Self Help Tips

1. BUY YOUR FAVORITE FOODS AND SNACKS IN SMALLER QUANTITIES:

Those super-size “Sam’s Club” sizes of bags of chips, nuts, etc may help you save a few dollars, but are also likely to help you put on a few extra pounds. A study demonstrated that we are likely to eat up to 44% more if we buy foods in larger portions or quantities.

Think of those little single size boxes of cereal as compared to the “family-sized’ box of cereal. How much will you pour into your bowl? If you are using the larger box, chances are you will place multiple servings in the bowl and think nothing of it. If you are going to allow yourself an indulgence, choose smaller portions for the best weight control.

2. DON’T COME TO THE DINNER TABLE STARVING:

To help prevent overeating at supper time, have a light snack an hour or so before. Good snack choices include a piece of hard cheese, an apple, or a low sugar yogurt. This will help calm the hunger down (reduce ghrelin levels) prior to sitting at a table full of food.

3. READ & UNDERSTAND LABELS:

It doesn’t always need to be “all about diet food”, but make certain you know how to read the “Nutrition Facts” on the foods you buy. Be mindful of portion size and calories per portion. A good diet is one where we avoid foods with a lot of saturated fat, for sure “trans fats” (metabolic poisons). Understand that if a food says “0 grams of Trans Fat, it may contain up to 999 mgs of Trans Fat. Less than 1 gram (1000 mgs) of an ingredient allows the manufacturer to claim zero grams.

Be particularly careful on dairy products and baked goods (cookies, crackers, etc.) with this. Look at the total carbohydrate count, grams of sugar, and the grams of fiber. If you subtract the fiber grams from the total carbohydrates, that number should pretty much be the grams of sugar (If its more, there’s probably some hidden sugar in there!). After the burning of fat, we want the best weight control. A good diet and diet program is one where we know what to eat in order to achieve the best weight control.

4. DON’T DO YOUR GROCERY SHOPPING ON AN EMPTY STOMACH:

This will prevent impulsive buying or buying that delicious bag of chips you can’t wait “to scarf down” or filling up on all of the “free samples” readily available in most large supermarkets today. Be informed…And the burning of fat…for the best weight control.