5 Ways To Lose Weight Cheaply, Safely and Easily!

     After being a Nurse for over twenty years, between personal and professional experience, I've heard of every diet on the planet. Diets don't work. Although diets do  have their place to "jump start" a weight loss plan, the only way to stay at healthy weight is to change your outlook on your eating preferences. Replace unhealthy food with healthy foods.
     I've had personal experience struggling with weight. I gained 30 lbs during my divorce and I became so disgusted with myself.  While living on the West Coast, I was inspired by the healthy food choices that most people were following. I have been all over the world, and I've never seen so many people with such a "food awareness".  I started becoming aware of my food choices and took baby steps towards changing my diet. It takes approximately 21 days to change a bad habit, so be gentle with yourself yourself if you "slip" back into unhealthy eating habits.

     Here are 5 Ways To Lose Weight Cheaply, Safely and Easily:

     1. Avoid Processed Foods
         Eating a clean and healthy diet- one that is loaded with antioxidant rich foods activates the genes that   
reduce appetite by at least 20%. It also stabilizes blood sugar and insulin production, builds toned muscle and rapidly converts food and body fat into cellular energy. By limiting the intake of processed foods that are loaded with salt, fat and sugar, this eating plan shuts down the vicious cycle of dopamine and opioid surges that stimulates diet sabotaging eating jags.  

2.    Start Every Morning with Lemon Water
       Every day within one hour of awakening, sip an 8 oz. glass of water with freshly squeezed lemon. The     combination of warm water and lemon's  natural fruit acids promotes peristalsis - contractions of the intestinal muscles that speed the elimination of "toxins". Lemon's biologically active ingredient d-limonene  enhances the liver's ability to break down and flush cellulite-triggering food additives and trapped fat by as much as 30%.

 
3.     Sip Ice Water
        People often confuse symptoms of dehydration with those of hunger -especially cravings for sweets. That's why drinking 8 oz. of cold water before each "small" meal immediately reduces  appetite and caloric intake. Staying hydrated also improves the function of the three key weight regulating glands: the thyroid, the liver and adrenals. Sipping ice water has been shown to raise  metabolic rate by as much as 3% for 30 minutes.This is due to the fact that cold water must be heated by the body to match its internal temperature before the water can be used by cells.

4 .   Cut Back On Your Refined Sugar Intake and White Flour
       It is a smart decision to slowly reduce your sugar intake over the course of  several weeks. Any       products containing white flour should be avoided. Replace white bread with whole wheat or Ezekiel
bread. In regards to sugar, don't go "cold turkey" since sugar itself is addicting, and you will have "sugar
withdrawals such as shakes, mood swings, irritability and fatigue. According to a Princeton University
sugar is addictive. Many studies indicate that sugar has neurochemical effects on our brain. This means
sugar affects opioid and dopamine in our brain. These pleasure receptors in our brain keep us going
back for more sugar to keep us feeling "good".Several ways to help curb sugar cravings:

meal planning to avoid impulse eating, eat a piece of fruit or high protein snack, and give yourself time

to adjust to not having sugar. Sugar addiction can take several weeks to months to overcome. Hang
in there, the sugar craving will go away!      

5.    Sneak in 10-20 minutes of daily exercise   .
        Just 10-20 minutes of strength training keeps metabolism elevated and fat burn at its peak
rate for up to three hours. Try walking, following an exercise video, or bicycling. Choose 
an exercise that is enjoyable for you, so it doesn't feel like "work" to do it.  
   
It's nearly impossible in modern "convenience" shopping to cut out all sugars or whole flour. (I will give you tips on  sample meals and shopping healthy in my next blog post). It's more about breaking habits or what we believe is "normal" to eat for meals. Eating 6 small meals instead of the standard "3 meals per day" increases our metabolism and is a more effective way to eat.  It is mind over matter. If you can change your way of thinking, and eat healthy, it will work and you will have more energy, along with dropping those extra pounds.