Category / Healthy Weight

Tips for a healthy lifestyle to assist in with maintaining or attaining a healthy weight. Drug free, toxin free, and craving free. Contact us for your consultation to get started living life on the lead lap and having the energy to finish STRONG!

by tessbrennan

8 Tips to Keep the Turkey off your Hips!

Thanksgiving is a week away.  Many will spend hours in the car traveling to or between family gatherings, only to arrive at their destination and have mounds of food placed in front of them.

What is one to do? Working diligently to maintain healthy choices, avoid junk foods, and keep moving on a regular basis could be all for not after this one day??? NOT!  RELAX…

Our health and well being is the culmination of what we do on a daily, weekly, monthly, and annual basis.  Its really about the choices we make every day, so each day we make good choices, contributes to better health.  This is 1 day, (or maybe a week depending on how much you actually cook) and not the whole year.

So, with that, and all the Holiday parties to follow in the next month and a half… Here are some tips to keep that turkey off your hips!

  • If you are on vacation, this is the perfect time to practice that routine you would like to institute when you go back.  Take the time to walk or do a few squats between commercials.
  • Eat a healthy snack before you go, so you aren’t ravished and ready to eat a whole cow (or garden for our vegetarian friends) when you arrive.
  • Drink a BIG glass of water 20 minutes before you eat. (or 10 minutes or 5 minutes or right before you eat… just drink it!)
  • TAKE. YOUR. TIME. eating.  Allow your body to register what is in the belly and to tell you when it is full.
  • Remember the difference between “I don’t” (preferred) vs. “I can’t.” (to be avoided at all costs)  The difference between these two phrases can be success or failure!
  • Moderation is key – you can have a sliver of pie, just not the WHOLE pie.  Smile Pick a small piece of the desert that “completes” the meal for you.
  • Don’t forget the veggies.  At least half of your plate should be veggies. (NOT just green bean casserole – fresh veggies, whole veggies, even plain veggies)
  • Opt for whole foods you recognize as the source and just try a taste of things you know are refined, if you must.
  • BONUS: At half-time take everyone outside to play a game of pick-up football, a family 5K, or just wrestle with the young-ins… movement is what it is about!

Tis the season to remember all the things we are thankful for.  (I like to do this on a daily basis, but its nice to have a reminder day for it…)

Here are a few photos of our past Holiday gatherings. Smile

IMG-20111124-00413IMG-20111124-00415IMG-20111124-00417IMG-20111123-00406IMG-20111123-00408Bonita Springs-20111124-00427

First 3 photos are of the 5,000 meals campaign at Lamb of God church.  We delivered meals for the church to people out in the Buckingham area who needed meals to help celebrate the holiday.  Then my daughter and I work on a holiday treat for our friends who hosted us for Thanksgiving, the Ballo’s.  

 

by tessbrennan

Nehemiah–An Example of Prayer, Commitment & Action

As the beginning of the Temple Maintenance class draws near, I continue to pray and listen and write out my class outlines.  I have compiled information, questions, statistics, and resources for my students.

The one thing, that every student needs, I cannot provide. This one thing must come from each and every student, from within.  Commitment must come from the individual.

It is one thing to pray for healing when you are sick or tired or just run down.  When we add to that the prayer, the willingness to make a change, to make a different choice to assist in facilitating that improvement.Choosetosoar-net_man_on_cliff

There is a story of a man who is dangling precariously from a cliff who prays to God to have Him save the man.  A scout passes by and offers to help the man up, but the man says, “No, God is going to save me.”  Another passes by and reaches down for him but the man replies, “No, God is going to save me.”  After a third offers and is again sent away the man plummets to his death.  Upon reaching the pearly gates he asks God, “why did you not save me?”  God replies, “I sent 3 people to help you but you wouldn’t reach out your hand”

We have to be willing to reach out and take some action. God put us on this planet to work, not sit around and let him just do everything for us.  He gave us FREE WILL.  We must take the Will to survive, be better, and work toward a better outcome.

My thoughts have again been pulled to Nehemiah as I’ve thought about the role of commitment and action in our daily lives as it has to do with our Human Temple.

My thoughts on Nehemiah as compared to working on ones individual health.

If we purchase a home in disrepair, we work to rebuild it, make it safe, make it strong, make it OUR home.  But the work doesn’t stop once the home is repaired…we must continue to maintain the house.  Clean it to keep out insects and varmints, reroof on occasion to keep rain from entering our home and molding and making us sick, repainting to maintain the integrity of our structure. 

