Can you really think yourself thinner, fitter and healthier?

Well apparently yes!

The idea that we attract what we think about most is not a new one and most self help/philosophy texts have something along this line as one of their themes.

Recent research has also shown that people who were made to visualise themselves exercising (but not actually doing any) gained almost as much muscle strength as those who actually did the exercise!!

Now this is no excuse for becoming lazy, we do still need to do the actual exercise, but it gives us an idea of just how powerful our brains are. 

So how can we put this to our advantage? 

Well I’ll be honest, it does take practise.  But here are a few tips to help you on your way to slimness……

Think about this slim, fit, healthy you daily and as much as you can.  (Please don’t blame me when the boss tells you off for day dreaming though!)

Never ban foods or think you are ‘bad’ for having a supposedly unhealthy food.  If you keep thinking ‘I mustn’t eat chocolate’  all you will think about is that bar of chocolate.  And as our brains are picturing this, you will want it even more. 

Replace these thoughts with thoughts about all the healthy foods you enjoy, juicy pineapples, crunchy apples, a succulent piece of salmon……  Imagine yourself eating this kind of food regularly and feeling satisfied and full after your meals.

Writing down your goals is very powerful.  Again keep them realistic, but be specific. 

Just saying, ‘I want to lose a stone’, isn’t good enough.  Replace with something like ‘I want to lose a stone over the next 2 months’.  (This is also a realistic weight loss of about 2lb per week.)

Make sure your goals are positive.  ‘I don’t want to be fat anymore’, or, ‘I don’t want to eat junk food’, simply won’t work.  Replace them with ‘I want to have a slim healthy body’, ‘I want to enjoy healthy foods’.

Write these goals down and re read them frequently.

Psychologists estimate it takes between 20 and 30 days to change our mind set.  So you will need to work at this one, but it is well worth it.

Stop criticising how you look and feel now, think about what you are becoming.  Beating yourself up over last nights Chinese won’t help you move forward.  Instead accept the negative thoughts (even people who are excellent ‘positive thinkers’ have negative thoughts sometimes!), let them pass and replace them with positive thoughts. 

Lastly, always do this for you.  If you want to change your body for your boyfriend, girlfriends, mum, colleagues or dog it won’t work.  You are doing this for YOU and how YOU feel about your own body. 

Work on keeping your self esteem high NOW, no matter what you look like.  Get your hair done, but a new lippy, have a pedicure or massage.  Whatever it takes, and in the words of L’Oreal, you are worth it!!

So put your brain to work and practise thinking yourself thin from today!

Now you are imagining yourself cooking and eating delicious healthy food, here is a recipe to get you started.

Stuffed Peppers

If you think lentils are for hippies and students, think again, these are delicious, low fat and simple to make.

Turn on your oven to 200.

Finely chop an onion and lightly fry in a little olive oil for 5 minutes or so.

Add a teaspoon of garlic in a jar (or a couple of chopped cloves) and a good dash of Worcester or Soy sauce.  Fry for another minute or so.

Add a couple of handfuls of red lentils and stir.  Pour in about a mug and a half of vegetable stock and bring to the boil.  Stir and add a few dried herbs – I like Italian seasoning but basil, oregano, rosemary all work well.

Simmer for about 25 minutes until the lentils are soft and have absorbed the stock.  If the mixture becomes too dry, add a extra splash of water.

Meanwhile cut a couple of peppers in half length ways.  Leave the stalk on but scoop out the seeds.

Chop a matchbox size piece of feta into small cubes.

When your lentil mixture is done (no excess liquid but softish lentils) stir in the cubed feta cheese.

Pile this mixture into the peppers and bake on about 200 for 20 minutes or so.

Serve with a large mixed salad.

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Below are 5 simple tips that you can begin implementing as part of your daily routine to help you lose all the fat you want.

1. Always East Breakfast – Many time, those on a diet choose to skip breakfast thinking that the lack of calories will lead to weight loss. The fact is, when you DON’T eat, your body goes into survival mode and it tries to store the calories you eventually eat as fat. So, your plan actually ends up backfiring and you gain weight, not loseit.

2. Steam your veggies – When you sauté your vegetables in butter, you allow them to soak up all the bad fat making your once healthy veggies little piece of fat stuffed junk. Instead, just steam them and top with a dash of salt and pepper. All the flavor of the vegetables will be there without the fat.

3. Stop Late night snacking – If you are going to sleep, you DON’T need extra calories. Fight off those late night cravings by having a glass of warm tea before bed instead of those cookies or pie. Doing so can help you get rid of thousands of worthless calories from your diet each and every month and help you lose fat quickly.

4. Eat healthy when you are hungry, then stop – Your body is designed to tell you when it is full. Most of the time, it is our cravings and overindulgence that allows us to keep eating long after our bodies tell us we are full. Listen to what your body is telling you and just eat to the point that you are satiated. This amount will be the perfect amount for your body to have the energy it needs without excess calories that will be stored as fat. It is ok to eat multiple times during the day as long as the food is healthy. This helps to keep your metabolism working.

