It is much easier to lose weight in a group than it is going it alone. You can even join a group online like weight watchers, or a diet journal. My diet journal works for me best because it keeps track of my medication and my supplements. It doesn't just keep track of calories but helps me to keep track of the food I am eating so I am getting a variety. I am trying to stay with a modified version of the Dr. Weil's Anti-Inflammatory Diet This is not so I lose weight but it is to keep the pain at bay and not have to take pain pills which I feel is my doctors only answer to my pain She wants to send me to a pain clinic. I have been there and learned what I could, physical therapy was a better alternative for me. So anyway I am focusing not on losing weight but on having a healthy body. So here are some of the things I do to drop some pounds because the lighter I am the less I hurt. That is a great motivator for me. I walk with one friend just maybe a mile a day. We walk to this wonderful little restaurant, we have one cup of coffee that is all we are allowed per day because we found that coffee increase pain for us. Not for everyone but for me and my friend. The rest of the day I drink herbal teas, green tea, they are packed with minerals and antioxidants.
I feel very fortunate I love veggies and fruit and I am not so fond of meat. I eat meat but in moderation. I started cutting back on meat because I did not have the money to eat a lot of meat. So I started having one day a week that I ate vegetarian. Then I cut down on the portions of meat I ate. I started eating more beans, brown rice, lentils, split peas, whole grains. The first year I did this I lost 20 pounds now it took a whole year to lose it but 20 pounds is a lot. I either juiced for one meal a day or ate a huge salad. I learned to make things like veggie chips. I made dips out of things I thought I would never eat and loved them. Like I made a kale dip, an egg plant dip. I began experimenting with vegetarian recipes for and soups, a lot of them had meat but by putting them in soup, salad or a casserole I got a little meat and a lot of veggies. I ate fruit without sugar for desert every meal. It took away that craving for sweets.
I started making dates with my friends to go to the gym. Or I met them at the mall and took the bus there instead of driving. I would get off one stop ahead and walk the rest of the way. I started concentrating on one heavy house hold task a day. Like washing windows. I only have a storm door, one big living room window and one big bedroom window. So I would wash them inside and out once a month. Or I would clean all the kitchen cupboards once a month. It accomplished a clean house and got me moving. Another friend and I did 15 minutes of belly dancing three times a week. I parked as far out in the parking lot at the store as I could and walked further. I made a game out of moving my body not to lose weight just because I wanted a healthy body. I learned all these back exercises that were for reducing back pain they were not strenuous but they helped the pain. Again I was moving just to be moving and it felt good. The first year I did this I lost not only 20 pounds from not eating so much meat and eating more veggie and fruit but about another 15 pounds from the increased movement. I found it was so much easier when I did this stuff with a friend. I also went to the forum of my food journal and set goals with the friends I made there. It made me accountable to someone.
3. Drink Less Alcohol.
When you get together with friends, it often involves eating, drinking alcohol or both. Alcohol is very high in calories and causes you to feel hungrier so you eat more. Have a glass of water between each alcoholic drink. This will slow down your alcohol consumption and help you to feel full. You can combat unhealthy snack foods by bringing your own healthier choices or hosting a party with a health-conscious theme. The sensation of hunger and thirst are very similar so if you feel hungryFeature Articles, try drinking a glass of water first. You may just need to hydrate your body. I personally do not drink alcohol so this is not a problem for me. I do like non-alcoholic wine and beer with some foods and I found that I got the benefits of the antioxidants without the alcohol. I normally drink lots of water. So that is not a problem for me. I also do not drink sodas I never acquired a taste for it so lucky me. I drink ice tea made of herbal tea, or green tea. If you have a weight loss tip that does not involve dieting please share it with us in the message box. I do not believe dieting works. I know that slowly but surely changing the way you eat and drink works. I also know that just moving to feel your body move and to lessen your pain works for me. But for me a diet never worked. I would take off the weight and put it right back on so I threw out the scales and began focusing on being healthy. I now weigh less than the insurance charts recommend and I never dieted at all to take it off.
My friends and I did out heavy cleaning together. My friend Donna comes down and we do things like clean the cupboards or wash the windows. Then the next day I go and help her at her house. The task is lighter and more fun when you share it. Do you know that waists lines were about 6" smaller before high tech.
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