If we don’t maintain our home with the right tools and supplies, it begins to crumble and fall down around us.

Our health is the same way.  If we don’t care for our body and provide it with the proper nutritious supplies.  If we fill it with garbage, sickness and disease can begin to move in and we have no defense.  If God has healed your of a disease or sickness, how long can your body continue to fend off the return of that disease if you don’t feed it and care for it correctly.

My goal is to provide you with tools and resources to rebuild and maintain your Temple… But first, you must bring the ladder of commitment and the hammer of action to get to work and make it happen!

God Bless, and make it a GREAT day!

by tessbrennan

Globesity and Nehemiah..

For those of you awaiting the completion of the 3-day, 60-mile series, it is coming… I am awaiting a shipment of things for my photos for the blog.

RebuildingHealth

Today, 1 in 3 adults is overweight or obese. 1 in 4 is ineligible to join our armed forces or to apply for Public Service positions. This means we have fewer people available for these services, potentially very good candidates, except for their weight. (Weight of the Nation Series – HBO)

Heart disease, Cancer, Stroke, Diabetes, and other degenerative diseases are on the rise and the percentages of people being affected are increasing too. We are in the middle of a perfect storm of health crisis for our country and our world with this horrible Globesity issue. It seems as if it has spiraled out of control and there is no way to correct it. In an ancient, well known, text there is a story of a man who took on a monumental task of rebuilding a protective wall around a city.

There was a LOT of work to do, many of the citizens in the area had no idea how to repair a wall, yet they banded together, worked together, prayed together and replace the ENTIRE wall around the city in a mere 52 days.

The Globesity issue isn’t just about being overweight, it is about the disease and discomfort that accompanies it. This isn’t about being sexy or beautiful, because WHO you are makes you beautiful, its about being healthy and enjoying life and not suffering with disease, and reducing your susceptibility to those diseases.  Here are a few thoughts I jotted down over the weekend, while on a retreat.

Text of my monologue is below.

For more information on the class, Temple Maintenance, Wellness based on Biblical Principles, or for a personal consultation, contact me.

Text:

We hear a lot about the globesity issue, of the decline of the health of America as a whole. It seems like a monumental task: almost as if the sanctified city of health and wellness has been broken down. There is a monumental task ahead of us to rebuild our nations’ health. To begin reducing the numbers of those being attacked by degenerative diseases, we need help, big help, but the task isn’t as monumental as we may think… if we count on Him for assistance.

I would like to parallel this with the story of Nehemiah.

Nehemiah was one man, with a vision of the revitalization of Jerusalem. Just as Nehemia used many to rebuild the City of Jerusalem—we need many tribes to rebuild the health of our country and world.

The system you choose to use (tribe you work with) isn’t as important as completing the work, one brick and choice at a time, one gate at a time, one step at a time.

If we each do our personal part to improve our personal section of the wall, our own health, we become a wonderful example for those around us, it becomes contagious and doesn’t seem as daunting a task. It doesn’t seem as impossible to attain when we see others we know doing it and succeeding. Others begin to realize that, they too, can have success and join a different pool of statistics. (We are all a statistic – just a different group).

The globesity epidemic isn’t something that one person can change. This epidemic is domething that needs cooperation from one house to another to the next until the walls of good health and quality of life are rebuilt stronger than before, and our children will then understand the importance of maintaining this wall of health.

The recurring theme throughout Nehemiah is that each person in Nehemiah rebuilt a section of the wall adjacent to their home. THEIR HOME. ~Be the change you want to see.

In Nehemiah 4 we see opposition to rebuilding the wall. VS 2B “Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble-burned as they are?”

I hear: Will they restore their health? Will they trust in His Sacrifice? Can they restore their health in one day? Can they regain health when they’ve spent years and decades tearing it down and failing before?

Not everyone in Nehemiah was as “excited” about rebuilding the wall, but they did their part.

(MY PARAPHRASING BELOW)

NEH6:12-14 (paraphrase)

“Wherever we turn there are easy choices to attack us and cause us to fail. 13 Therefore we station people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them as families to support each other and build each other up. 14 Don’t be afraid of those tempations. Remember the Lord, who is great and Awesome, and FIGHT for your families, your sons, and your daughters, your wives and homes.