5. Move as much as you can – Yes, this means EXERCISE! If you can walk versus ride, do it! Jog wherever you go. The more steps you can include in your daily routing, the more calories you will burn. Add to this a regular program of vigorous exercise such as jumping rope, running, or weight training and you can burn thousands of extra calories per week. In addition, and muscle you build will act to burn calories even when you are not working out.

The above represent just a few fat loss suggestions, but if followed consistently, they can be your answer to quick and significant fat loss.

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An easy and fun exercise or weight loss program, frees up your mind from laziness and procrastination. Do an exercise you really enjoy. If you have always wanted to learn to play tennis or maybe golf. Go sign up for classes with a friend or two. Go for brisk or long walks around a beautiful park, lake or areas with nice scenery. You can also go cycling, skating or jogging around these places. Bring your MP3 player with your favourite tunes to add motivation. Whatever it is you choose to do, do it regularly and consistently to build up a healthy habit.

When it comes to dieting, learn to cook with weight loss recipes that are healthy and easy to manage. Most importantly, use some common sense. No crash diets that deprive your body of food and make you feel hungry and miserable all the time. Remember, your body needs all food types to stay healthy. Food containing proteins, fats, sugars, fibres, vitamins and minerals are essential part of your daily diet. These should be taken in moderation for every meal. To achieve that, eat a bit of everything in your meals, like fruits, vegetables and lean meat etc. Here are a couple of tasty weight loss recipes for you:

Chopped Salad with Tuna

Ingredients

1 can (6 ounces) water-packed tuna

1/3 cup chopped cucumber

1/3 cup chopped tomato

1/3 cup chopped avocado

1/3 cup chopped celery

1/3 cup chopped radishes

1 cup chopped romaine lettuce

Dressing

4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

To make the salad: Layer the tuna, cucumber, tomato, avocado, celery, radishes, and lettuce in a decorative glass bowl.

To make the dressing: Mix the olive oil, lime juice, garlic, and pepper. Then just drizzle over the salad.

 

Low-Fat Cottage Cheese Omelette

Ingredients

2 eggs, separated

1/4 cup low-fat cottage cheese dash of pepper

1/2 tbsp. dried parsley

Non-stick spray oil

Instructions

Spray the skillet with cooking spray. Next, beat the egg whites until its stiff, but not dry. Beat the yolks separately until it becomes lemon colored and thick. Add the cottage cheese and pepper and beat until you get a smooth texture. Fold in the egg whites and parsley.

Place the mixture in the skillet and cook over medium heat until it becomes lightly browned on the bottom and fluffy. Do this for about 3 to 4 minutes. Then place the mixture in the oven for and heat for 15 minutes. Make a crease down the centre of the omelette with a knife and fold over. Itâ??s ready to be served.

 

There are many other recipes available. Do a bit of research to add more recipes you can try out.

Since you have your own likes and dislikes for food and exercise, you really should choose a weight loss program, free healthy diet plan and weight loss recipes of your own. However, the above tips should help you decide and choose what is best for you. Your aim in losing weight is not just limited to achieving your goals, but also to lead a healthier lifestyle that is long-lasting.

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1) Decrease the amount of salt you add to your food during the cooking process. Make sure to measure the amount you’re using if you’re following a recipe so you don’t go overboard. A dash here and there can add up quickly, so be sure to watch it.

2) Instead of using salt, try different herbs, spices, fruits, juices, and vinegars to add taste and flavor to your food.

3) If you gradually start cutting back on the salt, your taste buds will re-adjust so that you won’t need to flavor things so intensely with salt. After about 2 weeks, your taste for salty foods will be different, and you won’t even miss it.

4) Add fresh or frozen fruits or vegetables to your dishes. These not only have less sodium in them in general, but they tend to be packed with many nutrients your body can use if you’re trying to lose weight.

5) Canned foods are notorious for containing a lot of salt. So choose lower sodium versions, or reduced sodium versions. You might even consider rinsing them off before using them to get all the salt off.

6) Pre-packages or processed foods, like the canned food example above, also then to be loaded with extra sodium as a cheap way to flavor food. Beware! Just like above, opt for the decreased sodium version of a product if one is available.

7) Condiments like soy sauce, ketchup, mustard, etc.. also tend to be high in sodium. So use condiments in moderation.

When you need to snack, lean on fruits or vegetables instead of those salty snacks.

9) When you’re eating out look out for the high sodium foods. A hint might be if they have the following in the title, “smoked, pickled, au jus, soy sauce, in broth, etc..”

There are numerous other ways you can decrease salt from the diet to help you lose weight. The above is a start, but paying attention to the amount of salt in your food from now on will not only help you lose weight, but will also server your long term health for years to come.

