An Empowered Spirit Blog Post

Six Tips That Have Helped Me Stick To My Weight Loss Plan

By Cathy Chester on April 18, 2014

There are some people who crave the sweetness of a carrot or the purity of a sweet potato  They look longingly at a colorful plate of freshly roasted vegetables, then dig in and slowly chew each morsel as if it they had reached Nirvana.

Jenny Craig Weight Loss Routine

As much as I love enjoy a good carrot or sweet potato, my Nirvana always lands somewhere between Pasta Paradise and the Kingdom of Chocolate.

During midlife, I need to take my eating habits more seriously.  I can't give into every craving, promising to cut calories one day to make up for the extra ones I devoured the day before. I gain weight easily, and it doesn't always land where it used to.

Jenny Craig Weight Loss Routine

Now that I'm on a quest to lose weight I need to have a set eating routine. I've learned that this works best for me when trying to lose weight.

Of course I tweak my routine so I won't get bored. I love food, and if you eat the same thing every day you'd feel food deprived.

If you're like me, you'd begin to "cheat" and justify how you just "want a little taste." The little taste grows into bigger tastes and so on and so forth until BINGO! You're off your diet plan.

Believe me,  I know what I'm talking about...

Over the years, with all of the diets and wellness plans I've been on, I've learned a lot about what does and doesn't work for me. What I've learned is that planning my meals in advance works. Knowing what I'm going to have for breakfast, lunch and dinner allows me to have more control over what I'm going to put into my mouth.

Here are a few tips for you that I've found helpful:

  • Portions - Growing up the food on my plate covered the entire plate.  Now if my plate is fuller it's because the portion of vegetables are larger than the protein and carbohydrates.
  • Snacks - I eat healthier, lower calorie and more nutritious snacks. I fill up on raw vegetables that I pre-cut and store in the refrigerator. I love organic Pink Lady apples and keep a supply on hand whenever I can find them (usually at Trader Joe's.)
  • Water - I try to drink 64 ounces of water a day.  Water is not only good for your kidneys, but also increases energy, promotes weight loss, flushes out toxins, improves skin complexion, maintains regularity, boosts the immune system and hydrates your whole system.
  • Schedule - I try to eat my meals at the same time every day.  I find this works best for me by eating breakfast, lunch and dinner at regular intervals.
  • Goals - I set short range goals of losing weight.  Doing this gives me frequent successes which helps me stick to my ultimate goal.
  • Support - My husband and son have been extremely supportive and helpful.  This is very important when you're trying to lose weight.  Being surrounded by people who love and care about you goes a long way toward helping you reach your goals.

What have you found helpful in reaching your wellness goals?

*I received a free month on the Jenny Craig program and a discount on food for this review.  There was no compensation.  All opinions are solely my own.  NOTE: Clients following the Jenny Craig program lose, on average, 1 -2 lbs. per week.

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Author

Cathy Chester

Comments

  1. I just KNOW I need to lose weight but with the stress of moving and saying goodbye to everyone in my hometown, a diet just isn't in the cards right now. Once I get settled in my new home, I hope a bunch of new and good habits get formed!

  2. I try to eat small meals 5-6 times a day instead of three large. seems to help! And exercise...I am trying to make that a happy time instead of dreaded time! 🙂

  3. Great tips. Love the idea of portion control. I (try) to use a smaller plate when eating my meals. Small plate, small person. Big plate, big person. 🙂

  4. Weight Watchers is what has worked for me. I try to stay around 125 even though my goal weight is 129. I also weigh myself every. single. day. to keep me on track. My only exercise is walking Miss Oreo around the block...which is two miles long.

  5. i've always been vigilant with my weight and exercise but these past few years, it's harder and harder to maintain. all good advice here. i'm curious how your month with jenny goes. good luck. 🙂

  6. I dropped 40 pounds 7 years ago and it stayed off for a long time, but that was before I was 50. Now, at 54, much of it has found its way back to me and I'm struggling to discipline myself to do the things that worked before. My big help is not eating anything after 7:00 pm and moving that back to 4:00 pm if I can. It's tough not eating supper with others though. If I can once more convince myself that its okay to be hungry, then I'll make progress; but we are so programmed to jump at every little twinge of emptiness when we don't have to. The calorie counter on livestrong.com is a helpful tool for me.

  7. It's a battle...but you can do it, Cathy! For me, weighing myself daily and recording it keeps me accountable.

  8. You will make it Cathy! For one, your list has a lot in common with the factors Dr Hill identified that successful weight losers AND loss maintainers follow. Little steps lead to big changes!

  9. I have found it next to impossible to lose weight since I hit 55. Before that, while it was difficult, I could still drop a few pounds if I really worked at it but after 55 it's so hard. And, I'm with you on chocolate, not so much the pasta anymore. I will say that once I removed pasta from my diet, the cravings went away, but NOT CHOCOLATE 🙂

  10. I lost weight by eating clean, so no processed food, sugar and alcohol is limited.

    Admittedly I feel great and my skin looks all the better for it. Not to mention that my cravings are virtually gone.

    And I work out every single day if only for 30 minutes. But it still took a long time. As soon as you hit 40 the weight just doesn't drop off anymore.. 🙁

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