Tried and True Eating Strategies - 5 Tips to Keep it Simple

Maybe you have heard of the KISS principle: Keep It Simple Silly. You can use it for many things. I believe that sometimes we have a tendency to make eating too hard. As a personal trainer working with clients, many of whom are overweight, I work with them in making small, simple modifications that are do-able. Keeping it simple is more likely to get compliant clients who experience success. That's what we both want.

Here are several simple suggestions to consider for eating changes.

Eat early. The body awakes in a starvation state since usually we haven't eaten for 10-12 hours. So, the body will remain at the low caloric burn of sleeping if we don't rev it up. Eating actually does burn calories, so we need to eat breakfast. This meal can consist of anything, in other words, it doesn't have to be breakfast food as we know it. As long as you eat about 4-500 calories of a combination of carbohydrate (breads, pastas, fruits, veggies, etc.) and protein (chicken, beans, soy, tofu, lean beef, etc.) and a little fat (easy to get - no worries about too little here), you are good to go. Now, I am also suggesting eat early for considering the last mini-meal of the day. Rather than follow traditional American culture and eat a lot late, I suggest you eat only 500 calories tops after say 7 or so. You won't wake up starving in the middle of the night if you have a portion of carbohydrate and protein and yet, you won't be stuffed when you go to bed.

Eat bright. I love this one. Try something new. In my experience, people don't eat enough fruits and vegetables and they eat the same ones all the time. So, go to the grocery and just stand back and look at the produce section. It looks beautiful with all the colors - reds, greens, yellows, oranges, purples, etc. Get a whole grocery cart of beets, green beans, yellow peppers, radishes, spinach, yams, broccoli, yellow beans, carrots, brussel sprouts, etc. I dare you to pick something that you have never eaten before and buy it. And, when you look in your grocery cart in the checkout line, if you have more boxes and cans and bottles than not, you are going the wrong direction in your eating habits. Make it a game to one day notice few boxes, bottles, and cans but lots of fresh, brightly colored produce in the cart. Veggies and fruits are packed with more vitamins and minerals, more healthy things that our bodies need than any box, bottle, can or pill contains.

Eat often. I love it when I know I have to eat virtually all the time. I love to eat so eating 5-6 meals a day sure beats just eating breakfast, lunch and dinner. If the typical American's caloric intake is 2000 calories/day, then just eat 333 calories at 6 different times or 400 calories at 5 different times. It's really easy. And the more fruits and veggies you eat as part of these mini-meals, the more quantity of food you can eat for your calories. Combine a fruit or veggie which is typically carbohydrate in nature with a protein such as chicken, sliced turkey or roast beef, beans, nuts, or peanut/soy butter. Heck, I use baggies and small containers to carry around nuts, pieces of fruit or veggies that don't need refrigeration so I have food close at hand. These fit great in a pocket of a backpack. Many places of employment have refrigerators where you can store items needing refrigeration. Use them. When I was a kid, I remember how cool it was to pack my lunch. Get back in the habit. Wendys, McDonalds, Burger King, even Subway, are killing our bank accounts and our stomachs.

Eat moderate. Although the typical restaurant serving is huge, it doesn't mean that we have to eat all of it. In fact, for the get my money's worth conscious person, I suggest getting a doggie-bag right away, before eating anything. Take half your entrée home. Now that would be saving dollars. As for portion sizes, remember the deck of cards when eyeing a piece of meat, eat as many fresh fruits and veggies as you like (since we seldom eat enough), and practice moderation on the bread offered before your meal comes. Ask for the salad dressing and other condiments on the side.

Eat lean. The leaner the meat, the better. Trim the fat off the steak. Drain the cooked hamburger before adding it to the sloppy joe or the Spanish rice dish. Try different meats that are less fatty than the traditional ones we eat. Buffalo and deer meat are great as lean meats. Get some tofu and cook it up with some seasonings and sauces to get your protein. Prepare beans and legumes. There are a variety of different options.

