Jill's Healthy Weight Loss Tips

I'm not a nutritionist or a personal trainer or anything, but I have gained and then lost 50+ lbs twice in the last 5 years, and I'm on round three right now. So while I'm not an expert, I do know how to get the job done. Here are some tips I've found extremely helpful for me, divided into two obvious sections: Diet and Exercise.

The secret to weight loss is diet and exercise, but mostly diet. And I'm not talking about GOING on A diet, I'm talking about the regular diet you eat every day, today and for the rest of your life. If the way you eat now is not healthy, you need to change it so it is. Here are some steps that should help.

1. Stop making excuses. There will always be a reason not to do something. You need to start challenging yourself, and the first step is the challenge of making plans instead of excuses. Whenever you hear a tip on how to be healthier, if your first thought is a reason you can't do it, stop yourself right there and think instead "How can I make this work for me?" The biggest excuse I hear is the lack of time. I get it, I'm busy too. I think of it this way: You can take 2 minutes to microwave a processed crap pile that will not only NOT improve your health, but actually make it worse, or you can take 15 minutes to make something healthy that will make you feel great and potentially ADD YEARS TO YOUR LIFE. You decide. But that 15 minutes is in your day somewhere - find it, and put it to better use.

2. STOP eating sugar. Just do it. No more candy, no more soda, no more cookies or cake, no more ice cream, and cut back on things like jam, yogurt, and unnecessary condiments. You should also be on the lookout for processed food items that contain a lot of sugar. You'd be surprised how many of them do. Just remember - sugar is a preservative, so if it's processed in order to last longer, it probably has sugar in it. Ketchup, shake and bake, granola bars...just check labels and if there's more sugar than you want, try to find a replacement. 

3. Eat more veggies! You'll get more vitamins and nutrients from vegetables than anywhere else. Not to mention the fiber benefits you'll be getting. Plus, I think of veggies as calories that don't even count, so eat as many as you want. Here's a nifty illustration of what I mean:

In other words, you COULD eat 4x as much chicken as vegetables in one sitting to fill your stomach, but you'd be eating 4x as many calories as well.

You're obviously not going to be able to get full off of eating veggies in one sitting, which is why they make great snacks. If you're someone who likes to snack, the good news is you can snack on veggies all you want and never feel bad about it.

This piece of advice is especially nifty for people like me who work a desk job.  I sit at my computer for 4-8 hrs per day, and I have that entire time to munch. I could munch on chips and candy, or I could munch on carrots, brussels sprouts, dates and apples. I choose to munch on what makes me feel good, so I choose the latter options.

For starters, just try to make sure you eat a full serving of veggies every day. You'll be surprised to discover how many days you don't eat ANY vegetables. And eat good veggies - try to eat at least one of the following each day: spinach, kale, carrots, brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, broccoli. Basically, if it's dark green or orange, you're good to go. These veggies provide an amazing amount of vitamins that can help your body fight disease, including cancer, along with improving brain function and overall health.

4. Replace less-healthy treats with healthier options. This has been the MOST helpful for me in my weight loss journey(s). After having my first baby, I went on a no-sugar diet for about 6 months, allowing myself one sweet thing per month. I had to get really creative to satisfy those cravings, and by the time I got to the end of the month and went to enjoy my root beer float, it didn't even taste good. To this day 4 years later I'm still not the biggest fan of super sweet treats and only have them once a week, if that. I always end up craving my healthier choices instead.

So here are some ideas that really worked for me.

Instead of ice cream, try graham crackers dipped in milk or yogurt, or even just yogurt. I'm also really fond of fruit bars, lately Outshine has been my favorite brand. Make sure you DON'T get the ones that advertise "No Sugar Added", because they may not add sugar but they add Splenda, which is worse. I'd much rather have a little real sugar than a little fake sugar, but I'll save that soap box for another day.

Instead of candy, please discover dates. They are amazing, and super sweet. If you're near a Winco, also try their raisin medley in the bulk barrels. Some of the sweetest and yummiest raisins you'll ever come across. My whole family eats them like candy. Also remember, any time you want something sweet, any kind of fruit is better than sugary treats. The sugar in fruit, paired with the fiber from the fruit, can be processed naturally by your body. Sugary treats made with refined sugar don't fare so well in your liver.

Instead of French fries, try sweet potato fries. They will blow you away. You can have them sweet or salty, but I prefer salty. 

