September 2011 – Steps to Spring Weight loss

• Spring is upon us and this is generally the time we starting thinking about losing those extra kilos before summer. In my newsletter this month:
   

•      Tips to Spring weight loss and healthy living
   

•      Spring Special offers from Weight-Masters
   

•      Follow a new exciting blog as a wonderful lady commits to becoming fit, fun and fabulous; while changing her biological markers to health, weight and aging.

To start - here are some tips for achieving your summer goals:

·     Firstly – if you want to achieve your weight goals, you need to know what you are doing right now! It is a bit like getting directions to a new place, if you don’t know where you are, it is going to be very hard to get the correct directions!

Spend a few weeks writing down what you eat — in a journal, on your iPhone, or in an Excel spreadsheet on your computer — this helps you stay aware of whether your meals are balanced, how frequently you're eating, and how many calories you're consuming. Trust me, we ALL kid ourselves about how much we are consuming through food and drink.

·        You already know that fruits and vegetables are good for you. That's because they're not only packed with disease-fighting nutrients, but they're also great for losing weight and maintaining weight loss. Fruits and vegetables contain fibre and water, which fill you up so you eat less at each meal.

·        Use the plate method and load half of your plate with fruits and vegetables at lunch and dinner to leave less room for unhealthy foods.

Seeing a full plate also helps you feel more. Have at minimum of 3 to 5 servings of fruits and vegetables each. Ideally, the rest of your plate should be filled with 25 percent healthy protein — fish, lean beef or white meat chicken, or a plant-based protein such as tofu — and 25 percent should come from carefully-chosen, fibre-rich starches, such as beans and other legumes.

·        Many people no longer hear their hunger cues and instead eat because they're upset, bored, or just saw a commercial for a tempting treat. Those who are most successful at losing weight and keeping it off tend to eat five to six small meals a day or about every three to four hours.

·        To help halt emotional eating, you need to work out why you're reaching for that ice cream in the first place! Ask yourself the following questions before eating:

Am I hungry?

How am I feeling?

What do I really need?

What can I do instead?

·        Also remember that every mini-decision counts so you can also ask:

How long will have to exercise if I eat this?

How many calories will I have burn?

·        You can also leave a note on your fridge or treat cupboard reminding you to ask yourself if you really need that snack or is it emotional instead?

·        Allow Yourself a Daily Indulgence – or find a healthier alternative to some of your favourite high calorie snacks.  Or give yourself a cheat day once a week. You have to find something that tastes good and satisfies your craving for something sinful, but doesn't turn into something completely out of control.

·        If you caved in and ate nachos and frozen margaritas at happy hour with your friends, don't blame yourself for blowing your weight loss plan. It's impossible to ruin your diet in one day. Rather than adopting an all-or-nothing mentality, just get back on your normal plan as soon as possible and perhaps journal about your feelings and why you think you fell off the weight-loss wagon in the first place.

·        Use movement to lose weight! I walk to work and home whenever the weather allows – this means I’ve done 6km of walking everyday without even trying! Making exercise a priority is a challenge for most people, but it's non-negotiable when it comes to long term weight loss and health. If you have busy days, I recommend exercising first thing in the morning so other commitments — work, dinner plans or driving the kids to extra murals — doesn’t get in the way.

·        Using your own body or minimal equipment allows you to work out anywhere — at home, on vacation, on a work trip. Squats, wall push-ups, triceps dips from a chair, abdominal crunches, and calf raises can be done anywhere. Do one to two sets of 8 to 12 repetitions two to three times a week. If you prefer to workout at home or you travel a lot, I also recommend resistance bands — you can pack and travel with

·        I encourage my clients to come up with a variety of goals to help them stay on track. Often just losing weight is not enough of a motivator. You want other tangible things to motivate you, especially down the road once you've lost weight or more importantly, when you've reached a plateau. If your motivation is weight loss and you haven't been losing weight, you’ll feel lost.  Write down other meaningful motivators such as training for a 5Km race or focusing on being healthy for your children, setting a good example for your children or getting your blood pressure or insulin levels under control etc.

As I have said so before – baby steps! Work towards making sustainable long lasting goals that are not only achievable but will also easily become part of your lifestyle over time.

The new blog: will start with seeing Phillip Oosthuizen from  Body Vision  (www.bodyvision.co.za) for a full weight and health assessment. Follow the blog on:  http://fitfunfabulous.blogspot.com/

START OFF SUMMER WITH A HEALTH AND WEIGHT SPRING CLEAN:

Weight-Masters in conjunction with Metagenics has the following offers for September:

1.      Have 2 hypnotherapy sessions, a wellness and body assessment and be given an easy to follow ten day detox program with medical food supplements for R1490 (valued at R2000)

2.      Or Have 2 coaching sessions, a wellness and body assessment with the ten day detox program and medical food supplements for R1165 (valued at R 1665)

What are medical food supplements? Each of these products are made up of a combination of unique and specific nutrients and phytonutrients in amounts that nutrionally support metabolic cleansing and the natural detoxification process within the body. They have higher levels of nutrients than food alone and increase and support the body in losing fat without impacting on lean muscle loss. They also bring down inflammation in the body and assist the body in stabilising risk factors of metabolic syndrome and other dread diseases. Medical studies have shown medical food supplements produce greater measurable results when combined with exercise and the Mediterranean diet than just exercise and diet alone.

Wishing you a happy, healthy Spring

Best Wishes

Lesley Wood

www.weight-masters.com

mobile: 082 3 782 782

All feedback appreciated!! I love hearing from you (even if it’s to tell me you are doing fabulously and don’t need to see me again!!!)! Email me at info@weight-masters.com. I will endeavour to return your mail within 48 hours.

We first make our habits, and then our habits make us. John Dryden1631-1700, Poet and Playwright

And.............

Love is a state of being not a state of feeling. It goes well beyond the realm of the emotions. It's an attitude of benevolence and kindness towards all creation, including one's self, at all times and under all circumstances. Love is the most powerful magnetic force in the universe. Carnelian Sage
Author of The Greatest Manifestation Principle in the World

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References: http://www.dukediet.com  www.johnhopkinshealthalerts.com www.metagenics.com

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