How will you know if you or your clients are following these KISS principles? Have them keep a record of what they eat each day. You might give them a simple calendar that has your company name, logo, services, etc. on it so it serves a dual purpose, advertising for you and a reminder for them. Or, have them log on and establish an account free on MyPyramid.gov and record their daily intake. Believe me, people really do not remember what they eat in a day let alone how much. Record the food intake for several days, discuss it with them and you will be on your way to having a continuing client when the results start occurring. You'll be making a difference in your own life as well as the lives of your clients, friends, and family, in no time with these simple steps to success.

© Copyright 2008 Kim Fischer

Kim Fischer, owner of Empowered By Learning LLC, created the ACSM Certified Personal Trainer Exam Preparation workshop and accompanying Study Guide and Action Plan for Passing the ACSM Personal Trainer Certification Exam to support people in reaching their goal of becoming a certified personal trainer by the "gold standard" organization in the industry. Kim guarantees that workshop participants will pass the exam or their next workshop is free. Learn more about how to simplify and organize the process and the content for the ACSM Certified Personal Trainer Exam by getting a free excerpt of Kim's step-by-step Action Plan when you subscribe at http://www.empoweredbylearningllc.com

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Weight Loss - 10 Eating Strategies

1. Eat Eggs for Breakfast. Eggs are a great food in the mornings because they keep you full for long. If you chose to eat a bagel instead, you will feel hungry soon again. Eggs are also very healthy and convenient to eat. You can eat them as an omelet, boiled, poached, scrambled, fried, etc.

2. Eat Whole Grains. They hold more fiber than processed grains. Fiber is good for your digestive system and also important in your weight loss. You can eat more whole grains by choosing whole wheat bread over regular or by simply cooking with whole grains like bulgur, brown rice and whole wheat pasta.

3. Eat Lean Meat. This is really simple to do. Just pick the chicken breast and the low fat ground beef. Cooking with lean meats has become so popular that there is an abundance of new recipes coming out all the time. Lean meat is mostly protein and that will help you stay full for longer and that will help with your weight loss.

4. Eat Yogurt. Yogurt is very good for your digestive system. Pick the plain kind and have a serving a day. It will make sure that your digestion is working well and everything runs through your system smoothly so that you don't feel bloated or constipated while trying to lose weight.

5. Eat Plenty of Fruit. Try to eat at least 2-3 pieces of fruit every day. Fruit is loaded with vitamins and fiber. They will help you lose weight. Fruit are also a great diet snack because they are low in calories, but high in nutrients.

6. Eat a Handful of Nuts. Have some nuts every day, because they are very healthy to eat. Don't eat too many though because Nuts are a very high calorie food. Also, don't eat salted nuts because the salt tends to have your body retain water and you will gain water weight.

7. Drink Milk. Milk and other diary products contain a lot of calcium. Calcium is very important in weight loss. Some people even take calcium supplements and notice a drop in their weight, whereas people that don't take in enough calcium may find it hard to lose weight.

8. Eat Plenty of Vegetables. There is really never enough that one can eat of vegetables. Especially the green leafy vegetables have been in the spotlight lately. The amount of minerals they contain is astonishing. Make sure you eat some every day. With picking the right vegetables make sure that you eat whatever is in season. It will taste the best and hold the most nutrients.

9. Eat Healthy Oils. This does not mean to just slap the oil on your food, but eat about 2 to 3 Tablespoons of Healthy oils a day. You can also buy it in capsule form if you don't think your diet will provide you with enough of it. When cooking with oil, it is sometimes helpful to cook with as little of oil as possible and then add it last to the dish. This will ensure that the taste of the oil is still strong when you taste your food.

10. Eat Raw. Through the process of cooking many foods lose vitamins, enzymes and so on. The best way to ensure you are eating healthy is to eat a majority of your food raw. Considering that by eating plenty of fruits and vegetables the challenge of eating raw does not appear that big anymore. However, make wise choices because some foods simply needs to be cooked to ensure they are save to eat.

