So this is Melody, my dear friend and fellow equestrian (horse person) that has helped me tremendously throughout the #IWillROCKThis challenge. Jack (Jill??) of all trades, I don’t think there is anything this woman CANNOT do! I am pretty darn sure she created this pirate outfit that she is wearing in this picture (for the Pirate Festival that was in Long Beach last weekend!) as well! Here are some of the DO’s and DON’Ts of weight loss, and just being healthier in general that I’ve picked up from Melody these past couple of months. This will be the first of a couple posts on this topic!
Let’s start off with the DO’S so you won’t get scared off by all of the “DON’Ts!”
DO THIS
*Drink PLENTY of WATER!!
* Drink Milk/Eat Yogurt. Make sure to get 3 servings of dairy a day!
1 serving of dairy is equal to:
*1 cup of milk or yogurt
*1½ ounces of natural cheese (cheddar cheese) <—- Use in extreme moderation though!
*Drink green tea
*Get at least 7-8 hours of SLEEP every night!! This is SO important!!
* Eat your fruits and veggies and don’t forget to exercise!!!
*Walk every chance you get.
* Eat SNACKS throughout the day that have lots of fiber in them (to keep your metabolism up)
* Put up motivational pictures next to pics of you looking your heaviest. (Where you can see them on a daily basis. Like the fridge)
* Daily weigh ins (same time daily and naked to register even the smallest gain to keep you on track or to motivate you to work harder)
*Eat lean lean meat (turkey, fish, rabbit, chicken)
*Drink apple cider vinegar one glass a day (it’s cleansing)
*Always know what your next meal is so you don’t find yourself scrounging for something unhealthy and not planned.
*Make and Prepare all of your meals yourself.
*Exercise in the morning when it’s cold because your body will burn the negative fat better at that time vs when it’s warmer.
*Eliminate all canned soups (So so BAD for you, the amount of sodium these soups have in them!)
*Start your day with 2 eggs… any way, only egg whites is even better. When you do this you will eat less throughout the entire day. FACT! I also like to put Paprika and cut up a small tomato in with my eggs. YUM!
*Eat oatmeal, PLAIN oatmeal and then add in some cinnamon, honey, or fresh fruit to sweeten it up.
* Eat bananas, watermelon and apples!!! Especially if you are craving something sweet.
*Freeze some grapes and strawberries. This is a GREAT snack and alternative to those fattening, high calorie, high sugar content snacks and desserts! 3 strawberries usually does it for me! 🙂
*USE Spices- cinnamon to sweeten anything instead of sugar. I put cinnamon in my oatmeal, greek yogurt, and fruit (and my occasional cup of coffee)! Anything spicy curry; red pepper, black pepper, paprika, turmeric, cayenne pepper, whatever you can tolerate!
DON’T
*Don’t eat cheese.
*Don’t buy crap because then you’ll eat crap.
*Don’t forget about portion control!!!
*Don’t eat these things if you can help it, and if y0u do, in moderation and NOT everyday!!! Chocolate, biscuits, cookies, cake, donuts, muffins, pastries, white bread, chips, nutella, and ice cream.
*Don’t go crazy with the peanut butter or any butter. DON’T use any FAKE butter though. Real butter is better than that fake stuff if you must have it.
*Don’t buy processed or pre-prepared foods.
*Don’t have any carbonated drinks, alcohol, refined sugars or artificial sweeteners & colors.
* Don’t order fast food.
* DO NOT ADD SALT to anything!! Whenever you do that, it will blow you up with water retention and is truly the worst thing for weight loss.
So there you have it! Many of the Do’s and Don’ts that I have been trying my best to follow-up with. Of course I still have my one “cheat” day a week so I don’t go totally crazy and fall off the wagon and gain everything back that I’ve been working so hard to lose! Hope this helps. 🙂 Stay tuned for more tips and ideas.