THE “D” WORD!

Okay, Yes...the “D” word. I'm talking about DIET!....What I'm not talking about is something that “you go on”. It's something that you “live with”.When I use the word DIET, I mean the way you eat....What you normally eat is “Your Diet”. The type of food that you ingest, the amount of calories you usually consume, the “liquid calories” you choose on a normal basis from your morning coffee to what you put in it are all part of “Your Diet”. Surprisingly to some...this also includes the seasonings you shake onto your food(try Mrs. Dash Salt-Free seasonings), what you cook your food in(ie: oil, butter etc.), the hard candy you suck on at the office, the goldfish you steal off your child's high chair, the marinade you soak your fish, poultry, and meats in and even the sticks of gum you chew each day!

What my goal is, is to teach you all a little more about “DIET” in hopes that the things you don't think about or notice as bad choices or added calories, you now WILL. A little change can go a LONG way!

#1. First on the list....Marinades/Dressings etc.... Some of us marinate or soak our potentially healthy fish, poultry and meats in Sugary or fatty marinades, sauces or dressings...therefore making them, quite simply – UNHEALTHY. We like to think we're still “doing ok”, or even “doing good”, because it's a healthy fish, or skinless/boneless chicken breast...but, if we cover our food with sugar or fat, we're sucking the “goodness” right out of it! There are often enough “bad calories” in our marinades or dressing choices to hold it comparable to a Double Cheeseburger or a Snicker Bar! If you're going to eat that much fat or sugar, wouldn't the obviously bad choice be more fun?! So....it's not just the health of the main dish or even the side dishes that we choose that are important, it's often the “toppings, condiments, and “extras” so to speak that can SABOTAGE our efforts!

#2. Next, let's discuss LIQUID calories...THEY COUNT! Be conscious of what you put into your coffee or tea, the sugary juices, teas, sodas that you prefer, and even your flavored waters that you think are “good” for you because they are “water”. Beware....some of them have enough sugar to be held comparable to a soda or glass of sweet tea. This is not good for you. Sweet tea, soda, and juices often contain enough calories and sugar to constitute an unhealthy snack....and you didn't even get to chew!

***Also under the topic of liquid calories, we should cover Alcoholic beverages. Be careful with these. Alcohol not only contains “empty calories” that like to cling on the our fat cells, but Alcohol also “plays” with our insulin levels making our bodies sometimes produce too much of a hormone called, cortisol, which likes to maintain and add fat to our abdominal regions! Not fair, but true. I'm not saying you can't have a drink, but you do need to limit yourself greatly and make “descent choices” if you want or need to lose weight! Some dark beer and mixed drinks can really pack on a lot of extra calories, consisting usually of “high” sugar amounts. Sugar likes to sit in the body long enough to turn to fat rather than being digested quickly. Choose drinks that are light not only in sugar and calories, but also in color!

#3. Lastly I want to mention labels, READ THEM! We all think that we are

too busy to read a label or keep track of our calorie intake. WE'RE NOT! Our lives are busy, I'm not denying that, but we seem to find the time to eat that extra snack mindlessly, watch a few extra hours of television, or play on the computer for awhile. Ladies, take the time to care enough. Read labels.

Get out your FEMALE FIT CAMP MANUAL. You may have read this when you first began maybe not at all. The fact is we do things like this. But, I write this stuff for you because I care about your success. These resources help, utilize them! Eating “clean” and keeping track of our cals...make all the difference in our weight loss efforts!

Keeping a food journal is key. I can't say this enough! Please – I don't care if it's a tiny notepad you keep in your purse or a notebook on the kitchen counter. When you make your breakfast, jot down the amount of cals in each item...keeping in mind the amount of SUGAR, BAD FAT(saturated and trans), AND SODIUM. Utilize this practice with each meal, snack and drink. Set goals: for example, an average women should not get more than 2300 mg of sodium per day, keep bad fat and sugar to a bare minimum and drink 80 ounces of water per day. You may be in the bathroom a lot until your body gets used to this, but let's keep things in perspective....It truly doesn't take that much time and that much “out of you” to do these practices. Prioritize!!!

OK....SO TO RECAP-

#1 watch your marinades, dressings, sauces, condiments and spices

#2 make H2O your drink of choice

#3 Read labels and track calorie intake

***FOOD IS THE ULTIMATE BATTLE IN OUR WEIGHT LOSS ENDEAVORS! We love it, it's in our face constantly – whether it's a teasing advertisement on television, a magazine ad, driving passed McD's, or simply “the call” of our pantry! -and we cannot live without it. So....let's make it work for us rather than letting it “take over” our lives. Everything in life is a decision, WE ARE IN CONTROL! You can do this ladies....you can!!!

-Melanie Tucker, CPT

www.MELLIFIT.com