To read more by Alexa Cooper on weight loss and maintaining a healthy lifestyle visit her website at [http://www.10stepstoweightloss.com/blog]

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Healthy Eating Out: 9 Strategies for Controlling Your Inner Pig at the Restaurant

Healthy eating out is possible and can be really satisfying. Healthy fast food and healthy restaurants are out there. But even when you don't get to pick where you're eating out, you can still eat healthfully. Here's how...

Eating out is great - no one has to cook so everyone can enjoy the meal. You know pretty much that you're going to like the food. The waitress is there to make your dining experience whatever you want.

But eating healthfully in a restaurant requires some new habits because there is so much that can undermine our good intentions. Because restaurants are designed to get us to buy more food. The colors, the music, the lighting, what's printed on the menu, how the server greets you... all these are tools the restaurant uses to get you to eat more. It takes cunning to escape with your good intentions intact. They want you to eat more than you want to eat.

When you go into a restaurant you're already programmed to expect a huge meal. So what can you do about it?

The fundamental idea in eating well at a restaurant is to control what's on your plate. Order something that fits your idea of healthy food. If you can order a healthful meal, and just eat that, there's nothing to go wrong. Get the salad, or have two healthful appetizers instead of an entree with sides, or split a dinner with someone else.

You may feel that low calorie meals when eating out are aren't appealing or that the healthiest dinner on the menu may just be too big. In that case, you need to reduce the amount of food on your plate.

Eating a healthy lunch comes from less on your plate...Do some planning and control your fate
The easiest approach is: when the food arrives, decide how much of it you want to eat, and move the part you're not going to eat aside. You can be subtle; no one else at the table has to know what you're doing. Then when you have eaten your goal amount, call the waitress and have her put the remainder in a takeaway container
If you find that this strategy doesn't work for you because you end up eating the take home share too, you can advance to strategy two. That's to call over the waitress as soon as the food arrives to bring you a takeaway container; you can put the part you don't want to eat out of sight.
If that doesn't work for you, the next strategy is to ask the waitress to put half your dinner into the takeaway container BEFORE she brings your plate to the table.

It's harder eating a healthy lunch...When you're sitting with the pig out bunch

What about eating in a family-style restaurant where people share food served on communal dishes - like pizza or Chinese food? What you intended to be a healthy lunch out can become a nightmare if you end up eating too much just because it's available.

Restricting what gets to your plate is still the key.

It can also be really helpful to just slow down. If you slow down, other people are going to help you out by putting the food on their plates or in their stomachs.
If you know the group, sit next to the slowest eater.
Once you have your meal, be the last one to start eating and then eat at the same pace as the slowest eater. Most people tend to eat at the speed the group is eating.
What about all-you-can-eat places, or family style restaurants where your group always orders too much? You should avoid them if you can. But if you have no choice, you can still eat healthy. The first few times after you've decide to change the way you eat, you're going to need to be especially aware of what you're eating. You need to form a plan before you put the first thing on your plate. Take time to prepare!

Eating out - Diets sinking...Overcome with a little thinking

Don't drink soft drinks with meals.
And if you're drinking wine, alternate a glass of wine with a glass of water.
Never eat a whole dessert.
If you really want to taste something, arrange to share a dessert with someone and then allow them to have the lion's share. And if you really are ordering just to taste it, there is no harm in leaving some of it on the plate; those last few bites aren't of any benefit to you. You should choose the size of dessert you want to eat, not let the cake cutter in the kitchen decide for you.

If you are eating out and choose to order something that's more food than you want, which of the strategies are you going to use get food off your plate? Are you going to separate out the take home portion when it arrives, or have the waitress bring you a takeout container as soon as she serves you, or are you going to have her take half of your meal off the plate before it arrives?

The restaurant's goal is to make money, not for you to eat healthy. And they use the latest research to encourage you to eat more.

But if you choose the strategies above, you'll stay on track for healthy eating out.

Now that you've learned a few simple techniques for eating healthily, learn more about how you can support your intention for healthy eating. Find out at http://healthyeatingace.com/healthy-eating/.

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