Determined To Succeed

Here are some “quick tricks of the trade” to tell you HOW to burn more fat, feel less hungry and lose the weight you want.

TIMING is everything –

Yes, even in food consumption timing is everything. Ideally you should remember these three things:

• Eat three (3) meals and two (2) snacks daily.
• Eat three (3) to four (4) hours apart each time
• Have breakfast no later than one (1) hour after waking up in the morning.

It’s all about PORTION CONTROL –

Portion size is key in helping you lose weight. Correct portions are also smaller than you think. Choosing foods that are not calorie-dense give you more “bang for your caloric buck.” In other words you can eat a larger quantity of these foods and feel fuller filling up on fewer calories. For example: eating 1/3 cantaloupe vs. eating 2 tablespoons of raisins. Since cantaloupe is packed with water it allows you to eat a larger quantity for the same number of calories (60) as two smaller tablespoons of raisins.

Balance your meals with MIXED FUELS –

Try to combine a protein, a carbohydrate and a fat at each meal or snack. You see, complimenting foods with other food groups improves overall nutritional value and increases your ability to feel full. By adding a balance of protein and some fat in your meals you’ll avoid peaks and valleys in blood sugar levels and stay energized throughout the day.

Here’s how it works: the protein and fat slow sugars from entering the bloodstream too quickly by creating a steadier stream of sugar into the blood (kind of like a pump). Think about it. Your morning bagel may taste good and fill you up a bit but it’s probably the reason you feel a drop in energy mentally and physically soon after having it. That bagel quickly converts to sugar which, in turn, gives you a rush of energy…that is until you crash when that surge of sugar/energy is gone.

Here are some great examples of meals and/or snacks to help sustain your energy and carry you through your day:

• A slice of cheese or spoonful of peanut butter (both of which contain protein and fat) in conjunction with a carbohydrate such as bread or apple.
• Eggs or Eggbeaters with toast
• Tuna salad on whole wheat bread/toast
• Soy/veggie burger on a whole wheat bun
• Cottage cheese with low-sugar or sugar-free jelly spread on a whole wheat English muffin.

Click here for my epilogue: A Final Note on “Failure”