Back to basics

Having hear that some of my bike parts are already on their way here and given the reminder that I did not quite make my dieting goals for the end of February I decided to re-evaluate my tactics.

I found a really useful article by Scott Saifer who is a well know coach and thought the rules were so good that I would share them (or at least some of them) with you all.

A warning: hunger is your body's way of letting you know that you are losing weight, that you are in a mode of metabolism in which you are metabolizing your own fat and muscle tissues for fuel. YOU MUST EXPERIENCE SOME HUNGER TO LOSE WEIGHT OR FAT.

Rule Number 1: Cut out all processed sugars. This is the hardest rule to follow, but probably also the most important. Do not eat white table sugar, cookies, cake, donuts, sports drinks, sports energy foods (except during exercise), jam, jelly... Avoid sweetened bread, and anything else that tastes sweet from added sugar.

Rule #1A: Reduce your consumption of high glycemic index foods if you want to lose weight and you are exercising seven hours per week or less. Cut out the potatoes, white flour, white bread, bananas and other starches.

Rule #2: Balance in every meal. Every meal should include some low-fat protein source (fish, poultry, pork, tofu,tempeh, beans, yogurt, cottage cheese...), some low or moderate glycemic index complex carbohydrate source(whole wheat pasta or bread, brown rice, oats, corn...), a little bit of fat (it's okay to sauté but not deep fry), and a lot of vegetables or fruit.

Rule #3: Drink water and lots of it. Drink water before you eat. Urine would ideally be clear and colorless most of the time. Avoid both sugar waters (sodas, lemonade, sports drinks) and fruit juices. Orange juice has about as many sugar calories as Coca-Cola.

Rule #4: Lot's of vegetables. Eat a balanced mix of protein and carbohydrate foods from the beginning of the meal, but if you're still not comfortably full after having eaten enough protein and carbohydrate complete the meal with raw, steamed or boiled vegetables and salads.
often get similar total amounts of sugar, fat people get it as added sugar while thin people get it in fruits.

Rule #5: No matter what your mother said, and no matter how many children are starving in Africa, you don't have to clean your plate. Never eat to the point where you are uncomfortably full. Always leave the table still able to eat more.

Rule #6: Eat in courses. Take a small amount of food on your plate at one time. After you finish, ask yourself if you are still hungry. If you are, take another small serving of something else. Don’t take the whole loaf, package or pot of anything to the table or couch with you.

Rule #7: Don't eat to be polite. You don't need to try a little bit of everything that someone makes when you are a guest. Heap on the praise for what you do eat and then declare yourself full.

Rule #8: In restaurants, assemble a meal out of salads and appetizers. Given the huge portions in many restaurants, you can get enough nutrition from salads or an appetizer-sized portions. Order the smallest pizza that might satisfy you. You can always get a salad to fill you up.

Rule #9: Don't go overboard. Anything that makes your diet difficult to stick to increases the chances that you won't be successful in losing weight or in keeping it off. It's better to lose half a pound or a pound per week until you reach your target weight than to lose two or three pounds a week for two or three weeks.

Rule #10: Identify your triggers. Many people diet well until some emotional situation comes up and then look for comfort in food. Do you eat in response to stress? Boredom? Relationship troubles? Fatigue? Try to identify what’s happening before you finish the whole box. Go for a walk or call a friend instead of overeating.

Rule #11: Weigh yourself daily, but average the weight weekly. Your weight will fluctuate by a few pounds from day to day. Rather than being concerned about your weight each morning, keep track of your average weight for each week. That will be a good indication that you are really gaining or losing weight.

I am not sure if I can stick to all of these but they seem like good common sense to me so I'll see what I can do...