Weightloss "Secrets"

As we begin to lose weight, questions begin to crop up:
How did you do it?
What (fad) diet
are you using?

Effective weight management is no secret. After all, it's pretty much simple physics: what you put in versus what you put out (medical conditions excepted).

If you read yesterday's post, you know that why, what and how we eat is largely a function of what's going on inside our heads. Oprah says it like this:

"You've got to ask yourself: What kind of life do I want and how close am I to living it? You cannot ever live the life of your dreams without coming face to face with the truth. Every unwanted pound creates another layer of lies. It's only when you peel back those layers that you will be set free: free to work out, free to eat responsibly, free to live the life you want and deserve to live.
Tell the truth, and you'll learn to eat to satisfy your physical hunger as opposed to your emotional hunger and to stop burying
your hopes and dreams beneath layers of fat."

Here's what's working for me:
* Planning and eating an average of 1200-1400 calories a day from BestLife menu guides,

* Prioritizing daily exercise, including aerobics and strengh training each week,

* Building margin into my overall schedule to manage stress levels,

* Maintaining accountability by logging all food eaten and all exercise performed, plus weighing, measuring and calculating BMI once a week.

* Not eating after 7 p.m.

* Giving and receiving support through chatrooms and HYC blogs.

What's your "secret?"

(Oprah's quote from the preface to The Best Life Diet (Paperback) By Bob Greene

Plate Up the Right Portion

I'm no math whiz, but I can divide a plate into four sections to plan meals without confusing the issue with details about food groups, points, fat or carb grams, etc.

Here's Dr. Phil's solution:

At each meal, fill one section of the plate with a protein, another section with a starch, and the remaining two sections with vegetables of a vegetable and a fruit. Proportioned in this manner, these foods form the foundation of your daily meals.

I agree that if you're trying to control your intake of a substance, even if that substance is food, you have to get your focus off it, or you'll only be fueling your obsession.

Here's his easy way to measure portion control relative to the size of your hand or a tennis ball:

* A serving of meat, fish or poultry should be about the size of the palm of your hand.

* Fruit and vegetable servings should be about the size of your hand when it is cupped, or about the size of a tennis ball (which equals 1/2 cup). Same for a serving of cottage cheese, rice, pasta, cereal or starchy vegetables.

* Whenever you need a cupful of something like milk or yogurt, a serving the size of a fist or two tennis balls is about the right amount.

* A slice of bread, one small roll, or half a bagel or bun counts as one serving.

* A serving of sandwich cheese is one slice.

* As for fats and oil or nuts and seeds, a reasonable serving is about the size of your thumb (or half your thumb if you have big fingers).

Once you get the hang of it, portion management becomes automatic.

Tips from The Ultimate Weight Solution: The 7 Keys to Weight Loss Freedom
Tuesday Weigh-in:
Since January 15, I've lost 15 pounds and 12-1/2 inches.