Like I always tell my clients … it takes small steps to achieve that healthy lifestyle …. and remember it’s not about diets, special weight loss workouts or special fat eating pills – it’s about changing a lifestyle.
Imagine going up the stairs without breathing heavy, keeping up with your kids when they ask you to play with them, being able to eat your favorite dessert without feeling guilty (after adapting to a healthy diet the other days) being OK with parking far away and walking an extra minute to get to the store.
All you need is discipline and determination. To start, let’s take a look at some foods that you can try to eliminate from your permanent diet (you might be able to maintain a couple of them if they are offered in low fat, whole wheat edition) …. here is a list I made… I call it:
10 “HEALTHY” FOODS THAT MAKE YOU FAT
1.) Diet soda
Just because its diet, does not mean you can drink 8 cans a day. Diet sodas triggers release of insulin into your body, which makes you crave more food (usually carbs)
Diet sodas also inhibit the hormone leptin, which regulates your metabolism and appetite. Try to drink water as often as possible.
2.) Pretzels
You may think they may be better than potato chips, but they’re made with enriched white flour and loaded with carbohydrates, a big diet no-no.
3.) Fruit juices
Next time you are at the grocery store, take a look at the nutrition facts of any juice and you are going to be surprised at the high amount of sugar that it contains. Also, most juices contain only about 5-10% natural fruit juice. Eat your fruits rather than drink them.
4.) Salad kits
Salad dressings can add hundreds of calories and more fat that you need. Keep your salads healthy and stick to the lighter dressings.
5.) Peanut Butter
If you just need to have it, stick to the reduced-fat version, but use it in moderation because the fat removed from the reduced fat is replaced with fillers with no reduction in calories.
6.) Poultry hot dogs
All hot dogs include skin and fat, even those made from poultry. Try a low fat or fat-free hot dog as a lower-calorie alternative for your cookouts. Your friends will not even tell the difference.
7.) Cereal bars
Many of these “healthy” bars are high in refined sugar and saturated fat. Look for those that are low in fat and contain very little sugar.
8.) Frozen yogurt
Frozen yogurt contains added sugar, which translates to extra calories. Look for the low-fat labels and indulge sparingly.
9.) Rice cakes
These crispy trees can cause your blood sugar to spike, which extremely causes your body to store unwanted fat by slowing down its ability to burn it off. Also, stay away from the flavored rice cakes. They are loaded with sodium, which triggers your body to retain water. Who needs that bloated feeling anyways?
10.) Cereal
Avoid eating right out of the box, those little flakes add up and you can easily go over your limit. Instead, add 1% or non-fat milk which decreases the calorie density. An ounce of cereal with milk has fewer calories than an ounce of cereal alone, so you’ll take in fewer calories but feel just as satisfied.
Remember those cheat days are OK once in a blue moon, but stay consistent and look out for those trap foods that might be “healthy”.
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