As we end the month of September and October eerily creeps up on us from around the corner, we're reminded that the holiday's really are just around the corner! It may not seem like it, but Thanksgiving and Christmas will sneak up on us sooner than we realize...and what comes with the holidays? FOOD.
LOTS and LOTS of FOOD.
Even Halloween! Just think about all the candy that is surrounding us and bombarding us, especially in the week before and after Halloween.
This is where self-discipline comes into play. There's going to be a ton of temptations coming up in the next couple months, and it's going to be difficult to say no to some of them, especially when you have a plate of Christmas cookies under your nose. But one of the best ways to work on your self-control to prepare yourself for the holiday's is to start NOW. Yes, NOW. I'm not kidding! You may be able to think that if you cut out sweets and junk food, and all that "bad stuff" the day before you go to a party that you'll be fine, well, not to burst your bubble, but it's going to be extremely difficult. So one of the best ways to prepare for these parties with the lavish sweets, breads, and alcohol is to start cutting back NOW!
No, it's not easy, but it's worth it! Seriously! Here's a couple of ways to start working on that self-control!
1. No Junk/Processed Foods! AT ALL!
How often to we actually look at the ingredients on a package of food in the grocery store? Have you actually HEARD of all of the ingredients in that food? Can you even pronounce all the ingredients? A number of ingredients are inserted by food companies to hide an odor/flavor, add color, sweeten, texturize, or preserve the food. These ingredients are also tied into a number of autoimmune diseases and are LOADED with sodium, refined sugars, and trans fats which rain on your parade as far as weight loss is concerned. Foods that should be avoided completely are: sodas, fast food, baked goods like cakes, cookies, pies, etc, candies, processed meats and dairy, anything white (white rice, bread, pasta), and high-sodium canned foods. If anything starts with the word: hydrogenated DO NOT EAT IT. And finally, avoid ANYTHING that says "enriched"!
2. Drink your water! Hydrate!
We need to regulate water and sodium consumption in our bodies. Too much sodium in our body can increase blood pressure and decrease our metabolism, and sodium...IS EVERYWHERE. Basically how it works, when you consume sodium is excess is distributed under the skin (where it attracts water) and it's retained in your cells this is why we feel bloated, or puffy for lack of a better term. This isn't something for you to lose sleep over, but we need to be aware of what we're putting in our body. One way to do this is to eat fresh foods, stay away from processed and pre-packaged foods, and go easy on the table salt, soy sauce! Be conscious about what's going into your body! Something I use to replace a lot of condiments that contain a ton of sodium is the Mrs. Dash seasoning! There's a ton of flavors and they're all salt-free! Now, as far as water is concerned, DRINK UP! Men should generally drink about 120 oz a day, and women should have around 80 oz a day. Sometimes even, I tell people to drink half their body weight in ounces a day! Yes, you may find yourself running to the bathroom a bit more than usual, but it's a small price to pay for a healthy body!
3. Cut out the Booze
No one particularly likes this rule, and I'm not suggesting that you cut out alcohol for life. But alcohol is a tall glass of empty calories. When you consume alcohol, you're causing your body dehydration, mineral loss, and water loss. When you lose minerals like potassium, magnesium, zinc, and calcium, you're losing the minerals that are very important to fluid balance in the body, fat metabolism, muscle contractions and relaxation. When you have alcohol in your system, it releases estrogen into your blood stream, which it turn, promotes fat storage, and restricts muscle growth. Not to mention that fact we all know, it vastly decreases your inhibitions, will power, and increases your appetite causing you to go through fast food at 1am reaching for a burger and large fries. Seriously? Try cutting out alcohol for 30 days and tell me you don't feel better at the end of the month. I'm not even joking.
4. Keep a food journal.
It's almost like a contract with yourself to eat clean. This helps keep you accountable to yourself because you're forcing yourself to see what you're putting in your body every single day. This also helps to keep your mind on your weight loss goals. Keep track of what you eat throughout the day! It's not that hard! Jot it down quickly as you eat throughout the day. Seeing what you actually put in your body will give you small reality checks, you may find out that you don't eat as healthy as you think you do! Plus, being honest with yourself about what you're eating, may help you make some healthy changes in your diet. But the key to this is, being honest with yourself! Don't cheat yourself out of this, because in reality, the only person you're hurting is yourself.
Start following some of these rules and I promise, if you actually stick to it and be honest with yourself, you'll start seeing changes, not only in how you feel, but in how you look as well :)
Here, I'll even help you out! Here's a couple of recipes that are healthy, and actually taste good!
Broccoli, Turkey, & Cheese Lunch Wrap
*Serves 4
Ingredients:
3/4 cup broccoli florets
1/4 cup (2 oz) light cream cheese
2 Tbsp fat-free Italian dressing
1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
6 slices low-sodium turkey breast
1/3 cup bottle roasted red peppers chopped
4 round whole wheat/whole grain wraps
1. Steam broccoli, for about 5 minutes or until it's crisp/tender.
2. Combine cream cheese, dressing, and Italian seasoning in a bowl
3. Combine broccoli, cream cheese mix, turkey and bell pepper in a medium skillet, cook turkey mix over med-high heat until it's thoroughly heated.
4. Spread mix over wraps, roll, and enjoy!
Spinach & Ricotta Chicken
*Serves 6
Filling:
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/3 cup reduced fat parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 (10-oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
1 large egg
Chicken:
6 (6oz) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup dry white wine
1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Combine all filling ingredients
3. For chicken: place each chicken breast between 2 sheets heavy-duty plastic wrap, pound to 1/4" thickness. Divide and spread filling over chicken breasts and roll-up, tuck in the sides, and place the chicken seam side down, in a 13x9 baking dish, pour wine over chicken, and cover dish with foil.
4. Bake for 30 minutes, basting chicken with wine every 10 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes until/until chicken is done. Remove chicken from the pan and strain the wine mix through a sieve over a bowl and throw away the solids, and serve the wine mixture over the chicken.
*Michaels, Jilliam, Making the Cut, Three Rivers Press; New York, 2007
No comments:
Post a Comment