Your Scale May be Wrecking Your Weight Loss Efforts

*Photo by Asif Akbar.
One of the most dreaded aspects of dieting is getting on the scale to check your progress. Dieters may weigh in daily, weekly or less often. However, weighing yourself to see how good or bad you have done may be wrecking your weight loss efforts.

If you weigh in daily, you will find that your weight fluctuates. While it is completely natural for our weight to fluctuate, seeing the scale heading in the wrong direction can be upsetting. For an emotional eater, the weigh in can turn into a danger zone. If you give in to emotional eating, the next time you get on the scale, the higher number may be a result of the previous day's excesses. This can quickly turn into a vicious cycle.

A scale only shows process in terms of pounds lost. It is possible to lose fat, but not see a difference in the scale. This can be upsetting for dieters that rely on the scale to determine their progress. If you are building muscle in your efforts to lose weight, the muscle may be replacing fat. Instead of relying solely on the number the scale gives you, look at other factors. Use a measuring tape to check for loss in inches. Check to see if your pants feel looser. Take a good look in the mirror; you will probably find you look slimmer than before.

Weight charts have drawbacks. Most weight charts do not account for differences in body frame size. If your goal is for the number on the scale to match what the weight chart says you should weigh, you may find yourself looking sickly. For instance, in my case, one weight chart said I should weigh between 108 and 132. However, I have a large frame and I would look like I had an eating disorder if I went down to 108. I suspect even 132 would be pushing it.

No Diet Weight Loss Tips

Weight loss doesn't just have to be about dieting. There are other ways to drop the pounds without counting every calorie or being a slave to a treadmill.

Tip 1- Dish Downsize
When you switch to using a smaller plate, it tricks your brain into thinking you have more food. Researchers at Cornell University did a study using ice cream. They found that the subjects that had the larger bowl ate 30% more, yet didn't think their portion was any larger than that of subjects with a smaller bowl.

Tip 2-Don't clean your plate
"Clean your plate." is an often heard command of parents to their children. However, this advice can be detrimental to your weight loss efforts. By focusing on how much food is left on your plate, rather than whether you feel full yet, you run the risk of eating more food than your body actually needs or wants. So the next time you're tempted to clean your plate, take a minute to stop and think about whether you're truly hungry.

Tip 3-Look for unexpected exercise
If you're busy, you may not have time to do a full workout. So look for little ways to sneak in a little exercise in your day. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Instead of parking close to the door, park farther out in the parking lot. While these seem like little things that won't have much impact, you may be surprised. Depending on your weight, you could burn 6-12 lbs a year with these two little changes.

Tip 4-Build some muscle
When you build muscle, you increase your calorie burn. At rest, 1 lb of muscle burns approximately 6 calories a day. It doesn't seem like much, but it adds up. Also, because muscle is more compact than fat, increasing muscle has the added effect of making your appear slimmer.

Tip 5-Drink more water
If you drink a lot of caffeine-rich beverages, you probably have some retained water. Drinking water will help flush this excess fluid. Also, if you replace just one 8 oz soft drink a day with water, you can drop around 10 lbs a year.

Recipe: 15 Bean Soup

*Photo by Zsuzsanna Sebok.
15 Bean Soup is a delicious addition to your weight loss meal plan. With 9g of fiber and 8g of protein in each serving, it will fill you up and keep you full for hours. Since this involves very little prep and basically cooks on its own, this soup is great for busy people who struggle to find the time to cook a healthy meal. It is also an economical choice for dieters on a budget.

You can find a bag of 15 bean soup mix in most grocery stores. It is usually found near the dried beans. If you prefer, you can also mix your own using a variety of beans. Just add equal amounts of each bean to your mix. Don't worry if you end up with more or less than 15 beans in your soup. Variety is what personalizes it.

• 1 lb mixed beans, either your personal mix or store-bought
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 bunches green onions, diced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
  
• 1 Tbsp oil
• 1 lb chopped meat
  
• pork or ham bones
  
• 2 Tbsp your choice of herbs
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 32 oz broth
  

Cover beans with water and soak overnight. If you forgot to soak your beans, you can also boil them for a few minutes, then let sit for an hour before using. Whatever method you choose, drain, rinse and set aside. In bottom of crockpot or slow cooker, saute celery, onion and garlic in oil. Add beans, broth and bones. Bring to low boil and simmer 3 hours. Remove bones. Add meat, herbs and seasoning. Return to low simmer and cook 6 hours. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

This recipe is easily adaptable to your preferences and what you have on hand. If using a store-bought mix that contains a seasoning pack, you can omit the herbs and seasoning in the recipe. Vegetarians can omit the bones and meat and use vegetable broth or water for the liquid. Most people use chopped ham for the meat, but my family prefers smoked sausage so I use turkey smoked sausage to keep it healthy and diet-friendly. If you don't have garlic, onion or celery, you can use the powdered versions found on the herb aisle at your local grocery store. Do keep in mind that if you choose to use garlic or celery salt, you need to use it sparingly as the salt can overwhelm the soup. For herbs, I usually use thyme, bay, oregano and basil, but you can use whatever you have on hand or prefer.

