Eat Clean Make Changes

Tips and Tricks

• Eat a high protein breakfast, like eggs
• Drink at least 64 oz (2000 ml) of water everyday
• Limit soda intake (diet and regular) to once a month or less
• Avoid eating out too frequently and look up nutritional information on the restaurants’ websites before you go when you do eat out
• Eat every 3-4 hours 
• Snack smart. Don’t eat something with little nutritional value, like candy or 100 calorie packs. Eat something that is high is fiber or protein, like oatmeal or almonds, to keep yourself fuller longer.
• Make exercise a habit. Write it in your planner, blackberry, or wherever you organize your life. Treat it like an appointment that you cannot cancel unless you have a really good excuse (ex. illness, injury, etc.)
• Find an exercise program that you actually LIKE. For example, I’m not much of a runner so I only run once a week and attend spinning classes and yoga or most other days because I truly enjoy it. Zumba, kickboxing, running, spinning, biking, the elliptical, yoga, pilates… there are many options to choose from. Just make sure you’re getting your heart rate up most days of the week! I always know I’ve gotten a good workout when I’m soaked in sweat and have to peel my clothes off afterwards.
• Eat plenty of fruits and veggies. When you’re hungry, try eating a piece of fruit or some veggies with low-fat dip. If you’re still hungry afterwards, try eating something with more protein.
• Strength train in addition to cardio. Muscles burn more calories when you’re resting than fat, so build those muscles :) If you’re afraid of getting bulky, don’t. Unless you intentionally try to build up muscles by using bodybuilding methods, you won’t turn into the incredible hulk.
• Take a multivitamin. When you lower your calorie intake, you also usually lower the amount of vitamins and minerals that you’re intaking. A good multivitamin will help fill in the gaps in your diet.
• Chew gum if you feel like you’re going to binge or eat out of boredom
• Find your triggers. For me, watching t.v. makes me want to reach for snacks and eat mindlessly. Rather than give up t.v., I try to plan for healthy snacks like fruit salad.
• Brush and floss your teeth right after dinner. I cannot tell you how many calories this has saved me from eating. If you have a retainer, pop that in for extra self-control :)
• Change up your routine. If you hit a plateau, try changing the type of exercise you do or the structure of your typical workout. For example, if you’re a runner who usually runs for 30 minutes at a steady pace you could 1.) try interval training in which you switch between periods of sprints and a slower pace, 2.) go for a longer amount of time, 3.) start logging your distance and slowly increase it, 4.) sign up for events to get you motivated (like a 5k, half-marathon, etc.), or anything else you can think of to mix it up!
• Stretch before and after your workouts to minimize injuries and soreness
• Wear sunscreen when exercising outside (okay, not exactly a weightloss/fitness tip but still important!).
• Set realistic goals. For example, aiming to lose a pound a week is possible with commitment and hard work; however, aiming to lose 5 pounds a week for most people will end in disappointment, guilt, binging, or giving up.
• Weigh yourself no more than once a week. 
• Use a tape measure to measure your neck, shoulders, chest, waist, hips, thighs, calfs, and arms once a week. If you don’t see a difference on the scale, it could just be because you’re gaining muscle instead. I also like to try on tight pairs of jeans that I own to see if they feel looser on weeks that I don’t lose weight for the same reason.
• Get 8 hours of sleep every night
• Try to reduce the stress in your life. Cortisol, a stress hormone, can lead to a higher retention of body fat. “In the “Fight or Flight” response, the adrenal glands enlarge and secrete large quantities of adrenal cortical hormones. These hormones suppress inflammatory responses and mobilize the body’s energy reserves. This puts the body on RED ALERT and diverts all of the body’s biochemical resources to immediate survival. The body’s self healing mechanisms are arrested (healing diverts energy and raw materials away from immediate survival), the immune system is suppressed, glycogen stores in the liver and muscle tissue are mobilized to raise the blood sugar level and digestion and assimilation are inhibited. The stomach lining becomes thin and ulcerated and the thymus gland and lymphatic tissue shrinks.” (http://www.advance-health.com/cortisol.html) 
• If you make one bad food decision during the day, move on and focus on making the rest of the day successful. Don’t let your guilt cause you to make a little mistake into a larger one. Weight loss is not an all-or-nothing process and no one is perfect.
• If you are still hungry after a meal, wait 20 minutes and drink a cup of water and then decide if you are still hungry. It takes the brain 20 minutes to recognize the sensation of “fullness” so wait before gorging yourself and getting a stomachache. 
• When you’re eating, make that your only activity. Don’t watch t.v., read, surf the web, or anything else distracting. Distracted eaters tend to eat more so focus on the tastes and textures of your food.  
• Don’t use sugar substitutes, except Truvia, which is all natural. Splenda and other artificial sweeteners are NOT natural and your body doesn’t know how to process them. It is better to skip foods with artificial sweeteners and to use a little bit of real sugar (such as in your coffee) because it is made in nature, not in a lab. Some studies show that artificial sweeteners may increase your levels of hunger and actually make you craves sweets even more! Yikes!
