Get Off The Diet Merry Go Round

I've written another enzine article that I want to share with you. "Diet" means different things to different people. Considering "diet" as healthy eating not temporary starvation is the best interpretation of the word.

Hope you'll read this one. Here's the link to the article....  http://ezinearticles.com/?Get-Off-The-Diet-Merry-Go-Round&id=5022085

Your fitness expert

Lynn   www.getrealfit.org

Getting Good Information About Diets

You are what you eat!

Each person has different dietary needs. Going on a diet from a book you get at the grocery store is not a wise choice. 

The best source for finding your best diet is your doctor! He or she will be able to point you in the right direction to find the best foods for you.

If you aren't able to work with a doctor or if you want extra information here's the best website to visit.

www.mypyramid.gov 

They cover everything from calories, types of foods needed, to how many calories you require according to your activity level. 

Food is fun! I love to eat. Finding the best choices for you in the amounts you need isn't a one size fits all situation. 

Have a great day!

Your fitness expert

Lynn Hahn      www.getrealfit.org

Stick With Licensed Professionals For Advise About Your Diet Needs

I had to post about this. Why do people go to fitness trainers for diets? Why not go to a nutritionist?

I see so many people offering diets, nutrition supplements and such who have no training what so ever. They seem to be making money doing this. I have to shake my head and bite my lip.

Sure you can lose weight doing what some of them suggest if you're a healthy person with no allergies or health issues but if you get unbalanced nutritional advise you may lose weight and gain health issues.

What you eat is so individualized. It takes a lot of training to become a nutritionist. Most doctors don't create their own diets for people unless they also have special training in nutrition. They know how specialized nutritional advise is. I just don't get it...

The fees that some of these untrained people charge is not much less and even more sometimes than what a licensed nutritionist would charge.

Getting a recipe for chili on line from an untrained cook makes sense. If it doesn't taste good you can just throw it out but getting a whole diet plan from an untrained person can add up to health problems and those take time to get rid of if they even can be over come.

In my training it was made very clear that we have to stay within our expertise. We refer to nutritionists and limit what nutritional advise we give. Thank goodness we have boards and licensing to make sure those who work with our bodies have training.

www.mypyramid.gov  offers all the general advise you need. Specific advise should come from a licensed professional.

Sticking with the specialists is very important.

Your fitness expert

Lynn     www.getrealfit.org

Pressure Eating Is No Fun!

It's so easy to go to food when you're under pressure. My son is getting married this weekend. I'm having tons of people staying at my house. I'm running around trying to pull loose ends together and food is looking like it could be my best friend LOL.

I'm having to use all the skills I've shared with you on my podcast and in this blog right now.

I just cut my soon to be daughter in laws hair in front of lots of people. I do better when I have time to play and look at hair when I cut peoples hair. I don't know if I did a good job so food is looking like my best friend.

I have to keep telling myself that pressure eating is no fun! There's never enough food to make me feel better once I start going to it for comfort.

Breathing and finding relaxing things to do if only for a few minutes is getting me through this. I'm glad I have this blog to vent on. It's a real crazy mix of people who will be staying with me. Love them all but ugggg!

Are you under pressure right now? Don't go to the refrigerator. Find a relaxing moment. Find a friend to vent with. Heck you can vent right here.

"Pressure eating is no fun" is my chant right now. Care to join in?

Your fitness expert

Lynn   www.getrealfit.org

Break The Comfort Food Habit

I hear, read and work with women who use food for comfort. I have to plead guilty on that account too.

Food can bring a decompressing quality when stress is overwhelming you. It relaxes me and lets me escape the world of pressures. The only problems is then it adds to the stress because gaining weight is stressful for most women. Me included. It's an ugly cycle.

Breaking the habit is not often easy. Denial seems easier than facing the fact that eating when you're not hungry is not healthy. Food lies to you. It will only bring momentary comfort. Telling yourself that over and over is helpful.

Having a list of things you can do to relax yourself when you feel a lot of stress, boredom or anger is so important.

I take short strolls around the block if my day is too much. I have a dogwood tree that is very beautiful when it blooms. I'll go in my back yard and just stare at it for a bit, focus on my breathing and then try to get at my day again.

At night focusing on my breathing and watching what I call a "stupid show" helps me. A comedy that has no apparent lesson or purpose other than to make me laugh. Laughter is healing.

My dogs bring me so much relief from stress I swear they are angels brought to help me get through this wild and crazy thing we call life.

It's far more fun to eat when you are truly hungry. Tell yourself messages like that over and over.

I'm not saying it's easy or that you'll be perfect at not giving into emotional eating. Having back ups is really important. So is forgiving yourself if you do have a slip.

You are not alone! Most women deal with the emotional eating nightmare. Talking about it helps too. Feel free to leave me comments and or questions about the issue.

