By Shanna Kraus
For The Voice
Congratulations! You have kicked off your New Year’s Resolution. You are hitting your local fit club every day, you have amazing willpower to resist chocolate chip cookies, you are counting your calories and watching what you eat. So why is the scale not budging? There are several reasons those unwanted pounds may be sticking with you and stopping you from getting fit in 2012. Below you’ll find some tips to tip the scale in your favor!
KEEP A FOOD LOG
Losing weight isn’t just about what you eat – it’s about what you write! For the next week, jot down everything you eat and drink. You may be surprised by how much you are really eating. The breakfast at the drive thru, a big lunch, a heavy dinner, and worst of all the snacking in between meals. It can all catch up with your waistline in a hurry. Don’t underestimate portions and calories. A portion is approximately the size of your fist, keep your food servings small.
Research shows people can underestimate their calorie intake by as much as 40 to 50 percent! When researchers from Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research followed more than 2,000 dieters who were encouraged to log meals and snacks, they found the single best predictor of whether a participant would drop weight was whether the person kept a food diary So start tracking – and start losing!
GET STRONGER
Gaining muscle mass boosts your metabolism and makes losing weight even easier. The more muscle you have the more calories you burn, even when you’re just relaxing. You have heard it before, and it’s true. Continue with resistance training. Don’t worry about bulking up, it’s not going to happen. Building and sculpting your muscles with slow and controlled movements will help you burn those calories and get the strong lean body you want.
The ideal amount of strength training is 3 times a week, with alternating cardio sessions to keep that calorie burn going. Muscle weighs more than fat, so if you have implemented a strength training program into your new exercise routine you may notice the loss of inches around your waist before the number on your scale starts to move. Rest assured – there are changes going on inside your body that you can’t see on your scale. But you’ll be able to feel the difference as your clothes begin to fit better – and soon you will start to see the number drop on your scale.
LOOK FOR CBO’S (Calorie Burning Opportunities!)
Instead of emailing your co worker, walk over to their desk. Rather than watching your kids jump on the trampoline, get up and moving and jump with them. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. All of these are CBO’s, calorie burning opportunities, that will keep your metabolism up and your weight down. But don’t mistake being busy for being active. Get a pedometer and aim to take 2,000 extra steps a day. To lose weight, strive to walk 10,000 steps or more! Get competitive with yourself – and log the results in a fitness journal.
CHECK YOUR MEDICINE CABINET
A lot of the medications designed to help with diseases may be making it harder for you to lose weight. Medications to regulate diabetes, depression or high blood pressure, may be affecting your weight los. Don’t stop any current medications before consulting your health care provider. But ask if your physician may have alternate drugs or dosages that are better suited for your condition and medication needs.
STOP SABOTAGING YOURSELF – TRY, TRY AND TRY AGAIN
Your list of forbidden foods is so long – it rivals the nation’s number of foreclosed homes. You have religiously followed your diet for so long you can’t remember when you last sunk your teeth into a donut or a candy bar. Then, unexpectedly, the urge strikes – and you are craving the brownie and you can’t wait any longer. So you cave and have the brownie, and the cookie, and the rice crispy treat just to get it out of your system. Now you are mad at yourself. If you have fallen off the wagon, don’t beat yourself up – get back on track right away. Don’t wait till tomorrow, start with your next meal or snack.
Life will never present the perfect time to start eating healthy. There is always a birthday to celebrate, an anniversary, an office party, or a vacation. Donuts, cake, pizza and hamburgers will always be on the menu, so take the focus away from the foods that are bad for you and emphasize those that are good for you. Stock your fridge with plenty of fruits, vegetables and protein. Consistency is key in weight loss, so keep up the good work and over time you will see the fabulous results of a smaller number on the scale, looser fitting clothes, and best of all a strong lean body!
Shanna Kraus is the owner/manager of KoKo Fit Club in Burley.
