Why Yo-yo?

What is yo-yo dieting? It is trying to commit to an extreme diet and then failing…over and over and over again. Thus the Yo-yo. Massive diet changes are not your friend. And the rebound from failing at making huge changes is often costly because we starve our bodies and then come back to those foods that also provide comfort and likely overindulge. Small changes that you can really master are the absolute key! I once had dinner with a friend who put deli mustard on a baked potatoe! I was shocked. She said she had been doing it for years because she read somewhere that it was a smarter choice than all the butter she was eating. Violá! She also had a stunning figure!

Here are a few simple dietary recommendations. Make a note and add them or subtract them in stages. Just be victorious as you go. How did I learn to drink my coffee without sugar? I started with half the amount and whittled myself down. It isn’t hard. Trust me!

The age old idea behind the federally endorsed food pyramid is just fine. The key is the kind of fats, complex carbs, and proteins you include in your diet. Including all three in your balanced meal will help you feel more full and you will eat slightly smaller portions, which is a good thing. And let’s start each meal with 12-20 oz. of water. It helps digestion and reduces the room in your belly for overindulging.

Many foods contain trans fats. It is all over processed foods. How do you find it? Do a little reading. If the ingredient list says partially hydrogenated oil, do not eat it. That doesn’t mean you can’t eat the food. Just find an alternative. See? This is how to avoid the first “Yo”. That should be a simple change to make. Once you master that we can start on the sweet drinks. Soda. Sugared drinks like coffee or tea. All we need to do is pick days when we can or cannot have them. Or reduce the sugar amount to half. For now. Master that first. We can reduce or restrict more if needed later. Also exchange a simple carb for a complex carb. That would be ditching the bagel for a whole grain alternative. One step at a time!

Okay. Enough restrictions. I know! It is the hard part about dieting. But there are good things you can add as well. Here is a list of foods that you can pick from that possess many of the good things we need in our diet. Avocadoes, nuts, nut butters, seeds, blue berries, pineapple, and olive oil are proven to reduce belly fat. You can do all the crunches you want! But you also have to reduce the layer of fat between your abs and the rest of the world. I even make my scrambled eggs in olive oil. I use it for everything! Also make the high fiber choice whenever possible. Remember the old saying about “an apple a day?” Start your fibrous foods list with that apple. Add to it pears. veggies, berries, beans, greens, and whole grains. They keep you feeling fuller with a lower caloric intake. This will help create a better balance of taking in fewer calories than you spend. This will create gradual weight change and transformation and will avoid the dreaded Yo-yo!