Instead of snack foods like crackers, chips, and microwave popcorn, try popping popcorn in a pan on the stove. You control the level of oil and salt, and a little goes a long way. Microwave popcorn is nasty stuff filled with toxins and processed yuckiness. Another option here is hummus with veggies, or light crackers. Hummus is filled with protein, so it will fill you up, and it tastes oh so good. If you haven't tried it, or had bad luck at the store, try making your own. It's so easy. Here's my favorite recipe:

1 1/2 - 2 c cooked sweet potato, or shredded carrot
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 c lemon juice
1/4 c tahini (I find mine at Smith's in the salad dressing aisle)
1 clove garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
1 - 2 tbsp ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
Mix everything in a food processor or blender. I love to dip celery into this recipe, which is one of only two ways I like celery.

Instead of soda or juice (both are equally bad as far as sugar content goes), try a fruit and veggie smoothie. This is also a great way to sneak some more veggies into your day. Here are some really yummy ones that I love and drink all the time:

Green Smoothie
1 1/2 c water
1 - 2 handfuls spinach
1 apple
1 orange
1 banana
1 c vanilla yogurt
2 c grapes or frozen blueberries

Carrot Mango Smoothie
1 c water
1 c orange juice
2 full-size carrots
2 c frozen mangoes (or a blend of mangoes and other tropical fruits)
1/4 c fresh mint

Sweet Potato Smoothie
2 c water
1 c cooked sweet potato
6 pitted dates
dash cinnamon

 
Here are some other ideas for healthy alternatives to whatever your unhealthy cravings are:
Canned peaches with cottage cheese.
Peaches or pears blended into a slushie with ice.
Add berries instead of sugar to breakfast foods like oatmeal or pancakes.
Top pancakes with applesauce or peanut butter instead of syrup.
Make chips out of zucchini, sweet potato, or apples by slicing them thinly and baking them.
Make pasta with red sauce instead of white.
Snack on a simple trail mix made from almonds, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, and raisins or dried cranberries.
Try some new veggies! You might be surprised at how much you like them. My philosophy on veggies is this: No matter how you season them, you won't take away their goodness. So if you need to drown your Brussels sprouts with butter and salt to enjoy them, do it. I know I do :)
When you want a snack, just eat some raw fruits or veggies. Carrots, apples, grapes, oranges, bananas, cherry tomatoes, and celery are all quick and easy.

5. Don't bring temptations into your house. If it's there, you'll eat it. If you don't buy it, you won't have to struggle against your will-power to avoid it. Also - don't shop hungry. 

6. If you're really going to be serious about this, track your calories. There are tons of cool apps and websites that will help you out with this, but my recommendation is myfitnespal.com. They also have an app for your phone. You will be blown away by how many calories you actually consume in a day. And then the next day, when you employ suggestions 3 and 4 on my list, you'll be happy you did. A healthy caloric intake for people trying to lose weight is between 1200-1500 for women and 1400-1800 for men. Don't try to eat fewer calories than that - starving yourself will backfire and can actually cause you to gain weight from shocking your body. You need to eat enough to fuel yourself. So eat when you need to, just eat better things. If you're getting ready for a workout, eat foods that will give you energy, like breads, pasta, potatoes, or other carbs. If you're ending a workout, eat some good protein to help strengthen your muscles after ripping them apart.

7. Stop snacking. I know you get hungry at 10 am, 3 pm, and 9 pm, but trust me - the only reason that happens is that you've trained your body to expect food at those times, so it reacts when it doesn't get them. Go one day without those snacks, and you'll stop getting those hunger pangs. 

Ok let's move on to the exercise portion of this little essay.

I said before that diet plays a bigger role in your weight loss than exercise does, but they work together in an amazing way. Eating the right foods will help your body turn that food into energy, and expelling that energy through exercise keeps it from turning into fat. Muscle helps your body use that energy better than fat does, so weight training is always a good idea. Muscle also takes up less room on your body, so it's an amazing way to lose inches. If you only diet, you will lose some weight at first, but that weight will be muscle, not fat. Once your muscle mass is depleted, you might start losing fat. But the best way to prevent losing muscle is to keep growing it, and it in turn will help your body use energy to burn fat rather than store it. Alternately, if you continue to eat unhealthy foods but try to exercise it away, let me just tell you about the battle you're going to lose before you even begin it. There are 3500 calories in a pound of fat. That means in order to lose one pound, you need to burn 3500 calories. Running a 5k will help you lose between 250-350 calories. So realistically, if you watch what you eat and exercise 3-6 times per week, you can lose 2-3 pounds per week. But if you're not watching what you eat, that 3500 calories you're trying to burn just increases. The recommended caloric intake per day is 2000 calories. Most dieters try to eat between 1200-1800 calories per day, depending on how big they are and how much fuel they need to keep them going. As a reference point, when I'm at my healthiest and eating to run I eat around 1350 per day. 

So let's move on to the exercise tips.