We are fighting a war against obesity and pour health. The Air Force tells its airmen that Wars are won by 2 strategies, Hope and Belief. This is true in Spiritual Warfare AND Nutritional Warfare.

We build communities, tribes and families to support each other and build each other up, to celebrate even the smallest of victories together and to support each other in the difficult times.  Together, we can fend off those who try to destroy our health.

(Think marketing, cheap “food”, fast “food”, and other products that tear down our health as opposed to building it up.)

~Tess

 

by tessbrennan

Training for a pain free 60-mile (hydration)

This is probably one of the biggest issues in a 3-day.  The volunteers at the event do a VERY good job of being sure we are pushed to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate, PEE! 

However, when we are training on our own, or before we get to the event, it can be very easy to “forget” how much WATER we have consumed. 

I emphasize WATER because sodas, coffee, teas (I’m not referring to caffeine free herbal teas here), and booze are counter productive in this instance. 

I train in SW Florida year round.  August is one of my bigger training months and it is also one of the hottest, so hydration becomes very important.  I must make sure that I am not setting myself up for failure in the days leading up to a big training walk. 

I, personally, strive to drink at least 75 ounces of water a day, on non-training day.  This keeps things “moving” throughout my body and prevents dehydration and other things.  I also pay close attention to my body while I am walking for any signs that I may need extra hydration.

Signs my body gives me to tell me I am moving toward dehydration:

  • Sausage Fingers – my fingers swell and my wedding band looks tight
  • Tight or Cramping muscles – this is the sign that I need to stretch A LOT, and something more than water is needed to get me back on track
  • Thirsty – once you feel thirsty, you have already begun the dehydration cycle
  • Light headed, dizzy (more so than normal Smile ) – time to sit down and cool off and drink, drink, drink

WATER

I carry 1.5 liters of water with me when training.  I know that should get me 6-8 miles into my walk and that I will need a refill at that point.  I plan my training walks to give me that option, specifically.

On a daily basis I carry my 16 ounce Tervis tumbler and fill it about 4 times per day with hydrating drinks. (water, fruit infused water, herbal teas)  I also know that if I choose to drink coffee, I will need to add more water to my daily total.

I stay away from “bottled” water.  The tap is more strictly regulated and enforced, there is less BPA and other plastic leachates in it, and I don’t have to pay to have it shipped anywhere.  I do use a filtration pitcher at home to give me more peace of mind and to pull out additional toxins.  Choose a brand you trust.

NOT WATER

I don’t mean the clear liquid that comes in the gallon jug and burns on the way down. I avoid drinks of that nature.  I AM talking about REHYDRATION – electrolyte replacement beverages.

I don’t personally drink, or recommend, the mainstream beverages on the market.  If you ask my 6 yr old, the rule is, “if it come’s in blue, we don’t drink it.” 

Here’s what I look for in a replacement beverage:

  • No artificial colors
  • No artificial flavors OR sweeteners
  • No caffeine
  • Evidence based science

I have a friend’s blog that explains what to look for in an electrolyte replacement beverage, she is much more knowledgeable than I am, I just know it works for me.  My choice of mix is Performance, it is rated as one of the top options on this blog as well. 

My next blog will be, “Don’t Poison Yourself”  hmmm…

For more information, follow me here, or contact me.  Until then, Happy walking!

by tessbrennan

The ONE thing that made me gain weight!

It is amazing all the articles written about what it is that is making our fellow humans overweight and obese.  I have compiled a list of articles listing out what is making us fat. I will post some links at the end of this article.

I’ve heard such a list of “the one thing” that make us fat, but I don’t believe 1 thing makes us gain weight.  It is a list of things, combinations; the perfect storm.

What makes me Fat

So, what ONE thing on this list has made me fat?  How about you?

There are so many myths about what is making our friends, neighbors, family AND enemies fat that it is getting difficult to recognize the actual culprit.   We KNOW what to do, we KNOW what to eat, we KNOW we are gaining weight.

ALL OF THESE MADE ME FAT… and ATTENTION TO ALL OF THESE made me thin again.  Each one of us has the ability to change our personal future.  Each one of us has free will.  It is a matter of being mindful and choosing the healthier alternative.

