3 Simple Steps For More Weight Loss & Better Health
January 22, 2010 | 13 Comments
Several weeks ago I wrote about having a ‘Nutrition Belief System.’ The idea behind this is that you were to come up with a simple set of beliefs regarding your diet that you could follow. I wanted to continue on this theme today with some more very simple strategies that if you implement you will lose more weight and improve your health.
1. Weigh Yourself Everyday – This is such an easy habit to get into. Wake up, go to the bathroom, step on the scale, and record your weight. I recently read a review of 11 studies that showed this simple action can give you up to a 6 pound weight loss advantage over people who do not regularly weigh themselves. (For more on Self-Weighing see the Key Concepts section in this month’s issue of Strong, Fit, & Healthy).
2. Stop eating after 7pm – This is a classic weight loss tip that is often overlooked. There is nothing magical about not eating after 7pm (some people eat dinner late due to their schedule so the 7pm cut point might not work) but if you are prone to snacking (see 3 Ways to Sabotage Your Weight Loss for more on this) then this is a easy way to stop it all together – just don’t let yourself start.
3. Drink 2 Cups of Water Before Your Morning Coffee – As I’ve mentioned before, there is nothing wrong with coffee. The problems arise when drinking coffee prevents you from drinking other things; this is also known as dietary displacement. You don’t want your coffee habit to prevent you from drinking water; this is an all too common occurrence. To avoid this just make sure that you drink 2 cups of water each morning before you cup of joe.
Do you have any simple tips/rules that help you stay lean and healthy?
13 Responses to “3 Simple Steps For More Weight Loss & Better Health”
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I think daily weighing is a decent idea. It sets your focus for the day. I'm not gonna flog myself if I'm up a bit, nor prematurely celebrate if the results are slightly better, but it just reminds me where I am & where I want to go. I would also suggest that you commit to tracking your calories, nutrients and exercise. A pain in the butt initially, but easier and automatic (just as not doing it can be) as time passes. The formula for losing weight is easy, the execution requires discipline & focus.
I've always heard that weighing yourself is not a good habit. but I do it religiously. I know there can be daily fluctuations, but this helps me personally stay on track. I'm glad to read there are studies to affirm the practice! thanks for your tips…they're great! And so easy to forget!
Kim- Relatively recent research has proven that those who weigh themselves more frequently are better at managing their weight- ( a big change from what we used to think). However, i do think there should be variation depending on the individual.Some people have no problems weighing every day (mostly men!) and some people are too obsessed with their weight (mostly women!) to have this be healthy. Personally, I kind of look at it as "adversion therapy"- I get used to seeing my weight and accept it for what it is- and when I see that my weight fluctuates day to day sometimes regardless of my exercise or nutrition- I feel a bit better about the lack of importance of the scale.
On another note- here's the tip I give to my clients about nutrition.:Commit to having a serving of veggies at every meal and snack. EVERY meal and snack.
I've been using some online tools that take a weighted moving average of my weight so daily fluctuations are smoothed out.
I have frequently heard that one shouldn't eat after 8 p.m. However, I routinely stay up until 11 p.m. to midnight, and I am ravenously hungry by nine or 10. Not only that, if I am even slightly hungry when I go to bed, I wake up in the middle of the night ready to kill for food, and then have about three hours of insomnia to deal with, whether I get up and eat of not. I am a 48 yo female in a rigorous training program, w/ bodyfat % of 29. I usually have a small balanced meal close to bedtime, should I not do that? I have proven to be really resistant to changing my body composition…I recently completed your WSFL program and over the course of six weeks of total compliance I lost about 1.5 percentage points of bodyfat. I did gain a lot of strength, however.
I never been a big on weighing myself everyday too many fluctuations can occur over a period of 24 hours to always be accurate. I have always weighed myself once a week at the same time on the same day, and have always found that to be more accurate. I would lijke to see the original studies of which you are referring to.
My first fitness instructor, from 19 years ago, looked terrific; she was 5'2" tall, extremely fit, and weighed 140 lbs! She said she did not weigh herself as she found it discouraging; instead she determined her fitness by the way her clothes fit. I have followed that method since. I saw her for the first time in 15 years last week and she still looked terrific at age 60 and she still doesn't weigh herself. I have found that if I weigh myself (mostly when I'm feeling lean), I usually have not lost as much weight as I feel like. I get depressed and crave carbs (and satisfy those cravings). If I have lost weight below what I thought, then I allow myself to eat more. Ergo, I stay off the scale for the most part.
Isn’t weighing yourself everyday a bit obsessive? In addition, your body weight can fluctuate from day-to-day. Would be interested in having the references to the original studies that support this as a healthy lifestyle behavior. Thanks ahead of time for your response!
Everything I have learned about nutrition up to this point says eat six meals a day every 2-3 hours. If I wake up at 6am and eat every three hours my last meal is at 9pm. The whole thing about not eating after 7pm in my opinion is just a useless dieting trick to get people to eat fewer calories. What people need to learn is that nutrition is all about planning and stoking the fires. Stoke the fires by eating smaller meals all day long.
One of the things I liked about the WSFL program is that I could be eating at ten or eleven and not worry about it if it was my last meal. I have lost over 25 pounds using WSFL and I am stronger than when I started and I am a pretty consistent worker outer.
Step on the scale DAILY? Not likely. Last time I was on a scale was at the doctor's office.
I'd rather pay more attention to the way I feel, the way my clothes fit and the way I look naked.
Those 3 things are more powerful than 3 little numbers next to my toes.
I see no point in weighing yourself on a daily basis given how much your weight fluctuates on any given day. And and a scale will only tell you how much you've lost but not WHAT it is, i.e. fat, lean mass, etc. I'll weigh myself on a weekly basis but for feedback I rely more heavily on photos ever 2 weeks and how my clothes fit.
I've never had a problem losing fat and eating past 7PM. At the end of the day it's calories in vs. calories out and if I haven't reached my caloric/macronutrient intake levels by the evening then I'm not going to stop just because of what time it is.
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If you stop eating at 7 pm it's gonna be at least 11 to 12 hours to your next meal in the morning and that's just too long in my opinion.A small bite of something before bedtime is not only not bad but it's good in terms of sending your body the right message and getting it in habit of receiving nutrients constantly so it doesn't need to go into 'storing mode'.5,6,7 grams of protein,9,10 grams of CH and 1 to 2 grams of fat is all you need to avoid doing your body wrong. A cup of yogurt! As far as weighing goes, i don't think anyone needs it every day but it's okay for staying focused and congratulating yourself every once in a while. Thanks for staying awake Mike-respect I'm a big fan God bless fitness Tihomir,Zagreb,Croatia