P.E. but not as you knew it

Today I’m practicing Preventative Eating.  I’ll pack some mini-meals in my purse and stash something healthy in the side pocket of my car.  No more dietary debacles. 

Yesterday:  Having eaten too little for breakfast, I was ravenous by 11 and completely incapable of driving past fast food restaurants while heading home from an appointment.  I totally lost the miniscule amount of self discipline I had.  And inhaled a Carl's Jr. lettuce wrapped Low Carb burger.  YES!   And fries. 

Things will be different today.  With Preventative Eating in place, I’ll be prepared.  I’ll eat before I’m actually hungry.  Then I'll brush my teeth immediately after.  A trick many mentioned at our workshops.

Next day:  How’d it go?  Very well.  Until evening.  I ate dinner, brushed my teeth and sat down to watch a movie. The film featured people consuming Croque Monsieur.  Clearly carb/fat deprived, I could not contain myself.  I ran as fast as my feet would carry me to the kitchen to make my own Healthy Version:  Whole grain muffins with cheese.   A LOT of cheese.  I stopped eating when I had polished off three.  Not a great way to start a diet.  Or to end an otherwise terrific day.

Tomorrow:  Preventative Eating.  Smart meals.  Teeth brushed.  Duct tape.  Isolation booth.

Continuation of yesterday's blog

Make friends with fiber.  You’ll feel fuller.  One study showed that those who ate a high-fiber breakfast saved 150 calories by eating less later in the day.

Wake up with water.  Both your day and your metabolism, that is.  Did you know that drinking too little water can contribute to an increase in body fat?  Dehydration causes a slight drop in body temperature.  In it’s wisdom, your body will attempt to help raise temperature by storing fat to act as an insulator.  Inefficient metabolism, and hoarding of fat may be the result of too little H2O consumption.

Gulp it from a goblet.  How to make that water more appealing?  Add a lemon slice, Emergen-C or ...

Ask and answer.  Am I really hungry…or just thirsty?

Toss it if it's toxic.  Plastic, a petroleum product, that is.  Normal wear-and-tear and cleaning of polycarbonate plastic bottles in a dishwasher, can cause the chemicals to leach.  The amount of leaching increases as the plastic ages and is degraded by use.   A separate study published in July in Environmental Health Perspectives confirmed this finding, and also detected leaching from new polycarbonate plastic.

Grab a grapefruit.  A new study by the Nutrition and Metabolic Research Center at Scripps Clinic confirmed that adding grapefruit and grapefruit juice to one's diet can result in weight loss. The grapefruit diet is not a myth!  With its high fiber content and low glycemic load, grapefruit may be a secret weight-loss weapon.  In a 12-week study, doctors monitored weight and metabolic factors of 100 men and women.  On average, participants who ate half a grapefruit with each meal lost 3.6 pounds while those who drank a serving of grapefruit juice three themes a day lost 3.3 pounds.  Many patients in the study lost more than 10 pounds!  Whether it’s the properties of grapefruit or its ability to satiate appetites, gf appeared to help with weight loss and decreased insulin levels.  

Pick a Protein.  Protein requires more energy to be broken down, digested and absorbed.  Resting metabolic rate typically goes up after eating protein as much as two to three times more than after eating carbohydrates and fats.  In addition, complex, high-fiber carbohydrates like high-fiber vegetables and cereals burn more calories in digestion that simple carbohydrates.

Practice preventative pit stops.  Eat before you’re hungry.  Drink before thirsty.  Blood sugar doesn’t drop as dramatically and you're less likely to initiate an all-out eat-a-thon.

Bite the bullet.  Wake up a little hungry.  Remember, BREAK (the) FAST?

Serve up a small selection.  Put it on a petite plate.  Salad plates vs. dinner plates.

Weigh in weekly.  Or not. That may work for some but a daily check could catch those excess pounds before they creep in and on. 

Clever ways to cut calories?  Jump Start weight loss with one of the many calorie-restricted or protein-based diets (The Special K Cereal Diet.  The Cabbage Soup Diet, Atkins) 

Peruse the perimeter.  Most grocery stores stash the freshest foods there. 

Watch out for that wine!  Alcohol can pack on the pounds.  How to deal with wanting wine and later wishing you hadn’t had it?  Start with seltzer.  Or some other non-alcoholic beverage. 

Bring half home.  Share an entrée or pack it up for your pooch, particularly if you don't have one.

Beware of the bread basket.  Just say No.  Or Not Again, pls.