Temptation has always been there and it will continue to be there, we just need to learn to brush it away and grab an apple instead. (Pun intended)

Genesis 3:3

3 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”  – BibleGateway.com NIV

My personal story:

I realized my health was declining, my weight was increasing, my pain levels were increasing, and I was sick all the time.  Hence, attention to prevention (or in my case repair). 

Through attention to what I eat, how much I move, what toxins I surround and slather upon myself, and disproving the time and money myths, I have been able to lose the weight, gain TONS of energy, lose the pharmaceuticals, and cut back to one cold per year.  My asthma is all but eliminated, my depression is controlled without Rx, I don’t need pain meds all the time, and I can walk 60 miles at a time.

If you would like more information, or to discuss what a plan for you might look like, contact me.

MAKE IT A GREAT WEEK!!!

(HERE’S YOUR PROMISED LIST OF LINKS)

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/5-surprising-reasons-you-are-gaining-weight

  1. Lack of Sleep
  2. Stress
  3. Medications
  4. Medical condition
  5. Menopause

http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/for-women/11-causes-for-weight-gain-in-women.html#b

  1. Pregnancy
  2. Menopause
  3. Not eating enough
  4. Eating “low fat” foods
  5. Lack of Fiber
  6. Too Much stress
  7. Lack of Sleep
  8. Depression
  9. Lack of fatty acids
  10. Diseases & Illness
  11. Birth control

http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-sugar-drink-preschoolers-20130805,0,4412618.story

Among the randomly selected children in this study, 31.4% of 2-year-olds were already classified as obese, and 32.7% of 4- and 5- year olds.

"Overall, children drinking sugar-sweetened beverages on a regular basis have 17% to 20% increase in total calorie consumption," the researchers write in the paper.

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/11/25/7-surprise-reasons-for-weight-gain/

  1. Depression
  2. Rx
  3. Gut is slow
  4. Body doesn’t have enough of certain nutrients
  5. Getting older
  6. Plantar Fasciitis or other aching joints
  7. Cushing’s syndrom

http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/loseweight/Pages/Puttingonweight.aspx

  1. Foods labeled “low fat”
  2. Stres
  3. TV
  4. Rx
  5. Late Nights
  6. Good Manners
  7. Portion sizes
by tessbrennan

What makes a snack healthy?

Okay, all this talk about snacks this month is making me hungry.  Winking smile  Not really, I keep my hunger number between 2 & 4. 

As I began working to improve my health, and thus reduce my waist line, healthy food choices and portion sizes became really important.  I used to crave sodas, breads and pastas, and sweets A LOT! I was certain there was no way to overcome them. 

What I found was, when my body had the nutrition and components necessary for building a healthy body, the cravings melted away just like the inches on my waist.

Why or how could that be?  Lets look at a graphic to explain a bit of it.

How_food-affects_blood_sugar_image_only

What we eat as a snack is just as important as when and how much we eat.  When we grab a soda, or a donut, or a bowl of cereal as our answer to our hunger situation… we are really setting ourselves up to fail. 

This is why the coffee break became so important.  When you eat a bowl of cereal, a pop tart, or a donut for breakfast, as you can see in the chart, your blood sugar SPIKES quickly and drops off just as fast… leaving you in state of “starvation” via the mind tricks because of the sudden and drastic drop in blood sugar.

Otherwise, if your chosen food item is a good quality protein, then your blood sugar doesn’t spike, it stays stable and you don’t get those “I gotta eat a 10 pound donut” sensations 2 hours later.

When we eat was covered in my blog a week ago on how Snacking can make you skinny.

How much to eat depends on your personal caloric needs for the day, how much activity you’ve had during the day, and how long it will be until your next full meal.  I made some great snack suggestions earlier this month.

So, now you have the logistics of how it all works, suggestions of healthful snack option, and a hunger scale to use… all that’s left is a big glass of tasty water to keep things on an even keel.

Fruit_infused_water

Healthy snacking, and may the grumpies stay far, far away!

For more information on healthy alternatives and choices, please contact me.

 

by tessbrennan

Fast Food… What is it?

In 1955 an amazing thing happened that changed the way see food and what we expect from our food. The concept of fast food changed forever! The McDonalds model of fast food and their advertising took hold in our country.

When my folks were kids everything was made from scratch.

  • Most of it came from the family garden and was prepared and preserved seasonally to last the year. There was a lot of time spent in the kitchen preparing meals and foods for now and the somewhat near future.
  • Obesity rates weren’t an issue, heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and cancer were far less common than today. Then it all got "easier," or was it?

