Every January, people feel inspired to get healthy and start their year with new diets and quick ways to lose pounds. Typically, diets end as quickly as they begin and people are left feeling guilty and like they have failed. But most diets are not healthy long term solution to losing weight permanently. Most fad diets are designed to drop weight quickly, but neglect to inform how to live each day in a healthy way. Rimrock supports holistic long-term health, which includes consistency and healthy choices. It isn’t healthy to live on diets alone. Make 2016 a year filled with balance, consistent good choices and positive progress.
Below are tips from Stefani Wanner, Rimrock’s Inpatient Case Manager, who is certified by the American College of Sports Medicine, the American Council of Exercise, and Aerobics and Fitness Association of America.
Healthy Tips to Keep in Mind:
1) Fat is not a feeling. Many people will “feel fat” and make choices to rid themselves of the negative feelings. This lifestyle can be a slippery slope. Be careful when feeling full or bloated, and not to be too hard on yourself. Give it time and allow your body time to digest. Those feelings will subside. Trust that your body knows what to do in times when you may have made a poor choice.
2) There is no such thing as “good” or “bad” food. Food is meant to be fuel for your body. Certain fuel may be healthier choices, but restricting yourself from having certain foods, may result in getting nutrients your body needs.
3) Skipping meals does the opposite of what you think. Skipping meals can result in the body metabolism slowing down, because it thinks it is being starved. With this slowdown the body tries to conserve energy and weight loss doesn’t happen. A better option is to eat regularly throughout the day, and try not to go more than 4 hours without eating; 2 hours if it’s a snacks. This will help keep your metabolism burning consistently.
4) Eat a wide variety from each food groups every single day. Make sure you are eating a healthy balance of fruits, vegetables, proteins and fats.
5) You don’t have to feel like you are starving to lose weight. This is why most diets fail, after a while of feeling restricted, most people binge on something they are craving. When we restrict, we turn food into an enemy. Remember – food is fuel.
6) For emotional eaters, honor your body. If you are feeling hungry, and cannot tell if you have true hunger or if you are being emotionally triggered, ask yourself, “Would I eat an apple right now?” If you say no, you are emotionally hungry. If you say yes, then you are physically hungry.
7) The time of day you eat does not determine weight gain. Some believe eating before bed causes weight gain, this is not true. Your body still burns fat while you sleep. So remember the rule; weight gain is determined by calories in vs. calories out. If you eat more calories than you burn, you will gain weight, regardless of what time of the day it is.
8) Carbs are NOT your enemy. You need carbs as fuel.
9) Don’t make exercise an obligation. Do what you love! Some fad diets have crazy workouts that are hard to maintain, and most people don’t make them habits, because they feel unnatural. So, pick something that you enjoy doing, and do it enough to elevate your heart rate for longer than 10 minutes at a time.