Eating Healthy with Non Dieters

When I started dieting, I quickly ran into a problem with food. Even though I was trying to lose weight, my family wasn't. I didn't really want to have to fix two separate meals-one for me and one for the family-every time we sat down to eat as a family. With a little thinking, I came up with these tips to deal with the issue.

Tip 1-Simple substitution
An easy way to make your family's favorite recipes diet-friendly is to substitute healthier ingredients. Replace whole milk with skim milk or water. Use whole grains in place of white rice or pasta. Switch to using olive oil when sauteing foods. Replace ground beef with ground turkey or tofu crumbles.

Tip 2-Switch your meal around
Serve a salad or veggies as your entree. Then take what would normally be your entree and half the portion, serving it as a side. By reducing portion size, you're cutting calories. Plus, by serving veggies as the main part of the meal, you're adding in fiber, which will help fill you up.

Tip 3-Add in some health
Stir in some veggies. Because they are full of fiber, they'll help you fill up faster so you eat less. Roasted pepper and spinach are good additions to pasta. Puree veggies to use as a base for soup instead of water.

Tip 4-Look for new recipes
If your family isn't thrilled by the changes in their favorite recipes, look for some new recipes. Since the healthy recipe is new to them, they won't have a basis for comparison. There are numerous diet-friendly recipes available online and in cookbooks. Check the recipe tag on the sidebar of this blog for some of my favorites.

Spice Things Up

Photo by Gokce
Adding spicy foods to your diet may help with your weight loss efforts. Research has shown that spicy foods boost your metabolism. A revved up metabolism in turn makes you burn more calories and increases your energy. For those that can't tolerate a lot of heat in your food, don't despair. You don't have to chow down on jabaneros to get the metabolism-boosting benefits. Just adding a little spice, either through peppers or other spices, to your everyday foods can make a difference. Keep in mind that spicy foods aren't for everyone. People with ulcers, acid reflux or other digestive disorders need to be careful so they don't worsen their condition. While losing weight is a good thing, ending up sick in an effort to drop a few extra pounds isn't worth it.

Spicy Additions

• Peppers
• Garlic
• Mustard
• Ginger
• Coriander
• Turmeric

Ways to Add Spice to Your Diet

• Use salsa to top potatoes and tacos or use it as a dip
• Stir chopped peppers into your food
  
• Add a little hot sauce to your food
• Try some Indian or Thai food

6 Reasons You Should Drink Water

If you're starting a diet, one of the first recommendations you'll hear is to drink water. But why is water a dieter's friend?

Reason 1-Knock out some calories
When you substitute water for your usual beverage, you're reducing the amount of empty calories you're taking in. Before I started my weight loss efforts, I would drink a gallon of sweet tea every single day. I was taking in about 800 calories just in my beverage choice. I switched to water and the pounds slid right off.

Reason 2-Our bodies need it
Our bodies are made up of approximately 66% water. Water is needed for temperature regulation, nutrient transport, joint lubrication, waste removal and digestion.

Reason 3-Drinking water increases metabolic rate
Just one reason water is a dieter's friend. Because water promotes a thermogenic state, it will increase your metabolic rate. If your metabolism is higher, you burn more fat.

Reason 4-Water reduces water weight
It sounds counterintuitive, but water will reduce water weight. When you don't provide your body with enough water, it retains some water to protect itself from dehydration. However, if you're taking in enough on a regular basis, your body will let go of retained water because it feels safe.

Reason 5-Water helps fill you up
One thing many dieters run into is not feeling full on the food they're eating. Water will help keep you full.

Reason 6-That hunger you're feeling might be thirst
Thirst often masquerades as hunger. By providing your body a steady supply of water, you don't have to worry about mistaking thirst for hunger and eating extra calories you don't really need.

If you don't like the taste of plain water, you do have some options available to you. You can purchase flavored water. Just be sure to read the nutritional information on the label. Some flavored waters are full of sugar and calories. If you prefer to make your own, often a squirt of lemon or lime juice is enough to help. Decaffeinated tea, either unsweet or sweetened with a sugar substitute, is another option. Last, you can try one of the water flavoring packs such as Crystal Light.

Get Your Calcium

Photo by Steve Woods
We all know that calcium is important for healthy bones and teeth. However, you may be surprised to learn that calcium can also help with weight loss. One study found that dieters with the highest calcium intake lost more weight and fat, regardless of whether they did any exercise. Another study found that calcium may boost metabolism and inhibit fat storage.

Sources of calcium include

• Milk
• Cheese
• Yogurt
• Cale
• Spinach
• Broccoli
• Nuts
• Beans
  

To boost calcium intake in your diet, try these tips.

• Use yogurt as a dip for veggies and fruit
• Substitute milk for water when cooking
• Grate cheese over soups
• Add beans to soups and casseroles
• Top your yogurt, cereal or salad with nuts
• Try a smoothie