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* Summertime is all about the watermelon. While it has a lot of sugar for a fruit, it is also packed with vitamins. Want to get the most bang for the buck? After you buy the melon, let it sit out on the counter for four or five days. The lycopene and beta-carotene can increase by almost 200%

* It’s true’organic fruits and vegetables contain more vitamins than their genetically modified and conventionally grown alternatives, especially if the organic produce is local. How to make sure the produce is in the right bin? Check the numbers’the first number on the sticker should be 9 if it’s organic, while GMO produce stickers start with an 8 and conventional begins with a 3 or 4.

* Get the most bang for your buck by incorporating the most nutritious vegetables into your diet. Here are the top ten super food vegetables: Kale, broccoli, brussels sprouts, green and red peppers, cauliflower, garlic and onions, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, green peas, and carrots.

* Sprouts are a wonderful and nutrient rich addition to a healthy diet. They are packed full of enzymes, chlorofyll, minerals, vitamin A, and potassium. Sprouts are also easy to grow at home, can be eaten in salads, sandwiches, and on top of soups and stir fry. There are dozens of kinds of sprouts, from spicy to sweet and they are such a powerhouse food for the body that they help you feel full and satisfied longer than most other kinds of food.

* When cooking veggies, instead of heavy sauces or a ton of salt, try using a squeeze of lemon or a dash of champagne vinegar. These acids break down certain chemicals in food, making them much more flavorful -you’ll be surprised by how tasty your dishes are without the fat and sodium. In addition, lemon is a great detoxing agent for your body and vinegar is great for your digestion (unless you suffer from candida).

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However, next time you see someone doing this, have a look at them – are they slim?

Studies have shown that fidgeting burns 350 calories a day, which is about half a bottle of wine and 2 vodkas.  Or a weight loss of 36lb in a year and a healthier liver!

It has also been shown that naturally slim people, the ones we hate who can seemingly eat everything and anything and stay whippet thin, tend to fidget a lot more than chubbies.

So jiggle your legs, wiggle your toes, gesticulate more when you talk, tap your fingers, act like you have got ants in your pants and ignore your mothers instructions to stop fidgeting.

You might get the odd slapped knee but for 36lb a year I?ll take that.

In the same vein, when you are standing up you burn 70 more calories an hour than when sitting down?..so whenever you can, get up. Stand up while you are on the phone, when you are out, stand at a high table or the bar rather than flop on the sofas (unless you have huge heels in which case damage to the feet might outweigh the calories burnt!), when you have the TV on, stand up for a half an hour show, all these little things add up and you will soon notice a difference.

Recipes

So you have got home from work at 8pm, had the day from hell and you are shattered – but starving – there is no way you are going to start cooking a huge meal but are really trying to keep your diet healthy and avoid microwave meals and processed rubbish.

Every week I’ll give you a very quick and simple healthy recipe which I cook on days like this. And you can get all the ingredients in any supermarket, if they are not already in your cupboard??because it isn?t a quick recipe if you have to go to 6 different shops to get the stuff.

On Wednesday I did a 12 hour day and really wanted to have a glass of wine and flop on the sofa with a bar of galaxy but I was very good and made a quick stir fry. Stir fries are the time honoured quick meal and 10 minutes later you can feel smug and slim eating a home cooked, healthy meal.

There is no hard and fast recipe, just use a good selection of veg and some protein- meat, fish, quorn, tofu etc.

Heat a wok (or frying pan) and pour in a glug of olive oil (I don’t have time to weigh or measure but probably about a tablespoon).

You can buy chicken, beef or pork ready diced, or use quorn or tofu pieces (try and keep the beef to a minimum and buy organic chicken if you can to avoid nasty hormones and antibiotics)

Chuck the meat (or alternative) into the hot oil and stir around for 3-4 minutes.

Add a teaspoon of minced garlic, chilli and ginger (buy the jars in the supermarket, all ready prepared, quick, no garlicy fingers and last for ages). You might need less chilli depending on your taste.

For the vegetables there is a variety of options;

Onions, peppers, baby sweetcorn, green beans, mange tout, broccoli florets, mushrooms, cauliflower, beansprouts, really anything that takes your fancy.

If you can chop up an onion, a pepper and a few mushrooms while the meat is frying and throw them in with a packet of baby sweetcorn and/or green beans. If you can’t be bothered with this, most supermarkets do a ready prepared bag of stir fry veg which are great.

If you haven’t had time to shop, frozen veg are great, mushrooms, onions, peppers, broccoli, straight from frozen although they may need an extra minute or 2 to cook.

Stirfry for another 3 or 4 minutes, slug in a good dash of soy sauce and fry for another minute or so.

Voila, 10 minutes and your at the table!

Don’t miss next weeks newsletter, I’ll find more easy ways to burn calories, review a couple of diets I have tried and give you another recipe.

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