OMG - its working!

You may recall I shared that Spouse & I were going to try to lose some weight. We started our non-diet/new eating patterns/lifestyle change last Mon, so yesterday was our 1st weigh-in to see how we did after 1 week.

I was shocked! I lost 9 lbs and Spouse lost 10 lbs.

Now, I'm not so naive as to think that we will continue to lose weight at this same rate every week. Its typical for the 1st week's weight loss to be dramatic, followed by more modest weight loss (2-3 lbs) each week thereafter.

Here's the best part about it: We really weren't hungry. Its true, we cut our portion sizes down and reduced between meal snacking. In other words, we minimized our 'unnecessary' eating and were never really hungry. My opinion is that most overweight people eat for other reasons, and are rarely ever 'hungry' when they eat.

Here are my weight loss tips:

1. Place an appropriate amount of food on your plate and only eat what is there. Do not go back for 'seconds'.
2. Put your fork down while chewing each bite. This will cause you to spend more time eating, and will allow your stomach to feel 'full' with less food.
3. As soon as you feel satisfied, stop eating. Regardless of whether or not you have 2 bites left on your plate, stop eating as soon as you feel satisfied.
4. Don't allow yourself to get 'famished' before eating, as this increases your potential to eat fast and eat too much. Have a healthy snack on hand if you think your next meal may be a while coming.
5. Be sure to include some exercise (like walking) as often as possible. Exercise releases endorphins that reduce hunger feelings and improve your mood.
6. Reduce or eliminate between meal snacking. If you need a snack, choose healthy options like a small portion of fruit or nuts. These are natural and have nutritional value, unlike processed snacks that are not natural and have very little (if any) nutritional value.
7. Try to remain occupied as much as possible. Boredom often results in unnecessary eating.
8. Try to make fruits and vegetables 50% of your diet, proteins (meat, fish) 25% of your diet, and carbs (pasta, bread) 25% of your diet.
9. Don't skip meals. Your metabolism needs regular food input to stay regulated. Skipping meals can cause your metabolism to store fat instead of burn fat because it goes into 'famine' mode.
10. Don't give up. If you eat a hunk of delicious chocolate cake, enjoy it and then go right back to your healthy eating. Don't eat everything you want in huge quantities all day long just because you think you 'blew it' with the cake. Get right back on that horse.

I hope it doesn't sound like I'm bragging, because that is certainly not my intent. I'm sharing our 'success' and tips with you in the hopes that you might be inspired and helped. I mean, if WE can do it, so can you!

I know several of you have also been trying weight loss measures. How are YOU doing? Share your successes and challenges in the comments.

Crush du Jour: Ben Cousins