Weight Loss First steps

I had a friend express to me her dismay at her scale not moving, and her seeming inability to keep track of her foods eaten and calories taken in. She was having trouble finding time to exercise, take proper care of hwe household, two children, and still have time for her husband, and especially herself. She was really frustrated, and I know that's where a lot of us who view ourselves as overweight have felt at some point or another during our journey to where we feel comfortable with ourselves.

That said, I've decided to share some of what I told her, based on both my personal experiences, and those of others whom I have spoken with and helped to drop their excess pounds.

No worries, tracking your foods eaten isn't for everyone. I know it was only an interesting experiment for me when I first tried it, but I didn't stick with it either.

Start simply. Drink a glass of the Acai Mixed Berry V8 fusion first thing in the morning before breakfast, and another before lunch. It doesn't have be right before you eat, it can be anytime, as a snack, or whatever makes you happy, but before the meal, not after. The vitamins and minerals in the whole fruits & vegetables help to maintain your body, the sugars keep your blood glucose up, and the sweetness of the juice helps to curb that craving for sweets. In fact, you can drink as much of the juice you want, as long as you still eat a decent amount of other healthy foods, and the 8oz glass first thing in the morning and before lunch.

Drop soda, and drink water or juice (without High Fructose Corn Syrup) when thirsty.

Other than that, don't change a thing with your life. Don't restrict what or how much you eat, exercise more, or anything. Just relax, and know that the weight your body doesn't want is going to fall off.

See, a lot of folks talk about the "starvation mode" that your body goes into if you go on a restrictive diet for a long time. You know, the effect that after the weight is dropped, you go back to eating normally and gain all the weight back? Remember hearing that breakfast is the most important meal of the day? What isn't mentioned is that your body resets in a way each morning as well. When you don't take any nutrients in within the first 10-30 minutes after waking, your body thinks there isn't enough food, and you will tend to have more cravings and eat more throughout the day.

You may never hear that a glass of milk or whole fruit & veggie juice suffices just fine on those hectic mornings, but it does. Even a cup of that V8 I love so much, mixed with a cup of yogurt or milk and some ice in the blender before you rush out the door is an acceptable breakfast. Heck, sometimes I just drink a glass of V8 because I'm so busy. *blush* I don't seem any worse for it, and at least I've put something healthy into my body at the first of my day, right? I just try not to make a habit of it.

You are going to feel more energized, healthier, and will naturally become somewhat more physically active. It's a happy form of vicious cycle where you feel better, then become more active, then you feel better because you are more active, and become more active; all the time, dropping the pounds like that excess weight were somehow water trapped behind a dam, and the gate has finally been lifted.

We're all in this together!