• Try cutting out as much sugar as you can in general. Pay attention to nutritional labels and make switches accordingly.
• Don’t eat white bread, white pasta, white rice, etc. Opt for the wheat versions. They taste the same and won’t have the same effect on your blood sugar levels as the white stuff.
• Take the stairs instead of the escalator or elevator. Those calories add up!
• Park far away from the store to fit in more walking
• Know how many calories you should be eating everyday. If you calculate your BMR (basal metabolic rate), you’ll know the number of calories your body burns every day  without any physical activity whatsoever. The equation is: BMR= 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years). At the end of each day take the number of calories you burned from your workout and subtract that from the number of calories you ate (calories consumed- calories used). From that number (aka your net calories), subtract your BMR. Your new number is called your net calorie deficit. At the end of the week, add up your net calorie deficits for each day. A 3500 calorie deficit is equal to one pound of weight loss. That’s 500 calories a day. 
• Add variety to your diet. Don’t eat the same healthy foods every single day. You’ll likely get bored and end up over-indulging in less healthy foods. With all the nutritious foods on the market today, there’s no reason not to change it up :)
• When baking something that calls for oil, use applesauce instead.
• When baking something that calls for sugar, use truvia, agave nectar, or honey instead.
• Use healthier versions of your condiments. Ex. low-fat mayo, low-fat/non-fat dressings, reduced fat butter, etc.
• Avoid creamy sauces unless you know they are low/non-fat. For instance, get marinara sauce on your pasta instead of fettuccine alfredo. If you can’t live without your creamy sauces, look up recipes online for healthier versions and test them out. Believe me, once you see the nutritional information for the sauces used at restaurants the sight of them will make you nauseous.
• Keep a food/fitness journal to keep yourself honest and to identify what’s working and what isn’t. For example, if you’re starving by dinner and end up eating way too much, look at what you’re eating in the afternoon. Is it protein/fiber rich? Does it have healthy fats? Are you eating every 3-4 hours? Did you drink enough water? I recommend LoseIt.com
• “Failing to plan is planning to fail” Try planning out your food and exercise for the day the night before, including the times you plan on eating each food and the time you plan on working out.
• Watch your portion sizes! If a serving size of almonds is 28, count out 28 almonds. If a serving size of peanut butter is 1 tbsp, measure out 1 tbsp. If a serving of cereal is 3/4 cup, measure out 3/4 cup. You get the picture. After awhile, you may be able to eyeball certain portions without getting out the measuring cups and spoons. 
• After measuring out a portion, put it in a bowl, baggie, or on a plate. This will prevent you from eating more than one serving or even the entire bag.
• Treat yourself! Although this may seem counterintuitive, the occasional treat will keep you from binging on “forbidden” or “bad” foods. When you treat yourself, be smart about it. For example, you can treat yourself to ice cream while still eating the healthier versions (especially since it’s hard to tell them from the full-fat versions). However, if you’re trying to substitute an oreo with a 100 calorie pack, you’ll likely be left unsatisfied because the two versions are so different. In this case, I would say eat a serving of the real deal. As long as you keep it to one serving, you won’t have any reason to feel guilty and you’ll be more satisfied (and less likely to go searching for more treats or overeating).
• Exercise at least 5 days a week for at least 30 minutes. Try to push yourself to do a little bit better each time.
• If you feel the urge to eat emotionally, eat out of boredom, binge, etc. call a friend, give yourself a mani/pedi, go for a walk, go to the gym, or anything else that will a.) distract you and b.) get you away from the source of food.
• When you go to a potluck, bring one or more healthy foods. That way, you can still enjoy the party and eat without the guilt. Make sure that it is something that you like! For instance, I’m a sucker for sweets, so I usually bring a fruit salad and brownies made with applesauce instead of oil.
• Reward yourself! Buy yourself a new pair of jeans, treat yourself to a pedicure, or get anything else that will motivate you! A word of caution: don’t treat yourself with anything food related. Food is fuel, not a reward. Although we’ve been conditioned to associate treats with rewards (ex. birthday cakes to reward us for being born, going out for ice cream for good grades, etc.), it’s important to end the cycle (okay, you can still have your bday cake lol). 
• Do NOT skip meals. Eating small frequent meals will balance your caloric intake and keeps your blood sugar balanced.
• Eat wholesome fresh foods. Try to avoid packaged (processed) foods. When you prepare your own food, you have more control over the ingredients and the amount of calories and fat going into it. 
• Don’t buy junk food. I can’t stress this enough. If you can exercise will power in the grocery store, you won’t have to constantly exercise it at home in order to keep portions under control. Plus, you’ll save yourself a ton of guilt if you’re prone to overeating the foods that you love. 
• If you do buy junk group (hey, no one’s perfect!), pay attention to portions! For instance, it is far better to buy a candy bar than a bag full of “fun size” or “miniature” bars that will last much longer. Another example, if you love premium ice cream, go out for a small serving rather than buying a whole carton of it.

