More Weight Loss Help

In my continuing "series" of weight loss help posts, today I want to talk about an interview with Joy Bauer, the health expert from The Today Show. Today she was discussing "simple strategies for taking it off in 2009". Two really caught my ear although all were great help suggestions. The two I thought would really hit home with you are:

1. Trigger Foods - When you first start a weight loss program, it might be best to keep all trigger foods out of your home & reach. Trigger foods are those foods that you just can't stop eating once you start into them. This is not to say that you never can eat them again. All we are saying is that keep them away from you at first until you get to a point where you can handle having only 1 piece of pizza or one square of chocolate. You will get to the point when you can handle it


2. Eliminate Extras - So, I am not saying eliminate your mini snacks. What Joy Bauer is saying is that "picking" that goes on thru the day. You know what I am talking about .. a taste of the dinner you are cooking, a pick at the kid's snack, a pick at the candy bowl at work. This is what Joy suggested to her client who said she was following Joy's program to a "T". Take a large zip lock bag & every time you reach for a "pick or bite of something", put it in the zip lock bag rather than eat it. Her client had eaten 1000 calories of picking! I think this is a great idea!!! I think this may be an eye opener for many!

Read all of Joy's 6 suggestions here: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/28559531/

Also, Joy has another article on how to eat better in 2009 & 5 of her favorite foods. They are Greek yogurt, quinoa, nut butter, flax seeds and dried fruit. The article discusses the nutritional content of the foods, why to eat them & how to use them. I, personally, eat Greek yogurt, nut butters or natural peanut butter and flax seeds. When I added these things to my food program, I did notice a big difference. I have a post on quinoa so check my past posts and I eat fresh vs. dried fruit but read Joy's advice on that. Dried fruit is calorie dense so be sure to make note of portion control. This article can be read here:

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/28545031/?pg=6#Health_COT_5foods2009