Guest Author - Lisa Binion
There are articles on how to lose weight in just about every issue of each woman's magazine. Magazines are also full of advertisements on weight loss products. I don't personally know how many commercials are run on television about these products because I don't have cable or satellite, but I assume there are plenty of them.
With so many weight loss products on the market and so many weight loss fads to choose from, it is difficult to know which to select when one needs to lose weight. There is an easier and healthier way to accomplish your goals.
I tried many of the fads that were out there when I first realized that I was carrying around far too many pounds. The fads did work, as long as I stuck to the plan, but when I deviated the weight came back on. Finally, I realized that something different had to be done. Instead of going on a diet, I decided to change my eating habits once and for all.
I began to educate myself on what exactly was good for me and what wasn’t so good for me. What I found out astounded me. Sick and tired of being overweight, I didn’t gradually change my eating habits, I did it all at once.
I quit eating as many processed foods as possible, especially foods with ingredients like high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and hydrogenated oils. Of course, these foods had to be replaced with their natural equivalents. For example, peanut butter. I have always loved peanut butter, but most commercial brands were full of HFCS, and hydrogenated oils, so I switched to all natural peanut butter that you had to stir the oil into. My first taste was a pleasant surprise. It actually tasted like peanuts. I have never even thought about switching back to my former brands.
Margarine was replaced with real butter. Skim milk was replaced first with whole milk, then with whole natural milk from a local farmer. Vegetable oil and canola oil were replaced with olive oil and coconut oil. Store bought bread I replaced with homemade bread. I even began making my own barbecue sauce, yogurt and dark chocolate. Pop was replaced with water, tea, and coffee (not decaffeinated) with real cream. Artificial sweeteners were replace with raw honey and real sugar.
Whole fat foods satisfied me much quicker than the low fat/low suagr junk I had been eating. The urge to snack went away. And I lost weight. At first the weight fell off of me, as though it were running away from me. I am still losing weight, just at a slower rate now.
One other thing that I did was to take smaller bites and slow down eating. Amazingly, when you eat slowly, it takes less to satisfy you. After a bite of food, lay down your fork or spoon. Thoroughly chew your food, enjoying it to the max. Then swallow and wait a few seconds before taking your next bite.
Most people wolf down their food. Next time you go out and eat, watch how the others in the restaurant consume their food. It usually only takes a few minutes. If you eat slowly, it should take at least 20 minutes to finish your meal. If you really eat slow, like me, it can take up to 45 minutes or even longer.
It is also important to quit eating you are satisfied. If you wolf your food down, you won't feel satisfied until you have eaten far too much. Food is not an enemy to be done away with as soon as possible, so eat slowly and thoroughly enjoy each and every bite. When I slowed down how quickly I ate, I was amazed at how little food it actually took to fill me up.
The best part is that I am able to lose weight while enjoying a small amount of dark chocolate after dinner each evening. And before going to bed, I indulge in a glass or 2 of red wine.
Both dark chocolate and red wine taste great, but they also have great health benefits. Both are full of flavonoids that lower blood pressure, decrease risk of heart attacks and strokes. They also help you to relax.
How much weight have I lost? At first I lost about a pound a day. After a few weeks, that slowed down a little. So far, I have lost 30 pounds total, and still have about another 12 or 13 to go.
Since I have changed my diet permanently (I don't ever want to go back to eating the way I used to) the weight should easily stay off of me.
If you are interested in losing weight the natural way, I highly recommend reading "The French Don’t Diet Plan" by Dr. Will Clower. I bought this book before changing my diet. Besides teaching a lot about what is good for you and what isn’t, there are wonderful recipes in the back. I have included an Amazon link below, If you wish to purchase this book.