Advertising and marketing did an excellent job of convincing the American woman she was spending too much time "in the kitchen" (men too). Use this boxed food to "save time" and effort.  Commercials depicted happy housewives of the era having so much more time because they could now prepare boxed! Ready made food.  (If your listen to your grandma or great grandma you might find that Mac and cheese from scratch takes just the same time as the blue box to make and tastes better.)

Old_Time_Fast_Food

Then, the fast food restaurant entered the scene. If the highly "fortified" boxed meals weren’t fast enough, then the fast food place with the yellow roof is the answer. This isn’t as big a deal in Sweden where they realize it isn’t good for you and rarely visit the places, however in America its become an issue of people eating it on a regular basis rather than as an occasion treat.  Enter mass malnutrition and a higher incidence of the big four. (not a college conference, unfortunately)
Let’s talk about ‘fast food’.

  • The average person needs 5-10 minutes to get to the fast food restaurant. (this number increases exponentially depending on the number of and ages of your children)
  • Then, you wait in line to order, another 5-10 minutes.
  • You find a seat at the restaurant, get your kids set up with their meals, clean up a spill of some sort and replace the spilled food, another 10 minutes.
  • You eat the food. (in our case, the 6 yr old will be eating for the next 60-75 minutes)
  • You clear the table and throw out all the trash from your meal, clean  up the kids, take 1 or two to the potty, and head out to the car.

At home, you wouldn’t have had to load and unload the kids, the meal could have been ready in the same 30 minutes for less money, the kids could have used the potty by themselves without fear of what foreign germs or strange people might be lurking in the bathroom.  Thus loading the kids up one time to get to the destination of the evening and if they spill dinner on their outfit it could be changed before going on to ‘the event’ of the evening.

It’s not difficult to prepare, create, and serve healthy foods/meals. The mindset is the biggest obstacle to overcome. We see TONS of marketing on the boob tube about how much easier it is if we use this box or that box, or allow a hand to help you out… But it really isn’t that big of a time saver, in fact, I’ve found I can make dinner faster without it…and I don’t have to freak out if there isn’t a box in the pantry anymore.  I don’t need no stinking box!

I hear so many people say, "I don’t have time to make it myself." "I don’t have time to eat healthy." and I can’t help but wonder…

When WILL you have time to schedule

  • the biopsies/chemo/radiation
  • the bypass/stress test/stent placement
  • the wait times in the waiting rooms/pharmacies/specialists office
  • insulin testing/administering insulin/dialysis/wound care

It’s really all just a trade off. Perhaps, a little effort today could prevent the need to be forced to schedule time for doctor’s visits and such. OR… Perhaps you could learn a couple new skills today that could prevent the big 4 and allow you to enjoy the later years of your life outside playing around rather than spending the time in waiting rooms with everyone else.

Stop listening to the boob tube adds, please. Washing some fruit/veggies, or making a batch of protein bars, doesn’t really take that long and the benefits could last a longer lifetime!!!

Here are some additional Fast Food Facts for you and another article about the cost of fast food or if you prefer pictures here is a cost comparison of fast food.

Choose Health

For information on food preparation classes or waist line reduction (weight loss) contact me.

by tessbrennan

Perpetuating an Obese Society (Rant)

I’ve been bothered a great deal recently by the perpetual encouragement of poor eating habits we are teaching our kids.

It started at Sunday school, when as a 3 yr old my darling daughter was rewarded for memorizing her bible verse with a couple of skittles. Not a big deal, right? Or is it?

Eating is necessary for life, right. WRONG! Nutrition is essential for life and eating doesn’t necessarily provide nutrition in our day and age.

Fast forward to Kindergarten… Again with the skittles, and now we add:

  • store bought junk food for birthdays (approximately 15 days of the school year)
  • again with the skittles for answering a question correctly
  • junk food for making certain benchmarks throughout the school year
  • a principle’s party complete with empty calorie foods
  • one field day with junk food as a treat
  • popsicles for reaching classroom benchmarks. (artificially flavored water with sugar)

With an obesity rate of 1 out of 3 students and adult obesity rapidly rising, shouldn’t we be able to find healthier ways to celebrate the little victories.

Obesity Trends

Then when the kids get home and have had an unusually bad day, many parents suggest they talk it out over Tostito pizza rolls or a bowl of ice cream.

