(And yes, I’m fairly confident that hippos don’t actually enjoy the tasty goodness of a pint of Ben and Jerry’s but for the sake of the ill attempted joke let’s just roll with it, k?)
So I already told you about my new fitness regimen for burning fat but as every doctor will (and every diet pill infomercial will not) tell you is that any successful, effective weight loss program must be a combination of both exercise and a healthy diet.
Now for me this is a hard one. I’m Italian. My man’s a kick ass chef. I love food.
(See the conundrum here?)
To say this part has been a battle of wills is the understatement of the century. But somehow I’ve managed to find a few little changes I can make that lead to bigger results in my pants. (That’s what she said.)
Here’s a few of my recent swaps and sacrifices:
- No alcohol on weekdays. (This one’s a doozy for me. I’m the kinda gal that loves to come home from a long day at work, change into my PJs, wash off my makeup, and slink down on the couch with the remote in one hand and a big ol glass of wine in the other. But alas, apparently the highly caloric content in alcohol is counterintuitive to all the sweating and lettuce eating you did earlier in the day so it may not be such a good idea. WAAAAAA!! P.S. That’s my Snooki impersonation.)
- Always eat breakfast. (I’ve always been a breakfast eater…meaning I like to eat it. DUH! But it just didn’t always work out that way what with sleeping in, being lazy, and whatnot. However, now I make sure to eat a healthy and filling breakfast every morning. It gives me energy for my workouts and makes me feel more alert earlier on. God, now I feel like a talking piece of Shredded Wheat.)
- Write down what you eat. (Every. Single. Thing. Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner. That swig of OJ from the jug . Those 7 M&M’s you stole from your man’s stash on top of the fridge in the hand painted serving platter – don’t judge me. Yea. Write it all down. You’ll be surprised what you’re eating and be better equipped to control your portions in the future.)
- Chug lots of water. (Like it’s your job.)
- Time your meals/snacks. (Watch the clock and make a mental note of the time every time you eat something. If it’s been less than 4 hours since your last meal you’re most likely just bored, stressed, or some other crazy hormones just going ape shit in your brain and making you think you need to eat. Try drinking some water. Chew some gum. And if you still feel hungry eat something like an apple, baby carrots and hummus, or raw almonds.)
- Stop thinking you can eat what your skinny friends at work eat and not pay the horrific price for it. (Example: One of my co-workers is a Moe’s FIEND and when we first became friends she got me hooked on the Billy Barou nachos. After inhaling them on about 3 separate occasions I decided to check out the nutrition facts – way to be proactive, dumbass – and lo and behold, 1495 calories, 90 grams of fat, 118 carbs, and 2998mg of sodium later I can feel the onset of cardiac arrest and the marbleizing of my internal organs with fat. Moral of the story? Telling yourself that just because your skinny friend can inhale the mile high stacked plate of congestive heart failure does not mean you should partake with such vigor…or at all for that matter.)
Now this is only the tip of the iceberg and trust me, I know it doesn’t seem like much (and really it’s not. It’s common effing sense for the most part.) but if you stick with it I can guarantee you’ll see results. (Insert cheesy grin and thumbs up here.)
Any of you have some good nutrition tips you’d like to share? Anything work for you that I haven’t already been mentioned? Let’s hear it!
