How to Watch Your Waistline

The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute recommends maintaining a healthy weight to improve your overall health. Too much belly fat increases your risk of heart disease, diabetes and certain types of cancers. A few lifestyle tweaks can help you reduce belly fat and leave you with a slimmer waistline.

1

Track the calories you consume each day by logging them in a journal or at an online calorie counter. Use that information to keep within calorie guidelines for your weight and activity level. For example, a 140-lb. female who exercises three days per week should consume between 1,410 to 1,763 calories per day to maintain a healthy weight.

2

Exercise three to five days a week to lose belly fat. Cardiovascular exercises such as aerobic classes, walking or jogging burn excess calories. In many cases, belly bulge shrinks first when you begin a consistent exercise routine.

3

Maintain a healthy diet by consuming lean protein, such as fish, chicken and low-fat or fat-free cuts of beef. Replace white bread and refined sugars with complex carbohydrates such as fruits and vegetables. Always read nutrition labels to track caloric intake and reduce the amount of calories you consume or trim your portion sizes if you are trying to lose belly fat.

4

Avoid eating after 8 p.m. when your metabolism slows down. If you find yourself hungry late at night, have a filling snack of an apple or banana. Or drink a glass of water if hunger strikes at night.

5

Decrease your stress level. High stress causes cortisol levels to rise in your body, which can lead to an increased appetite. It also causes the food you eat to turn to fat that settles in the waistline area. Cardiovascular exercise helps reduce stress as well as a peaceful yoga session.

 

WHAT TO EAT TO GAIN WEIGHT.

Increasing your intake of junk foods and greasy foods is not a good way to gain weight. Junk foods usually contain unhealthy trans fats or saturated fats. Even though you need to increase your calorie consumption to gain weight, those calories should come from foods that are good for you.

Healthy fats include omega-3 essential fatty acids sources like tuna, salmon, flax, and walnuts. Good sources of protein include lean meats, fish, poultry, nuts, seeds and legumes. Healthy carbohydrate sources include fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

It may be easier to eat five or six smaller balanced meals per day rather than eating three large meals, especially if you are not used to eating much at one sitting.

Protein powders and nutritional supplement drinks such as Ensure (compare prices) can be added as in-between meal snacks if you still need more calories. Some protein powders are flavored and only need added water and some others can be blended with your choice of juice or milk to improve the taste.

It would also be a healthy idea to add a small amount of flax seed oil and some psyllium powder to add some omega-3 essential fatty acids and extra fiber.

TIPS FOR LOSING WEIGHT...

1. Pay attention while you eat. Many times, we snack while doing other things such as watching TV. Without even knowing it, we have consumed a few hundred extra calories. That may not seem like much, but it adds up.

2. Regulate your meal times. Pick times throughout the day when you can sit down and actually enjoy your breakfast, lunch and dinner. Stick to these this to allow your body to pick up on the times and allow it to get used to processing food at these times.

3. Get in the habit of eating healthily on a daily basis. Eat loads of fresh fruit and vegetables throughout the day. This is certainly going to help with your cravings for junk food and just after a few days you will be feeling much healthier and fitter.

4.Start and finish your eating for the day early. Eat breakfast as early as possible, and finish your day off with an early dinner and a no-eat-after-8pm. Your body is most active during the daytime, which means that it will burn more calories then than at night.

5.Avoid late night snacks as they can prevent you from losing weight. As said earlier, your body is less active at night, meaning that you have a greater chance of turning that slice of pizza into pure fat than burning it as a source of energy.

6.Eat your vegetables. Vegetables, especially raw ones, burn more calories than those packed in the vegetables themselves. Also, the fiber in vegetables gives a sense of fullness.

7.Be honest with yourself. If you know you have a weakness for chocolate chip cookies, buying a two-pound bag to keep in the house may give you more temptation than you can handle; if you know you do not have a lot of energy in the morning, it can be self-defeating to plan on jogging every morning before work.

EATING SMART: A KEYSTEP TOWARDS HEALTHY EATING...

Healthy eating begins with learning how to “eat smart”. It's not just what you eat, but how you eat. Paying attention to what you eat and choosing foods that are both nourishing and enjoyable helps support an overall healthy diet.

Take time to chew your food: Chew your food slowly, savoring every bite. We tend to rush though our meals, forgetting to actually taste the flavors and feel the textures of what is in our mouths. Reconnect with the joy of eating.

Avoid stress while eating: When we are stressed, our digestion can be compromised, causing problems like colitis and heartburn. Avoid eating while working, driving, arguing, or watching TV (especially disturbing programs or the news). Try taking some deep breaths prior to beginning your meal, or light candles and play soothing music to create a relaxing atmosphere.

Listen to your body: Ask yourself if you are really hungry. You may really be thirsty, so try drinking a glass of water first. During a meal, stop eating before you feel full. It actually takes a few minutes for your brain to tell your body that it has had enough food, so eat slowly. Eating just enough to satisfy your hunger will help you remain alert, relaxed and feeling your best, rather than stuffing yourself into a “food coma”!