 

 

copied from http://searchingforbliss.tumblr.com/TipsAndTricks  

1. Drink one glass of water every hour. It will make you feel full.  
2. Drink ice cold water. Your body will burn calories just getting the water to a normal temperature to digest. Also it is great for your complexion. 
3. Drink 3 cups of green tea daily. It will help boost your metabolism, plus its anti-oxidants make your skin look great. 
4. Take vitamins daily. Do not take vitamins on an empty stomach, otherwise they have nothing to catalyze with. 
5. Eat ice or gum when hungry. This will make your body think it had food without the calories. 
6. Do aerobics until you want to faint. 
7. Eat spicy foods. They raise your metabolism. 
8. Take cold showers because your body will burn calories to heat you back up. 
9. DON’T take laxatives. They don’t help you to lose weight. 
10. DON’T use diruretics. They only dehydrate you. 
11. Brush your teeth constantly so you won’t be tempted to eat afterwards. 
16. Chew each bite of food thoroughly and then take a sip of water between bites. You will feel full quicker and will not eat as much. 
17. Buy clothes that you can’t fit into and hang them wear you can see them. This will motivate you to lose weight to fit into them. 
18. Sleep at least six hours a day. If you get less than six this can lower your metabolism by 15%.

 19. If you start to feel hungry do situps. 

20. Pamper yourself! Give yourself a facial, paint your nails, anything to make you feel pretty. 

21. Get out of your house! 
22. Keep track of everything you eat. Look at it daily for thinsperation. 
23. Keep good posture, burns 10% more calories when you sit up straight. 
24. Make a list of all the “bad” foods that you crave and tend to binge on. Each day, pick one to take out of your diet that you absolutely, no matter what, cannot eat again. Take one off the list each day until there are no more bad foods you can have. 
25. Avoid alcohol! A shot of liquor has 100-120 calories, a glass of wine has 80 calories, a lite beer has 110-120 calories, and a regular beer has 140-170 calories. 
26. Never eat anything bigger than about a cup, your stomach will expand and then you’ll get hungry more. 
27. Have 6 small meals a day. 
28. Low calorie hot chocolate curbs chocolate cravings, and makes you feel full. 
29. It takes 20 minutes for the brain to realize the stomach is full. 
30. Eat lots of fiber. It makes you feel full and takes fat with it out of your body. The natural cleansing helps improve both your energy level and overall feeling of wellness. 
31.Before you dig into that cake, bag of chips, candy, or whatever, take a deep breath and count to 100. Usually by the time you get to 100 you will have convinced yourself that you don’t really want it. 
32. When you’re hungry chug 2 glasses (or how many you need) of straight water. It’ll make you so full 
33. Celery actually burns calories. Every hour eat a stalk of it. Not only will it fill you up, but it will also get your metabolism kickin’. 
34. Read the nutritional information. Remember, fat-free does not mean calorie-free. Also keep an eye on fiber content. Get as much fiber into your diet as you can, while cutting fat and calories. 
35. Don’t eat a lot at once. Spread your food throughout the day. This will help to avoid binging and keep your metabolism going. 
36. If you like to drink alcohol, you’ll like this. Make a rule: You can only drink every time you lose 2lbs. So, if you lose 4lbs a week, you can drink Friday and Saturday night. However, if you only lose 2lbs a week, you only get to drink one night. 
37. Do not eat in front of the computer or TV. This distracts you from recognizing you’re full. 
38. Stay away from Slim-fast and other so-called “healthy” candy bars and shakes… one look at the nutrition facts will tell you why. With all the carbs and excess calories you may as well go eat a freakin pie or something. Not to mention the rediculous prices… save yourself the money, and the calories. 
39.When having cravings drink a couple glasses of water with slices of lemons and count to 100 and it should go away. 
40. Eating 100 cals 4 times a day is better than eating a 400 cal meal. 
41. An occasional binge doesn’t hurt, in fact it’s quite beneficial if you have reached a plateau (stopped losing weight). Your body will think you have stopped starving yourself, and you will drop at least a pound overnight! Just don’t binge too regularly! 
42. Someone told me that if you take a pure cold bath for 15-30 min and lower your body temp, your body burns around 200 cals for every degree it has to raise itself to reach a normal body temperature. This person tried it, a 30 min bath lowered their temp about 3-4 degrees 

