If you're like one of the million dieters around the globe than you know how tough it is to loose a few pounds, find a diet that works or even stick to your New Year's resolution. Well you're not alone and you need to understand that all diets fail!
When used as a verb, diet is defined as: to select or limit the food one eats to improve one's physical condition or to lose weight.
There are over 100 different diets on any web search engine right now and over a dozen that have made the New York Times best sellers list. But what really works to lose weight and keep your beach body all year?
If you already have that fit, toned body, then you know how tough it was to get it. No magic pill, secret diet or cutting corners worked. It's not about diet, starving, cutting carbs or low-fat meals. It's about portion control and exercise.
Once you understand that weight loss is directly related to each and every day, lower caloric consumption vs. caloric burn, you will lose weight. In addition, adding exercise to your routine will increase weight loss and help you tone and better shape your body.
A healthy weight loss should focus on a pound a week; an aggressive goal would be 2-plus pounds a week.
Here's how it's done:
• Use a journal to document everything you eat and log your exercises. Livestrong.com has an awesome service called Daily Plate, which charts your caloric intake vs. your burn and gives you an instant read and can be loaded on most smartphones.
• Include more fruits in your morning meal plan and remember that fruits should be eaten alone or left alone for at least 30 minutes
• Avoid all refined sugar foods: candy, pastries, ice cream and so on.
• Keep your complex carbs to a minimum and avoid consuming them past 3 p.m. in the afternoon.
• Dairy products should be limited to low-fat yogurt, fat-free cottage cheese and non-fat milk.
• If at all possible, alcohol consumption should be eliminated or kept to low-cal beer, wine and avoid spirits.
• All your meals should focus on low-calorie, high-fiber enriched foods. Avoid skipping meals and focus on grazing throughout the day as opposed to three square meals.
• Lastly, exercise for at least 30 to 45 minutes a day. By mixing up your workout plan you'll continue to shock and shape your body without getting bored or set in a rut.
Fit bite
One of my favorite restaurants on the Third Street Promenade is Greek Cuisine Stop ‘n Caf√©. Whether you're a vegan, vegetarian, gluten free or cost conscious diner, this is a real gem on the north end of the promenade near Wilshire Boulevard and in the shadows of the restaurant chains around the corner. I've found that most of the starters, soups and salads on the lunch menu are under 400 calories individually and even if paired (lentil soup and spinach salad) are under 550 calories for a filling meal. My go-to sure thing is the Greek kebob plate. While it might be high on the caloric index (875), I assure you will not walk away hungry as it has a generous chicken breast (all white meat), brown rice and green salad — enjoy.
Thomas Roe has been an American Council on Exercise certified personal trainer for more than 12 years and holds a degree in endurance nutrition. Learn more at http://nogymfitness.com or call (310) 666-3592.
