Turn tiny tweaks into habits for success

25 January 2012

If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun. Katharine Hepburn

Made it through another day of staying on track, my portion of mash on my lunch was huge but worth it and the salad bowl I had for my dinner was massive too and delicious I have to admit especially with the cheese which was worth forgoing my wine for.  Lots of fruit and lots of water really is making a difference, I’m not hungry or craving things, so fingers crossed that trend continues and the damage from my birthday celebrations aren’t too bad when I get weighed on Thursday.  Thisi s my tracker from yesterday.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Breakfast
1 sachet Weight Watchers Breakfast Oats	3
200 ml Milk, Skimmed	2
1 medium Banana	0
40 g Strawberries	0
1 medium Pear	0
Subtotal	5
Lunch
chicken casserole	5
Mashed Potato	9
Subtotal	14
Dinner
salad bowl	0
1 pack(s) Wheat & Oat Crackers	2
80 g Creamy Gorgonzola	7
1 tablespoons Salad Cream, Light	1
Subtotal	10
Any Time
Fruit salad	0
Subtotal	0
Food ProPoints values total used	29

This week in meetings we’re talking about truthful tracking and overeating and one of the things we’ve all decided is to lose weight and keep it off permanently, you’ve got to permanently change some of your habits, and to do that takes time, small changes equals big results.  So here’s a few suggestions of changes you could be working on.

HABIT 1 - EAT BREAKFAST
Yep whether we have time or not, whether you like to eat in the morning or not (you can wait an hour if you have to) – breakfast really is the most important meal of the day if you want to stay slim. According to the National Weight Control Registry (NWCR) established by the University of Colorado, which regularly analyses the habits of more than 10,000 people who've lost at least 301b and kept it off for a year or longer, 78 per cent of its members eat breakfast daily.

HABIT 2 - GET WEIGHED REGULARLY
According to the NWCR. 75 per cent of its members weigh themselves at least once a week. Doing
so will mean you can take corrective action sooner rather than later should the pounds creep on.

HABIT 3 - PRACTISE PORTION CONTROL
This is actually much easier than you'd think. According to a study published in the American Journal
of Clinical Nutrition, participants were able to reduce their portion size by an impressive 25 per cent
without feeling hungry.

HABIT 4 - ASK THE MILLION-CALORIE QUESTIONHow often have you found yourself automatically reaching for comfort food without thinking
why you're doing it? Next time you catch yourself with your hand in the biscuit jar, stop and ask
yourself: 'What do I really need right now?’ You’ll be astonished at how seldom the answer
is 'a double-choc chip cookie' and how frequently the real answer is a hug, a drink of water
or a catnap.

HABIT 5 - SWITCH OFF THE TV
People eat 44 per cent more when they're glued to the TV - and the more entertaining the programme, the more they eat, as they're too distracted to register their food intake, according to a US study.  Eating while hunched over a laptop is likely to have the same effect, so set time aside for your three meals and two snacks a day where you sit down, take small bites and really taste your food. This is called 'mindful eating' and gives the hormones that control how full you feel time to kick in and tell your brain to step away from the plate! Remember, people who wolf down their food are twice as likely to be overweight as those who don't, according to a Japanese study.

HABIT 6 - GET ACTIVE AT EVERY OPPORTUNITY
A watched kettle never boils, so make it a New Year's resolution to never let a single second of
boiling, microwaving or steaming time go to waste. The minute you find yourself staring into space
waiting for a kitchen appliance to do its work, spring into action and do some squats, lunges or
wall press-ups (have a sneaky workout!) or just boogie round the room. The extra calories you burn all add up.

SANITY SAVERS
Whenever the urge to snack at inappropriately strikes (especially during that pre-dinner, horribly
hungry hour), try having a bowl of chopped up fruit or raw veggies to hand not quite a bar of chocolate I know but it’ll occupy you hands and mouth and the scales will thank you for it. 

Right are you going to have an on track Wednesday – I AM!