Don’t get me wrong, I really don’t want to be a party pooper, but I really feel we are failing out kids through our constant reward/consoling system of using food.

Add to this the fact that many schools don’t have time to offer physical education on a regular basis, the fact that elementary recess time is a thing of the past, and our children must "be in their seats" for so many hours a day… No wonder we have kids who are squirmy, over excitable, and overweight.

What if… Instead of offering junk food to the kids who have excelled, we instead offer the opportunity to play a game, have time on the playground, time to mingle and talk to each other in an open atmosphere? Or we offered stickers, tickets to events sponsored by local businesses, or enter them into special raffles.

Tickets-Feel_Good_Fast

What if birthday parties consisted of fruit salad with homemade whipped cream instead of store bought nautical crackers or cupcakes and ice cream.

Watermelon_-_Feel_Good_Fast

What if we taught our kids solid coping mechanisms and healthful celebration habits?

When I was a child, we had PE three times a week and recess twice a day. We had time to run and throw balls and hool-a- hoop. We had crab races, played dodge ball and kickball.

A special treat at school, during my youth, was an all school assembly where we got to watch Looney Toons cartoons and sit next to our friends.  We didn’t have to have popcorn covered in artificial flavors, Kool-aid, or Popsicles. We just watched a movie and enjoyed laughing at the silliness.

In a world of advertising where our kids are bombarded with adds about why "quick" processed foods are "the way to go" shouldn’t we be cognizant of the habits we are instilling?

new habits not deprived

In a world where the bottom line is so important in the classroom, why not skip the expensive,"cheap" empty calories and instead provide our kids with some stimulation and free time.  🙂

For information on healthier options for snack time, recipes, or classes, please feel free to contact me.

by tessbrennan

Could Snacking make you skinny?

Many people, who want to lose weight begin by cutting WAY back on what they eat. (calories)  This method usually sets that person up for failure on many different levels. (Many, we have discussed before.)

One of the issues that occur when we starve ourselves is the feelings of hunger and for many the resulting binge.  (Like a whole bag of Oreos or an entire pizza by yourself)

This is where healthy, proportionate snacking could actually assist you in your efforts to lose the inches, increase your energy levels and improve your overall health.

If we look at hunger on a simple, 5-point scale…

Hunger Scale Healthy Grease Monkey

How do YOU know when you are hungry?  Are you even aware? What are your signs?  Rumbling belly, dizziness, ANGER, grumpiness, exhaustion, headaches, etc.

Therein lies the issue.  If your symptoms of hunger are those listed above, you have waited TOO LONG to eat!  You are at the “I could eat the ENTIRE ass end of that cow” end of the scale.

Your body has passed the rational judgment point about food  and your ability to distinguish the signs of satisfaction, BEFORE you reach the other end of this spectrum is most likely null & void.

So, my suggestion to you, pay attention to your body’s signals, keep healthy snacks full of protein and healthy fiber on hand or near to keep you between that I’m hungry and I’m satisfied levels.  This is also where our metabolism functions at its best and we can keep the inches from calling in friends around our middle.

Have a great day and perhaps, an apple with some organic, natural peanut butter for a snack!

by tessbrennan

Using a Pen to Lose Weight

No, writing with an ink pen will not burn exorbitant amounts of calories, but it CAN dramatically improve your weight loss efforts!   When we have a baseline to begin with and work from, goals can be set realistically.

‘Weight loss’ strategy: Remember The National Institute of Health’s food journal project?

The NIH assembled a group of 1600 obese people and asked them to write down everything they ate at least 1 day per week. Slowly, people began recording meals once a week and sometimes more often. Some even started a daily food log and it soon became a habit.

The regular food log group soon found themselves looking at their entries and began finding patterns. The 10am snackers began keeping apples and bananas at their desk and slowly began replacing junk food with healthy food in all their meals.

The researchers hadn’t suggested any of these behaviors but the simple act of food journaling led to folks who kept daily food journals lose twice as much weight as anyone else.
This week, let’s create a food journal for our own heath.

Source: The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
PS: Research has repeatedly revealed that sharing the weight loss journal with a close friend/member of family increases the effectiveness of the initiative even further!

 

So, put down your soda and pick up a pen!  Write down everything you eat & drink, raise your personal awareness, and watch what happens. It works and this is why I include it in my list of things to do when “Getting Started” toward a healthier life!