Eat early, eat often: Starting your day with a healthy breakfast can jumpstart your metabolism, and eating the majority of your daily caloric allotment early in the day gives your body time to work those calories off. Also, eating small, healthy meals throughout the day, rather than the standard three large meals, can help keep your metabolism going and ward off snack attacks.

TIPS FOR A HEALTHY AND A BETTER NUTRITION...

Big picture strategies for healthy eating Eat enough calories but not too many. Maintain a balance between your calorie intake and calorie expenditure—that is, don't eat more food than your body uses. The average recommended daily allowance is 2,000 calories, but this depends on your age, sex, height, weight, and physical activity.

Eat a wide variety of foods. Healthy eating is an opportunity to expand your range of choices by trying foods—especially vegetables, whole grains, or fruits—that you don't normally eat.
Keep portions moderate, especially high-calorie foods. In recent years serving sizes have ballooned, particularly in restaurants. Choose a starter instead of an entrée, split a dish with a friend, and don’t order supersized anything.

Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes—foods high in complex carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, low in fat, and free of cholesterol. Try to get fresh, local produce
Drink more water. Our bodies are about 75% water. It is a vital part of a healthy diet. Water helps flush our systems, especially the kidneys and bladder, of waste products and toxins. A majority of Americans go through life dehydrated.

Limit sugary foods, salt, and refined-grain products. Sugar is added to a vast array of foods. In a year, just one daily 12-ounce can of soda (160 calories) can increase your weight by 16 pounds. See suggestions below for limiting salt and substituting whole grains for refined grains.

Don’t be the food police. You can enjoy your favorite sweets and fried foods in moderation, as long as they are an occasional part of your overall healthy diet. Food is a great source of pleasure, and pleasure is good for the heart – even if those French fries aren’t!

Get moving. A healthy diet improves your energy and feelings of well-being while reducing your risk of many diseases. Adding regular physical activity and exercise will make any healthy eating plan work even better.
Establishing new food habits is much easier if you focus on and take action on one food group or food fact at a time. WELCOME TO A NEW YEAR!

STOP EATING 3 HOURS BEFORE BEDTIME...

You've probably seen the suggestion of not eating anything after 7 p.m. Well this generally assumes you go to bed around 9 or 10 at night.

If you are a night owl, you may retire a little later so it may seem unrealistic to not eat anything after 7 if you don't go to bed until 12 a.m.

Generally, the rule of the thumb is to not eat anything within 3 hours of your bedtime. So if you do usually go to sleep at 1 a.m. this would mean no food intake after 10 p.m.

The reason you don't want to eat late at night is because your food may not properly digest. This can cause morning gas and stomach cramps.

Some people who complain about bloating never realize that it's from the gas and food particles left over from improper digestion. This can be avoided if you cut down the late night snacking.

Eating late at night also forces your body to use its energy on digestion,. One of the primary functions of sleep is to help you recuperate from the day. You want your body to be as relaxed as possible so you can wake up energized.

Now we all know we have to cheat at some points. It's just not realistic to believe you can refrain from eating late at night every single night. So if you must cheat, then eat something healthy like a piece of fruit or a very small handful of nuts.

EATING LESS: DIET TIPS

Eat less. More often. Rather than eating large meals, chop up your eating into smaller portions throughout the day. I found myself eating 3 meals most days and having a snack around 3pm as well as another in the evening. That was enough to keep me from feeling hungry while still eating less in total.
Don't eat right before going to bed. I've read this numerous times and don't get why it works, but it does. I set a limit of 3 hours. So I planned to go to bed at midnight, I wouldn't eat past 9pm.
Brush your teeth early. For whatever reason, I won't eat when my teeth still feel clean. By brushing them several hours before bed, it was easier to accomplish #2.
Kick the sugar habit. If you drink sugared soft drinks (I used to be a Mt. Dew and Coke fan), replace them either with their diet counterparts or water. This can make a very, very big difference.
Eat vegetables before the main course. Whenever possible, I'd make sure to have an ample serving of a vegetable (you get very few calories for the amount you eat) before eating the denser main course--often a meat or fish. You'll need less of the dense stuff to be happy.
Update your spreadsheet daily. Keeping a running count will help you ration out the rest of your daily calorie allowance, which we'll talk about tomorrow.
Get used to leftovers. When you eat out, expect to take some of your meal home. If you eat standard restaurant portions, you'll almost certainly overeat.
Shop with calories in mind. When you're at the grocery store, spends some extra time reading the labels and nutritional information. You'll probably end up changing your shopping habits along the way.
Slow down! When you eat fast, you end up ingesting more food before you body has a chance to figure out that it's satisfied (not full).
Drink more water during the day. This is fairly generic advice, but definitely seems to help.
Trick yourself with gum. Sometimes we eat out of habit or because it just feels good to get some flavor in your mouth and chew for a while. Find yourself some sugar-free chewing gum and use it when the urge strikes.
Reduce the amount of breads, chips, crackers, and salty snacks you eat. A lot of starchy and/or salty food make you want to eat and drink even more. This comes straight out of Atkins diet culture.
Today's installment of the diet plan is a dose of tips I've learned that make it a bit easier to eat less without feeling hungry. So, without further delay, here are my collected tips. Feel free to add your own in the comments.