Tips and Suggestions

While I clearly am no expert on weight loss (just read my last several blog posts), I do feel as through I've learned quite a lot along the way that could be useful to the 3-4 new FAT members who have recently joined up.

What you're going to see here is nothing more than what's worked for me. Some are actual nutrition tips that you could find in Men's Health, others are just tricks I've tried that have worked. The old-timers here already know most of this, so consider this post my own little welcome to the new ladies.

1. Don't let yourself get hungry
You should be eating 5-6 times throughout the day. Start with a decent-sized breakfast, a small mid-morning snack about 3 hours later, a healthy lunch, a mid-afternoon snack, a hearty dinner, and a small evening snack. You should eat the most at breakfast, and work down from there. Here's the breakdown I use (the % indicates how much of your daily calorie intake you should consume at each meal):

Breakfast: 30%

Morning snack: 10%

Lunch: 20%

Afternoon Snack: 10%

Dinner: 20%

Evening snack: 10%

2. Track Your Calories
Most of us have a pretty good idea of the number of calories we're taking in, but counting calories is the only way to really see it. And seeing can sometimes be the difference. A few good sites to use are Fitday.com, calorie-count.com, and laboxing.purewellness.com. I prefer LA Boxing because it has many more visual aids to let you really see what you're taking in, plus it has the most in-depth breakdown of what you need for your body type and goals.

3. Know your BMR
Find out what your body burns just by existing, then add in your activity level. That last part is tricky. Use this calculator, and be sure to choose the right level of your daily activities. And be honest with yourself. Pumping up your level does nothing but hurt you. As an example, let's say you're a 5' 6" woman weighing 200 pounds, and you're 30 years old. Your body burns roughly 1,700 calroies per day just to keep you alive. When you add in a moderate level of daily activity, you find that your BMR is 2,200 calories. To lose one pound per week, you should be eating no more that 1,700 calories per day.

4. Zig-Zag
So, using the example above, you should be eating 1,700 calories to lose weight. Don't just eat 1,700 calories every day. Your body is smart, and it will adjust to the routine. Change things up by zig-zagging your daily intake. So, today, eat 2,200 calories. Tomorrow, eat 1,500 calories. Saturday, take in 1,850 calories. And Sunday, take in 1,300. You still average 1,700 calories per day over that stretch, but your metabolism has to work harder to keep up and adjust to your intake.

5. Water!
This one can be filed under "physician, heal thyself", as I rarely drink all the water I should. But when I was drinking 64 ounces plus, and following the other guidelines above, I lost over five pounds in one week. I'm not saying that'll happen to you, as every body is different. But water will help. Water and fat are natural enemies (oil and water don't mix, right?), so the two can't exist in the same space. Drink the water, help flush out the fat.

6. Can't Get to The Gym? Drop And Give Me...As Many As You Can
Here's a column I wrote for Shift last month. A pushup-only routine is not ideal, but if you can't get to a gym, they will help. They are one of the most complete excercises you can perform. It works the chest, the shoulders, the upper back, the triceps, the abs, and even the biceps - a little. If you can't do a regular pushup, get on your knees, or lean on a kitchen counter, and build up from there.

7. Veggies, Fruits, Nuts, and Whole Grains
Eat 'em. Don't overdo the whole grains, though. You can overdo it on good carbs, too. But the fruits and veggies are a great source of fiber, which you need. Which brings us to...

8. Get Your Fiber
My target is 38g of Fiber every day. It helps keep you feeling full longer, helping you control your hunger, and it grabs onto other foods in your system and helps to flush them out.

Those are the basics I can think of right now. If the other long-time FAT people would like to chime in, feel free to do so. One thing to keep in mind is this: You're not going to be perfect. You should strive to be, but don't quit if you slip up. This is a process. It's a LIFESTYLE CHANGE. Nobody in the FAT Coalition is on a diet. We're all changing the way we lived our lives. You can still have a slice of cheesecake now and then. You can have a cookie or two. But it's about moderation, and learning that those kinds of foods no longer have a home inside your body.

In all seriousness, if I can give up those kinds of foods and lose over 36 pounds, anybody in the world can. But by making little changes and setting some good habits in my life, I realized this isn't all that hard.

Welcome to the FAT Coalition, and good luck! We're all here if you need us!