Great reminders for weight loss

I recently watched Paul McKenna’s new program called “I Can Make You Thin.”  I was really curious to see what he had to say as I know he has been very successful in helping people kick other bad habits such as excessive drinking and smoking.

I only watched the first episode of the series but it was interesting.  Paul McKenna laid out what he calls his “Golden Rules” of weight loss.  They are:

1. When you’re hungry, eat.
2. Eat what you want, not what you think you should have
3. Eat Consciously; enjoy every bite
4. When you think you’re full, stop eating.

They are so simple, yet fantastic for everyone!  If you are already thin or content at your current weight, these are great reminders.  Or if you are overweight and sick of being that way, these are great rules to live by…not diet by, but live by.  You can easily follow these rules throughout your whole life, rather than living by other rules (e.g. low fat foods) temporarily just to lose some weight.

To expand on these, Paul McKenna gave some other tips and examples.  For rule 2 he actually gave the audience and viewers permission to go to their cupboards at home and throw away the foods that they don’t actually like (but eat because they think it is healthy to do so) and then go shop for the foods they love.  Sound crazy?  At first, yes.  But, coupled with rule 3, it works.

For rule 3, he said to focus on what you are eating by putting your silverware down between each bite.  Enjoy each bite of the food you love.  Who knows, you might even decide that after really tasting your “favorite” foods, you actually crave something else.

Finally, for rule 4, the show did an experiment where people were blindfolded and told to stop eating when they felt full.  All of these people ended up eating less than they did when not being blindfolded.  It makes sense!

Why not give it a try?  It sounds like a very simple plan to follow.  No crazy recipes, shakes, pills, or other fancy things to learn.  Just eat normal , follow the rules, and see how it goes.

I’d love to hear about your experience.

Here’s to your health!

Kimberly

Mighty Magnesium

This is just a quick post following the theme of my detox diet post that I did earlier today.

Another way to help yourself from feeling sluggish is to ensure you are getting enough Magnesium.  One of the powers of Magnesium is to keep your muscles strong and according to an article on www.realage.com, most people do not get enough of it.

Here are some foods rich in magnesium:

broccoli, spinach (in fact many green vegetables), peanuts, avocado and halibut.

Or, alternatively, you can always take a supplement to up your intake of magnesium…and lots of other vitamins and minerals.  I’m a huge fan of good quality supplements taken along side a healthy diet.

Check out a few brands here:  www.nutritionsupplements4u.com

Here’s to your health.

Kimberly

Detox time

So, the first month of 2009 is now over!  Wow, that went quickly.

I’m still feeling a little bit of the sluggishness from the holidays, so I’m considering a detox regime.  Nothing really serious, but maybe a couple of days just to kick start my body.

I have done one detox diet in my life and I think I was about 20 or 21 years old.  It was a 7 day system and was actually fantastic!  I would highly recommend it for anyone considering detox.

Here is the 7 day plan:

First 48 hours – liquid only
This includes tea (only caffeine free), water (you can add lemon juice if you need to), and triple berry smoothies.

Recipe for triple berry smoothie:
Use ice, a handful of raspberries, a handful of blueberries, a handful of strawberries, 1/3 to ½ of a banana (depending on how big the banana is), and one scoop of protein powder – must be non-dairy.  Best to find a good quality whey protein.  Something like Maximuscle or EAS works well.  And most flavors work really well with the berries.

You can have as much of the above beverages and smoothies as you want for the first 48 hours.

Next 5 days – a mix of smoothies and solids

For each of the next 5 days, you have a triple berry smoothie for breakfast and for snacking during the day.  Then for lunch and dinner you are allowed any of the following:

Baked potato – but with nothing on it unless you want vinegar or black pepper
Unsalted rice cakes
Brown rice – with nothing on it unless you want vinegar or black pepper
Non sugary vegetables/leafy greens – again, with nothing on them unless you want vinegar or black pepper (I think the most sugary vegetables are peas, corn and carrots.  I remember eating mostly broccoli, spinach and cauliflower)

From memory, you were allowed as much of the above as you want.  So, essentially, you cut out any salt, sugar, fizzy drinks, caffeine, dairy, and protein (except for the protein powder.)
By day 5, I remember I was feeling so good!  You do end up needing to go to the bathroom more than usual, mostly for the first two days, but it is worth it.  And I don’t remember feeling hungry at all.  You can’t imagine how much you look forward to that first unsalted rice cake!

Since the first time I did this, I’ve done just the first two days (liquid only) and it really helps get your body moving again. I think I’ll go for that again now.

Just a quick note to say that there are lots of unhealthy detox plans out there, so just use caution if you are deciding to try something.  Consult your doctor or a nutritionist if you’re not sure.  (Or you can always ask me and I’ll see what I can tell you about it!)

Here’s to your health!

Kimberly