TIPS - FOR HEALTHY EATING HABITS

Many of you, skip breakfast in favor coffee and a bagel in the morning. You know it's true! You say your work schedule makes it toooo difficult to have a well balanced meal. Lunch is wolfed down in the few minutes you have between phone calls. And, dinner at least for most New Yorkers, is OUT. Meaning, out at restaurant, either with clients or friends...

For many of us especially in NYC, LA, Chicago, or anywhere where city-life is happening this is the every day reality. If you live a fast paced life, and you wonder why you're gaining weight even though you're eating very little or eating 'low calorie' or 'diet' foods; the main answer is simple, poor eating habits. Poor eating habits are usually accompained by poor sleeping habits, and just maybe a liiitle too much alcohol. As a trifecta they can markedly sabotage your weight loss efforts.

1. Bingeing - Make-Up Meals
Portion sizes are HUGE in the good 'ol USA, not including what we do making up for meals missed during the day. The body stores more fat when it has to digest alot of food at once. Left over from our major evolutionary stage, I'm sure this helped us when food was scarce, but hello city dweller: 24/7 food delivery means scarcity is something we don't have to worry about.

OK, Terri...I hear you, but how many meals are optimal?
Eating five or six small meals has become the rage, but who has that kind of time? This is only realistic if you're a natural grazer, or a bodybuilder that eats on a schedule based on training.

I know, I know, you can barely get 3 decent meals in NOW....so try for at least 2 main meals. Then two smaller meals later in the day. IE: a protein shake between lunch & dinner. Then, voila! you've eaten enough during the day.... you'll naturally consume a 'smaller' dinner because you haven't been starving all day. What??? Not starve all day??? Who'd a thunk it? Genius!.

Breakfast & lunch are the best choices for larger meals. You have all day to utilize the calories when you need them most. This increases the body's thermal effect, meaning... you'll burn calories digesting your food, and keep a steady stream of nutrients powering your system....thereby maintaining your energy levels. The outcome is a 10% increase in calorie burning and....the body doesn't store as much fat!

2. Starving Yourself
Believe it or not, another factor in weight gain is starvation.

If I'm not eating, how can I gain weight?
When you starve yourself, your body protects itself from long periods without food by storing the next meal as fat. It's all about evolution, baby! Your body is self-adjusting and protecting itself....this is why people who say 'but I hardly eat' get fat.

Skipping breakfast destabilzes your metabolism. That's why it's important to eat a larger breakfast so it can kick-start your metabolism. And again, the best 'large' meal to have is breakfast. You'll receive the largest boost in stable energy and the lowest storage of food as fat. I really can't stress this enough.

3. Sugar & Simple carbs
Sugar & simple carbs are one in the same. In fact, ALL (even complex)carbohydrates break down to SUGAR. This is where alcohol comes in. Think about it, oatmeal for breakfast, pasta for lunch, chicken & rice and maybe 2 glasses of wine for dinner, and it adds ups to to generally 90% sugar/fat (whatever sugar isnt used for energy will be stored as fat) and 10% protein. NO WONDER YOU FEEL SLOW AND SLEEPY!

Large plates of rice, potatoes, and pasta create spikes in insulin levels in your bloodstream, and consequently, cause the 'sleepy' lethargic effect later on....(same thing for alcohol, sorry folks)

Fresh vegetables, salads, and fresh fruits are better sources of complex carbohydrates. They won't slow you down and create the 'sleepy' effect. Add any slab of protein to this and you're on your way to maintaining your weight forever. In fact, if you forever think of rice and pasta as a SMALL side dish, I can almost guarantee you'll maintain your weight loss, for the rest of your life.

4. Water - You're Dehydrated!
We all know water is essential for life. Drinking six to eight glasses of water a day is essential and beneficial for our body. You need this amount of water just to wake up everyday, nevermind exercise and carry on the rest of your life. Most of you are walking around dehydrated ALL THE TIME. Then you wonder why your skin is dry, hair is dull, you can't sleep etc etc. Alot of 'little' things go away when you're hydrated properly. And NO, tea doesn't count (in my book anyway). Drink enough plain water.

5. Lack of Sleep
Sleep deprivation is a factor in bodyfat storage. Did you know that? According to The Wiscinsin Sleep CoHort Study started in 1989, and published in the journal Public Library of Science: Medicine there are two appetite regulating hormones that become affected by sleep deprivation. People who sleep less than 5 hours per night had a significant differences in these hormones, called leptin (produced by the fat cells) and ghrelin (produced by the stomach).

Low levels of leptin are a signal of starvation and a need for a bigger appetite. The less sleep you get, the lower your leptin goes, which in turn stimulates your apetite. There are still studies being done on the effect of sleep deprivation on body composition, but it's safe to say the being well rested is an important thing to prioritize.

6. Eating 'Diet Food"
'Diet Food' and the thinking that goes along with it is poison. Don't become a 'dieter'. There is a difference between a healthy diet, and a 'diet'. PURE fresh food, is where real fitness and health lie. 'Diet-this' and 'diet-that' are usually full of sugar, salt or other chemically laden things we can't pronounce. So here's a tip: if you can't pronounce what's on the ingredient label: DONT PUT IT IN YOUR MOUTH. :)