— ARCHIVES —
Exercise of the Month - January 2009: “Long-term adherence to keeping off the pounds”
Lowering saturated fat intake, working out with a buddy, and hiring a trainer are 3 common ways people report as ways they’ve kept off weight they’ve lost. For those looking to drop some “lbs,” we know losing weight is one thing, but keeping it off is the real challenge/goal. Any guesses what the #1 characteristic is for successful dieters? If you guessed self-monitoring, you’d be correct!
Tracking your food intake in a journal, notebook, diary, etc… is the best way to really keep off the weight. I often have my clients do sporadic journals as it reveals several mannerisms. I look for the basics: adequate hydration with minimally-caloric liquids (i.e. water, tea, etc…), adequate fiber, protein, etc…Some like to write down every little detail, but I find chronicling the basics does the job. The real key is to maintain a written track of what you’re eating and equally important, when you’re eating it. Make sure to take in small portions every few hours to maintain normal glucose (blood sugar) levels.
A sample food journal (1-day example) could look as follows:
Breakfast 7:00 AM: |
½ cup of oatmeal, 2 TBS raisins, 8 walnuts; multi-vitamin |
Lunch 11:00 AM: |
2 slices of turkey on whole wheat with ½ cup of spinach leaves and 1 TBS fat free mayo |
Snack 2:00 PM: |
1 ½ cups of strawberries |
Snack 4:00 PM: |
South Beach granola bar |
Dinner 7:00 PM: |
4oz tilapia, 1 small garden salad, 8 oz skim milk |
*Drank 3 liters of water throughout course of day |
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