Here are some tips for losing weight form a certified personal trainer

By L.H. GRAY
Truckers Connection

3/26/2008

There’s a truckload of good reason to lose weight.

Fit into regular jeans instead of husky.

Get your cholesterol down.

Close all three buttons over your stomach bulge.

Reduce your back pain.

Wear tie shoes instead of slip-ons.

Walk up the stairs without breaking into a sweat.

Fit into a theater seat. Have less heart burn. Find a girlfriend.

But all the good reasons in the world don’t make the weight drop off.

Getting down the pounds takes good, old-fashioned self discipline.

It takes forethought and planning. It takes work. (Otherwise we’d all be lean-and-mean bean poles instead of roly-poly, wide-load squoosh balls.)

To lose weight, you first have to understand how it comes off.

To put it simply, you have to eat less and burn more calories than your body needs.

This creates a calorie deficit. Your body then has to find the extra calories it needs. Ahaa! Those extra calories are in reserve. They are in your fat stores.

Your body will draw from its fat stores as it needs calories. And the pounds will melt away.

One pound is worth a whopping 3,500 calories.

You’d need to trim back your calories by 500 calories a day to lose a pound a week.

This is done by (1) eating better food choices that contain less calories and (2) moving more so your body is burning more calories with daily activity.

Getting that 500-calorie-a-day deficit can seem like a lot, but you can take small steps throughout the day.

Think how quickly shaving 50 calories here, 100 calories there, 75 calories later, etc., will add up to make that deficit. Plus, the more you walk, take the stairs and stay on the move, the more you are burning calories.

Here are some tips and tricks to help you take small steps everyday toward weight loss.

Food

The biggest impact on your weight is what goes into your mouth. Make good choices all day from breakfast through your last food for the day.

• Six small meals.  Eat three meals and three snacks. This will keep you from getting overly hungry and losing control. It will also keep your metabolism and blood sugar even.

Start with soup or salad – Start with a low calorie, large portion food that will help you feel full before you hit the main course. This will help you take smaller portions and not overeat the “heavier” foods.

•  Lunch main meal. Make your biggest meal in the middle of the day instead of at night. This gives your body more time to burn off those calories before you hit the sack.

• Mind on meal. When you’re eating, think about what you’re eating, how it tastes and how your stomach feels. Mindless eating will lead to overeating.

• Slow down. Take your time chewing. If you always gulp down your food, practice counting twenty chews per bite of food. Wait 10 minutes before taking seconds. Your body and brain need time to communicate fullness.

• Portion control. When at home, fill your plate away from the table and do not put unlimited bowls of food on the table. At restaurants, order half portions if possible, or an appetizer as your main meal.

• Healthy substitutes. Always ask for low fat or sugar free versions of dressings, sauces, dairy products, condiments, desserts, etc.

• Practice moderation. Occasionally enjoy a high calorie food you really enjoy, but have a small portion in a controlled manner. Don’t buy a half-gallon of ice cream; get one scoop at the ice cream shop (and then get the heck out of Dodge).

• More low cal. Every time you can, swap out high cal foods with low cal alternatives like fish for steak, baked potato for French fries, cereal for donut, or flavored water for soda.

Dining  out

Restaurant food is laden with fat, sodium and calories. Be very choosey when ordering off a menu and don’t feel timid about asking them to hold the butter or put the sauce on the side.

• Double up on veggies. Instead of French fries, baked potato or rice, ask for a second helping of vegetables like steamed broccoli or vegetable medley.

• Pass on bread. While being seated, ask that they do not bring bread to the table or serve it with your meal. If you’re at a buffet, skip it and choose a starchy vegetable instead like sweet potato or corn.

• Order from healthy sections. If there is a heart healthy portion on the menu, order a meal from that selection.

• Beware of toppings. Creams, sauces, dressings and other toppings can pile on the calories. Ask them to skip the topping or keep it on the side.

• Dip fork in dressings.  Ask for a low fat dressing on the side then dip your fork lightly into the dressing before each bite of salad.

