From Health magazine
Could swearing off that extra salt keep the pounds off? We tapped the nation’s leading diet gurus for the advice they spill at cocktail parties—the things they know really make the pounds melt away.
Jump-start the day with fruit
“I always have a piece of fruit in the morning. It gets me into the mind-set that today will be a healthy-eating day, whereas if I start the day with just a bagel or a muffin I’m inclined to backslide and eat more junk.
I change it up: some berries in my cereal one day; a banana-coconut-and-pineapple smoothie the next; or an apple with a slice of whole wheat toast and almond butter.” — Rory Freedman, co-author of Skinny Bitch
Get milk!
“Dairy gets a really bad rap in Hollywood. A lot of my clients have completely cut it out, but the reality is research shows three to four servings of low-fat dairy have been linked to weight loss, especially around the abdomen. Once they add it back in, they start losing weight.”
—Jackie Keller, a certified Wellness and Nutrition Expert who has worked with Angelina Jolie and Charlize Theron
Eat carbs before sundown
“I stock up on carbs at breakfast. So many people try to cut out carbs completely, and then by 3 p.m. of the first day of their diet they have a headache, they’re cranky, and have so little energy they can’t work or exercise. I tell clients like J Lo to start with a high-carb breakfast (fruit with oatmeal, for example) and then gradually taper down during the day.
“Some other good choices are brown rice, sweet potatoes, and sourdough bread. As the sun sets, so should your carb intake—by dinner, you’re having only four to six ounces of lean protein like chicken or fish and some steamed vegetables.”
—Gunnar Peterson, a Los Angeles celebrity trainer who has worked with Jennifer Lopez and Penelope Cruz, and the author of The Workout: Core Secrets from Hollywood’s #1 Trainer
Stand to boost calorie burn
“I stand when doing weight training. It forces your body to stabilize, so you work harder and burn more calories. It strengthens core muscles, too, as well as improves your balance and posture.”—Patrick Murphy, a Los Angeles trainer who has worked with Eva Longoria
Hop, skip & jump
“Instead of spending an hour indoors on the elliptical, I take my workout outdoors, where I alternate running, skipping, and galloping—a mix of movement that forces your body to use all sorts of rotations. If you look at dancers and athletes, you’ll see that they’re constantly moving their bodies in different ways, which helps them stay strong and slim.”—Tracy Anderson, a trainer who works with Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow
Next: Give yourself a curfew
Comments (12)
I like some of these comments. But as a black female I have grown up in the house where my food is never bland. And where any extra lean meat can’t be bought in bulk or at a low price. I don’t have the money to buy extra lean meat and fresh fruits and vegetables. I buy meat and fruits and vegetables, but they are never like the one’s in whole foods or any of the stores in that “white” areas. I don’t know what to do about that.
Try buying frozen fruit and vegetables. Another alternative is unsweetened canned fruit. Since extra lean meat might be a little expensive have a couple of days during the week where you go meatless. You can fix a pot of green beans with a potato or two included as your main entre. Season with a little liquid smoke (a substitute I use for bacon) & any other seasonings you might enjoy. Throw in a couple sides & some low fat homemade cornbread & you’re good to go.
I know what you mean. I discovered Whole Foods in the city. They don’t have those in all neighborhoods. What I’ve done is either pick stuff up if I’m near a place that has fresh produce coming home from work, like a Whole Foods, or a farmers market (they are cheaper and many sell in the weekends so you can stock up there). Bodegas with fruit stands usually have fresh produce if your supermarket doesn’t. Stick too your seasonings though, many of them have properties that are good for you. Salt, however, is the hardest to minimize but let me tell you something, when you start taking high blood pressure pills that can kill your kidney functions, suddenly eating ’slightly’ bland is not a bad thing! You can use a bunch of other spices to give it flavor. After a while of eating w/ minimal salt you’ll find that you really don’t miss it that much. It’s like weaning from whole milk to skim.
Healthy eating doesn’t have to be bland! Or expensive. Lean protein, for example: ground turkey right from the grocery store runs $3-4 a pound, making it about $1 a serving. Believe it or not, it’s cheaper to eat this way – lean meat (pref. not red) and fresh fruits and veggies – and even in winter it’s pretty equal. If you’re not buying processed foods, like soda, snacks, and frozen or canned foods, you’ll save that money, too. Eating like this turned my scores around on a blood test: all scores became normal to better than normal
Unfortunately, healthy food is more expensive, but the good news is that the fundamental core of weight loss is simply this: consume less calories each day than you burn. And as less food is cheaper than more food, have some self-control and you will actually save money.
Agree! My problem is getting to bed early and cravings at night. I lose weight when I can get myself so far as not to eat after dinner! The other area for improvement is walking. I really must just find the time for that. To manage my calorie intake I use a free online food diary. I am by no means a supermodel yet, LOL, but I look a lot better than I did a year ago.
good pls include how this help those in nigeria putting in mind that almost all the above are not accessible in nigeria and those accessible are highly costly/expensive and not all can afford it
pls help us too.
thanks.
Sweetie, The above article has nothing to do with access to or high cost of anything in Nigeria. It’s only talking about changing a few habits. e.g sleeping earlier or not eating carbs too late in the day.
I think he talks about food with abundance of salt ;)
Good article. I especially like the tip about walking more. A great tip for those stuck at a desk all day is to get outside and walk around the building a few times a day for 10 minutes or so. If you can manage to take 3 small breaks during the day and walk, that adds up to 30 minutes of walking! Plus you will lower your stress levels.
MyEatingHabits.com
Ummm, the one about controlling cravings by “imagining combining it with a food you have a revulsion for”, well, that is just plain dumb. I know, in reality, that the chocolate I am craving, REALLY doesn’t taste like…say, liver. LAME advice!!
I thought that was the best advice in the article. It says “combining” the food, not pretending that they taste the same.
Example: If you want chocolate, imagine chocolate-covered liver.