Your fitness expert

Lynn   www.getrealfit.org

The Weight Loss Maze

I just got through writing another podcast which I will be taping soon and will pass on to you but I just had to blog about the challenge many face with weight control.

In researching this topic I was reminded just how crazy it is out there. If you only eat protein you will get thin. If you stop eating past 4 pm the weight will melt off. If you eat just healthy food you don't have to count calories. Just exercise and the weight will come off. Don't exercise because that make you gain weight. Wow...my head was spinning.

Why common sense has been thrown to the wind amazes me. There truly is no secret or magic potion to weight control. The body isn't that complicated. Calories in versis calories used adds up to the end product. A healthy body or an over weight body.

There are certain things like alcohol that are big culprits because alcohol  is not used by the body but stored as fat. Junk food is laden with calories and most of it empty calories so your body doesn't get the nutrients it needs even if your calories of it are reasonable. You'll be thin but unhealthy.

It's really confusing out there. The best choice is to stay away from extremes. Anything that's extreme is generally extremely dangerous.

I understand the desperation that can come with being unhappy with your weight and not having the know how to deal with it. I always suggest going to your doctor for help. Going to a good licensed nutritionist is the best answer!

Unfortunately some people don't have insurance. That is getting to be a better situation but some are still without medical help. If that's the case then make sure you get your advise from professionals. Make sure  the website or blog you're reading was written by a certified professional. If they don't have their credentials listed it generally means they don't have any. Contact them if need be and ask what their background is before following any of their advise.

Make sure the books you read are written by medical professionals. I know even that can require common sense thinking. Dr. Atkins started with a radical approach to weight control but if you follow the adjustments in that diet it did sway toward more balanced eating.

I believe and was taught that this is the best website for weight loss information

http://www.mypyramid.gov/

Don't get lost in the Weight loss maze. There are many of us professionals that can help you see the light.

Feel free to ask questions and leave comments. I'd love to hear from you!

Your fitness expert

Lynn    www.getrealfit.org

How Do You Eat Healthy?

It gets so confusing knowing what to eat, when to eat and what to eat. My new podcast "Healthy Eating" will help guide you so you can figure out what the best choices are for you!

Here's the link to the new podcast "Healthy Eating"

http://www.lynnhahnpodcast.libsyn.com/


Feel free to ask questions and leave comments. I'd love to hear from you!

Your fitness expert

Lynn     www.getrealfit.org

The 80% Rule

Hope your holiday is going well. Here's a tip to help you get through all the temptations:

Follow the 80% rule. If you eat healthy 80% of the time you'll win your goal of a healthy weight. If you try to be perfect more times then not, it back fires on you.

Remember portions. The size of your fist is a portion most of the time. Nuts and seeds it's the base of the palm not a hand full. Nuts and seeds are great for you but they can pack on the pounds if you go crazy with them.

Keep those tips in mind and have a great holiday!

Feel free to ask questions and leave comments. I would love to hear from you!

Your fitness expert

Lynn   www.getrealfit.org

Include Vegies In Your Diet!

Including vegetables in your diet is so important. I've been lazy and buying the "party" trays and keeping them in my refrigerator so I don't have to wash and chop them up. I'm working a ton now so time is golden.

If you have time chopping them up and having them available at home and bringing them to work in a container so you can much on carrots, celery, broccoli, cucumbers or squash is a huge aid to controlling your food intake and getting a healthy body.

I've been reaching for a veggie instead of all the nuts I use to eat. I still grab nuts but not like I did. I think I was a chipmunk in another life LOL.

Nuts and seeds are great but portions are crucial when snacking on them. They're loaded with calories. I tend to get a bit carried away with them and the scale tells me that so I had to chill a bit with them. You can gain weight on healthy food!

Feel free to ask questions and leave comments. I'd love to hear from you!

Your fitness expert

Lynn    www.getrealfit.org

Weight Control

Controlling weight can be so tough.

The holidays include lots of temptations. It's easy to buy into, "it's a holiday! the heck with controlling what I eat".

I actually did pretty well during the "special" days. My down fall is the aftermath when I have some time to myself. I have to literally find a way to make the things I know I shouldn't eat become distasteful.

I guess if you live alone it's easier to keep things out of the house but when you have a family it's more difficult to control what's in the cupboard.

I try to find something else to do when I want to over indulge. I'm writing in the blog now because the wonderfully salty chips are calling me. They're made with healthy grains and all but they add up in calories healthy or not.

Don't beat yourself up if you had a few rough days. Get back on the road to health and forgive yourself. Avoid the scales and eat less for a few days and then face that scale. I really believe in weighing. Otherwise it's easy to let things go too far. It's easy to stay in denial, "these pants must have shrunk".

I know there's more to life than watching your weight but if you don't watch your weight there may be less of life due to the diseases that come a long with poor diet and over weight.

It's a balance. 

Your fitness expert

Lynn www.getrealfit.org