Strategies for Successful Eating...

Here are some healthy eating strategies taken from Dr. Oz & Dr. Roizen's book You: On a Diet.

Don't take them all on at once, but choose a couple to focus on this week!! Every small decision we make is going to have big impact over time.

To help make eating automatic, pick at least one meal a day to alter and have the same foods every day for all other meals.

Eat throughout the day so that you're constantly satisfied. The less you eat, the more likely you are to sink into starvation mode and make your body want to store fat.

Inspect food labels. Limit saturated fats, and avoid ALL trans fats. Don't buy foods where high-frucose corn syrup(HFCS), or another simple sugar, is more than 4 grams per serving, or one of the first five ingredients. You're avoiding simple sugars in foods not just because of the calories, but because they induce highs and lows in blood sugar that put you into a cycle of craving more high-calorie foods. (They also trigger inflammation in our bodies, which make it impossible to lose weight)

Eat foods with fiber, healthy fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated), whole-grain carbohydrates, and protein, as well as fruits and vegetables.

Eat a little healthy fat before your meal (like a handful of almonds) to allow the satiety signal to go from your brain to your stomach, so you don't overeat during your meal.

Eat fiber in the morning to help control afternoon cravings.

Eat anti-inflammatory foods to counteract the effects of obesity. Anti-inflammatory foods include green tea, omega-3 fatty acids(found in fish and walnuts), coffee, vegetables, fruit, and.....of course, Alfalfa!

Drink a glass or two of water before you eat. Your perception of hunger signals may actually be thirst signals.

Keep emergency foods on hand and items that can help you kill cravings, like V8, carrot sticks, an apple, or even Listerine breath strips.

Keep a log of how hungry you are on a scale of one to seven (one being famished, seven being gorged). Try to stay in the three to four range at all times by eating moderate amounts of food throughout the day.

Spices shown to aid in waist management: red pepper and cinnamon (I love putting cinnamon in my yogurt or oatmeal)

Supplments shown to have effectiveness in waist management: chromium picolinate, grapefruit oil, Garcinia, Hoodia, 5-HTP, L-carnitine, coenzyme Q10, turmeric, jojoba beans, simmondsin.

REALIZE IT'S OKAY TO MAKE MISTAKES. The key is getting back on the right road, not beating yourself up over them.

Use nine-inch plates for meals. Smaller dinner plates equal smaller portions. (Make a decision not to go back for seconds)

Girls, this week is going to be a great week for all of us in many different ways. Please journal or blog about the small VICTORIES...every small step towards health (body, spirit, mind)should be cause for praise! I am praying for each one of you!