Spring Clean your Diet

I think it is safe to say - Spring is coming! I know we had snow last week but as I look out my window, I see some purple and white crocus flowers blooming and I am given hope. Pretty soon the winter jackets will be put away and shorts and t-shirts will be coming out. ARE YOU READY?? Here are some tips to get ready for spring.

Set realistic goals for yourself. Exercising 3 hours a day and never having sugar pass our lips is a great thought but is it achievable? Probably not because if it was - we would have already done it. It is much easier to choose a couple of do-able goals that we can accomplish and build from there. Place the written goal on the fridge where you can see it daily.

Do not get sucked into a quick fix. We will be bombarded with so called quick easy ways to lose weight before summer. They do not work. Again, if they did, you would be at goal. Steady, consistent weight loss is the way to go. My most successful clients are the ones who lost the weight the right way. Making behavioral and dietary changes that they could live with for the long haul. Guess what? These are the clients that are still at or below their goal weight.

Clean up your diet. Take a look in your pantry and cabinets. Get rid of the junk. Look at food labels. If you cannot pronounce the ingredient, it is probably not too good for you. Try to stick to as many whole foods as possible. Reducing white flour and sugar will have a dramatic impact on both your weight and how you feel. Try not to make the mistake of replacing sugar with artificial sugar. This can impact your metabolism and hunger in a negative way. Increase your consumption of fruits and veggies. This will help to keep you full and give your bodies some important antioxidents and vitamins.

Eat frequently. Small meals throughout the day keeps your metabolism fired up so you are always in fat burning mode. If you go too long between feedings your body is more likely to convert the food to fat.

Drink water! This helps to keep you full and flush out your system. One of the symptoms of dehydration is hunger. Often we think we are hungry when in reality we are just thirsty.

Increase your exercise! Move more! Play catch with your kids in the back yard, rake, weed - MOVE! Purchase a pedometer and count your steps. I recently did this and am amazed with how competitive I have gotten with myself and the number of steps I get each day. One easy way to increase steps is to toss a pair of sneakers in the back of the car. Walk around the perimeter of the baseball or lacrosse field this spring while your kids team is practicing. Every time you sneak in some exercise - you have just fired up your metabolism which translates into more calories burned.

Most importantly lose the diet mentality. The goal is to find a balance that you can live with. If you follow the plan 80% of the time, this gives you a 20% cushion for the other stuff! Remember - this is a LIVEIT! Not a DIet.

I am always around to answer questions or set up an appointment. Feel free to contact me and we can discuss further!

HAPPY SPRING - Noreen Gallo MSRD