Don't Skip Meals

Current Weight: 227 lbs.
Change 6: Don't Skip Meals

Eating breakfast can increase your metabolism, helping your burn more calories during the day. It also helps avoid overeating later in the day.

Many people skip meals thinking they can lose weight by not taking in the extra calories. The problem is, our body needs those calories, and it will tell us through hunger pains. Typically the most convenient way to stop these hunger pains is through eating whatever is at hand, usually junk food snacks and other processed sugary foods, which is far worse than eating a good healthy meal.

If you skip too many meals, your body recognizes the reduced caloric intake and may think it is starving, and instead of losing weight, it will lower your metabolism, conserving every extra calorie it can as fat, lowering your energy levels and gaining weight. So always eat regular, healthy, meals.

Drink Water

Current Weight: 229 lbs.
Change 5: Drink 62 - 91 ounces of water a day.

Our bodies are made up mostly of water; however, it is easy to become dehydrated, especially living in Arizona. While it is a myth that your body doesn’t feel thirsty until long after you are already dehydrated, by drinking a regular amount of water each day, you can prevent yourself from becoming dehydrated. When you urinate, your urine should be clear enough to see through it. If you cannot, then that’s a sign that you are becoming dehydrated.

Water has 0 calories, so as a drink, there is none better when you are trying to lose weight. It also clears toxins from your body and is an appetite suppressant. A common trick is to drink 8 ounces of water whenever you have the urge to eat, and then wait 15 minutes before eating anything. If, after the 15 minutes, you are still hungry, have another glass of water.

The latest dietary reference intake report by the United States National Research Council in general recommended 2.7 liters of water (96 fluid ounces) total for women and 3.7 liters (125 fluid ounces) for men, from all beverages and foods. The average person takes in about 1 liter (34 fluid ounces) of water through the foods they eat each day. That leaves about 62 ounces for women, and 91 ounces for men that you still need to ingest.

Water is also a diuretic. That means that it elevates the rate of bodily urine excretion. It does this by inhibiting vasopressin secretion. Arginine vasopressin is a hormone that is released when your body is low on water. It causes your kidneys to conserve water, but not salt, by reducing urine volume or concentrating your urine. Vasopressin also raises blood pressure by causing your blood vessels to narrow.

Tap Water Vs. Bottled Water
Typically the only difference between bottled water and tap water, other than the price, is the amount of nitrates and chlorine in the water. Chlorine is used in larger amounts in tap water to keep the amount of nitrates down, whereas in bottled water, there is less chlorine, and it can have up to the US federal limit of nitrates. This affects the taste of water, so while bottled water may taste better to most people, it can be less healthy for you.

Cheat

Current Weight: 229 lbs.
Change 4: Enjoy the things that bring you pleasure.

If you restrict yourself from all the things that bring you pleasure, you will become miserable, and it won't matter how much weight you lose. Happiness is a key to healthiness. Take one day a week and let yourself cheat. Eat those high sugar foods or drinks that you enjoy so much, but in moderation.

The more you restrict yourself, the more you will want the things you are restricted from. In my opinion, this is one of the main reasons most diets fail: you become so strict with yourself that you are unhappy and give up entirely on your diet. If you can have a day to just relax and enjoy the good things in life, it makes the rest of the week's work more worthwhile.

This isn't an excuse to go overboard, if you consume more calories than you can burn off in the rest of the week, then you won't have any gain. Have appropriate sized servings of your favorite ice cream, a slice of cake, a glass of soda, etc.

I chose Monday as my "cheat day" because it gives me a reason to look forward to Monday's. Most people stress about Mondays, more heart attacks happen on Monday than any other day. Also, if you allow yourself to cheat on a weekend when foods are more readily available, you have a greater tendency to forget the key word: moderation.

Weekly Progress

Current Weight: 229 lbs.
No New Change Today


I'm going to chart my progress on Saturdays to give me a good look back at the previous week. The changes I've made this week have been simple, moderate, and it appears, effective.

Friday

Current Weight: 230 lbs.
No New Change Today

Well, the first week has passed and I've already dropped 5 pounds. It feels good to get started, and while I was worried about starting my first blog, I'm actually enjoying writing about it.

I was tempted to add another change today, but then looked back over this week and remembered Wednesday's post, Take it Slow. Society has become such a tidal wave of information and motion that we all want to do everything we can as fast as we can. This tendency is only adding more stress to our lives, and I can't help but think this is a contributor to our weight issues.