The Secret to Weight Loss

How many of you are still searching for the secret to weight loss? That diet pill, protein shake, green tea, supplement, or vitamin....the pill that will solve all your weight problems.
Every time I run into an old friend that I have not seen for a while they always want to know "How did you do it?" "What did you take, eat, or what expensive equipment did you buy?" It seems that many women think there is some secret that I uncovered. When I try to explain to them that there was no pill, no special diet, and no expensive gym equipment they normally lose interest. It seems like no one wants to hear that I spent 6-8 hours in the gym a week. No one wants to hear that I added more servings of fruits and vegetables to my diet and cut back on sweets.

It frustrates me to see the advertisements of these diet pills and special teas. It reinforces the idea that their is an easy way out. Weight loss requires hard work and lifestyle changes. There is no other way around it.

In retrospect it seems so simple; increase the amount of physical activity in your life and cut back on the sweet stuff. I do recognize the barriers to weight loss for women of color.That's why I put together a few tips to get past these barriers. One important thing to remember though is that long term weight loss involves hard work and sacrifice. But the benefits of lifestyle changes last so much longer than a crash diet, so it's worth it.

Steps to reaching your weight loss goal:

1. Make lifestyle changes : Remember choose a physical activity and eating habits that you can commit to, for life! Try adding fruit for breakfast instead of cereal or a bagel. Make sure you get a salad or serving a vegetables a day. Find 3-4 days a week to get in 30 minutes of physical activity. Choose an activity that you enjoy like swimming or a hip hop dance class.

2. Don't let you hair stop you: Check out this post I wrote on how to care for you own hair,
Hair Care

3. Motivation: you need the support of like-minded individuals to keep you focused. It may help to work out with a friend or family member. It also helps if you get everyone in your house focused on eating right, that way you are not fighting the battle all by yourself.

Avoid Weekend Weight Gain

I know it's the weekend and you want to relax and destress. But let's not forget all the hard work you put in this week, don't let all your exercise and eating right go to waste! I know it's difficult because you want to go out, eat, drink, and have a great time. So, I put together some tips that allow you to have fun and still be slightly health conscious this weekend.

But first let me share some stats with you. A recent study shows that we consume at least 85 -115 more calories/day over the weekend. I know that doesn't sound like alot but increasing your calories like that will cause you to gain a pound after only 10 weeks!
Tips for A Night Out
This article has great tips for healthier drink options.
* Have a Whiskey Sour (3 oz glass) over a Margarita. It's about half the calories and still taste good!
* Have a glass of red wine it will help you relax and it's ony 150 calories per 4 oz. glass.
*You can also try the "skinny girl margarita"
2 oz of clear Tequila (100% agave, Patron Silver)
(count 1, 2 while you pour, no need for measuring)
A splash of fresh lime juice A splash of Cointreau, Grand Marnier or Triple SecCombine all ingredients over a glass of ice
Garnish with a lime wedge and salt (or sugar) if you'd like.Makes one serving.
You can also use a calorie counter to see how many calories is in you favorite drink.

*For Dining Out utilize the Eat this Not that website for food swaps. This way you can still eat at your favorite restaurants and know your making good choices.

Tips for Exercise
So you may not want to to your regular exercise routine but you still want to get in some type of physical activity. Use this calorie estimator to see how many calories you burn doing this fun activities.
Try:
*Rollerblading
*Swimming
*Dancing (going to the club counts, but you got to do more than the two step!)
*bicycling
*a pole dance class
* hip hop dance class
* shopping (you have to do alot of walking!)
Need more tips on surviving the weekend? Click here

I know I eat a ton more over the weekends so I still try to get in some excerise. I normally do the ellipitcal machine on saturday mornings but if I don't have time for that I make sure I get plenty of walking in.

Do you eat alot more on the weekend? Have suggestions for other fun activities?
Comment!!!
Have a great Weekend!