special occasion that you take a trip outside of the house. In general, avoid refined/processed simple carbohydrates.
7. Learn to eat lots of roasted, steamed, grilled, or raw vegetables. They are filling, nutritious, full of fiber, and have few calories.
8. Get rid of drinks that have calories. Drink plenty of water but you can also supplement with unsweet tea or black coffee (decaf if you like).
9. Eat plenty of protein. It is very satiating and 90 to 120g a day can promote muscle growth.
10. Sleep 8 hours a night and learn coping mechanisms for stress. Inadequate sleep increases the hunger hormone ghrelin and stress increases our cortisol levels.
For more information see my website www. JarrellWeightManagement Specialists.com and click the “Patient Education” tab. Or better yet click the “Contact Us” button to send an email for an appointment and we will get back to you during normal business hours.
Seth Jarrell, MD