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| Welcome to “A Pound a Week” weight loss program. I am so happy to have you in the group! It is my hope that this website will provide you with information, motivation and support as you work toward your weight loss goals. There are very few people who find weight loss easy, but everyone finds lost weight wonderful! Keep positive thoughts about why you want to lose weight in the front of your mind and let go of the negative self talk about hunger and deprivation. This program is not about starving yourself or giving up foods that you love. The focus is on eating the correct portions of foods in a healthy balance. Keep reading for some start up information. More topics will be added weekly. |
| Food Diaries |
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It is well documented that using a diary or journal to keep track of your food intake is a key to successful weight loss. Let’s face it – if it isn’t written down it is easy to overlook what you have eaten. Just overlooking a couple “little bites” of this and that can be the difference between losing weight or not losing weight. After all you only need a 150 calorie deficit per day to lose ½ pound per week and eating an extra 150 calories per day will put on ½ pound per week. Be diligent and be honest with yourself and weight loss will be possible. I have provided a food diary for you to use with this program. Make sure you are filling it out as you go through your day. It is important to eat the correct serving sizes. Measure or weigh food whenever possible. There are also simple size comparisons as well. There is a handout in your start up kit describing portions. Part way through the day total up your food servings so you are aware what you still need to eat and what food groups might be complete. Eating all of the allotted portions will provide you with a nutritionally balanced diet for optimum health benefits along with weight loss. Please email me directly if you need some different options for food servings. I don’t expect perfection on eating every bit of food on your recommended daily servings guide. It can be a big adjustment for many people to start eating a balanced diet. Give it your best effort and notice how it gets easier each week you work at it. If you already eat a high fiber, low fat healthy diet but still can’t lose weight than being very careful with portion size and recording all food that you eat will be essential. If you would like me to look over your food diaries please leave them in the file drawer. I will check them out, make some comments and put them into your file. Please add up all of your daily servings! It is a pet peeve of mine to look at food diaries that are not completed. You are missing out on the most basic part of the program! Eating the correct number of servings each day helps you lose weight. The majority of people who can’t seem to lose weight are underestimating how much food they are really eating. Don’t fall into that category. Let me know if you are unsure how to calculate a particular food. Pizza for example would fall into several categories. Grain for the crust, vegetable for the sauce, dairy for the cheese and protein for any meat. The trick is to get the most accurate value for each part. The crust could be anywhere from 1-2 grains, the sauce might be ¼ of a serving of vegetables, the cheese might be 1 ½ servings of dairy and the meat might be ½ a serving of protein. |
| Exercise |
| Most participants in “A Pound a Week” are regular exercisers. During the first 3 weeks I would prefer that you continue your current exercise routine as it is. Record your workouts on your food diaries. Starting week 4 there will be more specific exercise guidelines provided. We will focus on having a balance between strength and cardio workouts as well as varying the intensity of your workouts. You should not feel obligated to add more exercise at this point. In some cases adding more exercise backfires when it comes to weight loss. Exercise will increase your appetite which can be a problem when trying to cut out excess calories! One important reminder: make sure you eat a snack within 45-60 minutes of your workout. This snack or meal should include both carbs and protein (i.e.: turkey on whole wheat bread, yogurt with a piece of fruit, string cheese and a piece of fruit, nuts with dried fruit). This snack or meal refuels your body so you get the most out of your next workout session. Trust me this pays off! |
| Tip of the Week |
| Be content with small but continuous weight loss. The first few weeks can be a drag because we all want to lose weight overnight and it just doesn’t work that way. I guarantee that if you don’t work at weight loss consistently during the next five weeks the time will fly by and you will be in the same place you are today. However, if you put out the effort and are content with small amounts of weight loss you will be thrilled with the progress you have made in just five weeks! |