• Stay with water. Water has zero calories. One cup of soda has approximately nine teaspoons of sugar and 135 calories. One cup of juice has approximately 120 calories. Ask for a lemon wedge if you don’t like plain water.

• Skip dessert. Instead of dessert, drink coffee or flavored tea. Keep sugar-free hard candy on hand for that sweet taste. Skipping a slice of chocolate cake will save you 320 calories; a slice of apple pie 350 calories.

• Preparation. Avoid fried, creamed and battered. Instead opt for grilled, broiled, baked or steamed dishes.

Snacks

Make snacking easier by buying single-serve packs of things like pretzels or baked chips. Take your own baggies and portion out things like grapes, almonds and baby carrots.

• Fruit. Whole fruits like apples and bananas are easy to take and eat on the go. Replace a sugary snack with a piece of whole fruit.

• Vegetables. Baby carrots and celery hearts are crunchy and cool, making for great snacking. Eat them with a handful of pretzels to satisfy the salty, crunchy cravings, but reduce the amount of pretzels.

• Nuts. Raw almonds, sunflower seeds and peanuts are healthy, but high in calories. Eat small portions at a time, about the amount that you can cup in the palm or your hand.

• Dairy. Low fat dairy products like yogurt and string cheese provide calcium and protein, but aren’t loaded with calories.

• Lunch meat. Get lean, low sodium lunch meat for rolling up and pairing with veggies or a cheese stick. The protein will help satisfy your hunger.

• Bars. Protein bars, cereal bars, fiber bars and more are stocked in abundance on store shelves. Some of these are good options, but check the calorie counts to make a wise choice.

Sweet tooth

Everyone likes a little something sweet. You can indulge your taste buds if you limit how often and how much you eat of those sweet treats.

• Small portions. When you really want a dessert, split it with someone.  If ordering an ice cream cone, ask for a child’s size.

• Dark chocolate. For chocolate cravings, choose dark chocolate instead of milk. Get a package in which each serving is wrapped in its own sealed foil. If you get a whole bar, you’ll eat the whole bar.

• Hot drinks. Hot coffee with flavored creamer, sugar free hot cocoa, minty teas with non-caloric sweetener and sugar-free hot cider can make a great ending to a meal or subdue that sweet tooth.

• Light options. Fat free, sugar free frozen yogurt, diet dessert items and more can be found for a taste-good treat that is light on calories.

Exercise

Even if you don’t feel like it, get up and move. Be active as much and as often as possible. The more you move, the more calories your body burns.

• Take every opportunity. Park far from the door and walk. Take the stairs. Do crunches, push ups and stretches while watching your favorite TV show.

• Schedule. Plan a time for getting in some exercise and then do it. Like a walk after lunch or while waiting on a load. If you don’t bother thinking about it until the end of the day, it won’t get done.

• Short bouts. If your time is crunched, do three 10-minute bouts of exercise throughout the day. Ten minutes first thing in the morning, ten minutes when you stop midday, and ten minutes before retiring to bed.

Mind over matter

Sometimes you will want to eat because you’re bored, stressed or angry, and not because you’re hungry. In cases like this, you have to get your mind off of food.

• Gum. One of the best ways to stop eating or keep from eating is to put a stick of sugar-free gum in your mouth and chew away.

• Chore. Get busy with a chore like cleaning or paperwork. Once you get caught up in it, you will forget about eating. Time will pass and so will the cravings.

• Phone call. Pick up the phone and call a family member or friend to get your mind off food. Concentrate on the conversation and bring up topics that interest you.

• Hygiene.If you can, brush your teeth, shower, fix your hair or makeup, or put on lotion. The taste of mint and scent of soap can help deter you from eating.

Take a few, small steps every day. You can create a calorie deficit and shed those unwanted pounds. Put your best effort into it and stick with it.

The author is a certified Personal Fitness Trainer and Lifestyle & Weight Management Consultant and Advanced Fitness Specialist through the American Council on Exercise.