1. Find what works for you. I've spent the past few years trying to convince all my friends to become runners, because I love it so much. But it just doesn't work for some people. Then again, you won't know until you try :) If you want to pick up running, I recommend getting the c25k app for your phone, or going to http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml and following their weekly running plans. If running isn't for you, try out some different things until you find what you enjoy doing enough to continue with it for the rest of your life. Swimming, biking, cross fit, yoga, zumba, football, basketball, soccer...find what you love, and do it. You need an aerobic workout 3 times per week to help you lose weight and keep your heart and lungs healthy.

2. Cross train! Doing one type of exercise can put strain and wear and tear on the specific muscles and joints used for that activity, so you need to find something to do on your off days to strengthen those and other areas of your body. This will not only improve your performance in those sports, but keep your body able to do what you love longer. Take running for instance. You need a strong core to be a good runner, so working ALL of your abs, plus your glutes, quads, hip flexors, and back will do amazing things for your posture and running form. I injured myself pretty badly before learning this, and now spend most of my cross training days working on my hips and back. 

Cross training can be as simple as using body-weight strength techniques that can be done in your living room while you watch your favorite TV show or movie. Here are some of the things I incorporate into my strength-training sessions:
Squats
One-legged squats
Lunges
Directional lunges
Wall sits
Tricep dips (you can use a chair or bench for these)
Push ups
Sit ups (don't do crunches. Just don't.)
Bicycle kicks
Bridge
Metronome swing
Superman
Planks
Hip raises
Bicep curls
Pull ups

If you don't know what any of these are, look them up on youtube and you should be able to find video demonstrations. If not, let me know and I'll find or make some :)

3. I'm adding a specific section for abs because I know most people want to shrink their tummies and love handles. So the first thing they do is say "I'll go do some crunches!" People. Don't do crunches. In order to trim down your tummy and sides you need to build the inner ab muscles, and please excuse me for not being an anatomical genius - I don't know the names of all the muscle groups. Anyway, crunches will work your surface ab muscles AFTER you have those deeper muscles in place. If you haven't built that base, crunches will do absolutely nothing for you. 

So what can you do to build the deeper muscles? PLANKS! Do planks. Do them every day. Planks will work ALL your abs, including those in your lower back. I started doing 60 minutes of planks every month about a year ago, and I have not had back pain since. I used to be unable to play my violin for more than 20 minutes without the pain coming, and sitting in a chair has always been a problem for me. I also had trouble sleeping at night because of lower back pain, and let's not even get into the issues I had the last time I was pregnant. But now? Gone. Because I plank. I try to do at least 3 minutes every day, broken up into 2 or 3 sets. Do as many as you want for as long as you can, and you'll notice a difference. I've had people tell me they were even able to get rid of their belly pooch left by pregnancy. I can tell you this will do the most in getting rid of love handles for sure. Some other good deep ab workouts are things like hip raises and bridges. Do what you can until you feel the burn. 

4. Keep pushing yourself. Sometimes you'll get stuck in a rut. You'll start running and get to where you can go 2 miles and feel really good about that, or get to where you can plank for 60 seconds straight and feel really good about that, but after a while it's not doing anything for you anymore. You have to keep challenging yourself. When I run, I try to go farther or faster each time. It might only be 2 seconds faster per mile, but I pushed myself. When I plank, I try to go at least 10 seconds longer each time. I've had a goal of 3 minutes straight for a few months, and now that I'm back in the game I'm hoping to get there before my belly gets too big :)

5. Make it a priority. The only way you'll exercise every day is if you put it at the top of your to-do list. Before you go to bed, plan out when you're going to exercise the next day. Trust me, saying "oh I'll see how the day goes and when I can fit it in" will NEVER get you there. Something will always come up. But if you say "I'm going running at 9 am no matter what", and then you go DO it, well that my friends is called building a habit. 

6. Get a buddy. This gets rid of a lot of excuses people have about being lonely or being unmotivated. Plus it's fun to chat with someone while you work your body. Or complain to them about how bad it hurts :)

7. Reward yourself. Maybe not with cake or ice cream, but give yourself a pat on the back after you finish a crazy workout. I make a yummy peanut butter milk banana smoothie after my runs, and honestly there have been days where the only reason I've gone running is so I could have that smoothie. Or another idea - my husband told me if I got to a size 4 after my first child he'd give me $200 to buy new clothes. Let me tell you ladies, I did it :) Find something that works for you - maybe a movie night, a new CD (do people still buy CDs?), new clothes, whatever. Motivate yourself to work.

You know, I think I'm gonna call it good at this point. If you have any questions about anything I've outlined here, or if you have any additional suggestions, PLEASE let me know. I'd love to make this helpful to as many people as possible. And remember - I'm not an expert. This is just what's worked for me. Twice :)