Fat-burning Workout: Pump Up the Cardio

A good overall cardiovascular conditioning exercise program is crucial to burn fat, say Sedlock and White. “Walking is excellent,” White says, but most people have to pump it up a bit from their routine pace, especially if they’ve been exercising for a while and the flab isn’t budging.

“Increase the days,” White suggests. “If you work out two days, go to three. Or if you’re jogging for half an hour, increase it to 45 minutes or an hour.”

Interval training (THIS IS WHAT INSANITY IS) — that is, alternating bursts of intense activity with bursts of lighter activity — is a good way to burn more fat, White says. “Walk for five minutes, then jog for five,” he says, then repeat. That strategy will burn overall more calories and more fat. If you are already jogging, jog then sprint to mix it up, he says.

Increasing intensity for a short period within your regular workout will burn more total calories and therefore more fat, Sedlock says.

Fat-burning Workout: Pump Iron or Do Other Strength Training

If you’re trying to banish flab, weight training three times a week for a half hour each session — if you’re a beginner — is ideal, White says. Once your flab is under control, two weight training sessions a week usually will help you maintain tone, he says.

“Work the full body,” he says, rather than focus only on, say, triceps work for flabby upper arms. A full workout works all the major muscle groups, not just the flabby ones.

If you’re a beginner to weights or other kinds of strength training, such as resistance bands, get some expert instruction first by hiring a personal trainer for a session or two, experts suggest.

You can incorporate the full-body weight training exercises that focus on your flabby areas, of course, White says. “For the muffin top, focus on the [abdominal] oblique muscles by doing bicycle kicks,” he says, “or do oblique twists with the cable [weight] machine.”

A simpler at-home exercise to burn fat, White says, is: Get a broom, hold it straight up over your head, then lean to the right and the left. You should feel the effort in your so-called love handles.

For flabby upper arms, you can do dumbbell kickbacks with hand weights. (With upper arm parallel to the floor and bent at the elbow, lean over a weight bench or other low bench with your other arm supporting your body. Extend the lower arm holding the weight until it is straight. Repeat and switch the weight to the other hand.)

To maximize the fat burning during weight training, women should aim for 12 to 15 repetitions per exercise, White says, and focus on a higher number of reps rather than constantly boosting the weight. Men should aim for eight to 12 reps and increase the weight periodically.

22. How do I get a Thigh Gap?

1. Avoid exercises such as squats, lunges, leg curls, stiff-legged deadlifts, leg extensions and calf raises, especially with heavy weights for now. They DO NOT slim thighs. A piece of cardio machinery you would do well to avoid is the Stairmaster. Although these things are good for you and are often promoted to make thigh smaller, they actually target thigh muscles and can make them bigger. Weight training makes muscle fibers larger.

2. Do cardiovascular exercise to slim thighs. This is the main tool in your arsenal. Your cardio goal should be to burn fat without gaining much muscle mass in the thighs. To do this you need to avoid working the thigh muscles more than necessary. On cardio equipment, keep the resistance low on the elliptical or stationary bike, or the incline low on the treadmill. If you’re running outside, avoid hilly terrain. However, aim for a moderately high intensity for maximum effectiveness.

3. Endurance exercising is one of the most effective exercises to get defined, slim thighs and legs. Endurance runners tend to have very slim legs, especially compared to sprinters who have highly developed and very large thigh muscles.

4. Pay attention to the muscles you feel being targeted. You DON’T want to be working out your thighs too much and making the muscles bigger.Posture othe the elliptical is critical. If you’re standing correctly, it will target your butt, outer thighs and hamstrings, and lessen the strain on your quadriceps (the front of your thighs.)

5. Resistance training is great if you want to increase the shape and definition of your thighs without making them too bulky. You do need muscles to have nice, slim thighs, and resistance training will allow the kind of toning you want. Keep the weights moderately light. Focus on doing more repetitions with less resistance.

6. Yoga and stretching are both great for making your legs appear longer and leaner, especially if you’ve never really stretched and your muscles are tight.

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