Loosing weight naturally

I am really tired of all the programs that are out there for people to choose from on "how to loose weight". There are literally hundreds of books, videos, pills, etc., on this subject. These were someones idea of how to make money from others weight gain. Or to put it bluntly you have a need and they have a solution and they try to sell you what their ideas are, on how to loose the weight. Well that is all fine and good for those who want to spend their hard earned money, and don't get me wrong there are some good books out there for guidance and tips on this subject. But there are other ways to learn how to loose weight, but first it takes a firm commitment on your part to make the decision, and then actually do it. I decided to do some extensive research on the web about this subject, and my husband and I have also taken classes for his "type 2 diabetes" at the hospital. What we learned was so simple and yet so powerful. They have taught us that by making some simple life style changes such as eating healthier and less portions, along with exercise would help us loose weight. My husband has been taking their advice and has been doing great, he has lost over 40 lbs and has gone down in his waistline considerably. I on the other hand am eating much healthier but I still need to exercise more. I don't have the weight issue as much as he does but the eating healthier is certainly making me feel a whole lot better.

That is why I decided to write this hub so that I can share some of the things that are, simple and inexpensive to implement in your daily activities. Life does not have to be complicated and by doing some different things on a daily basis I know you will see a change in your overall health and weight conditions. So read on, my hopes are that you will take just a few of these tips and do your own research and get some results. Keep in mind these may not be appropriate for your particular situation. But one thing is for sure you don't have to give up all the foods you love to eat either, that dreaded "d" word doesn't even have to come into the picture. Instead think of it like this: "from this day forward I will be making some healthier eating choices, because that in essence is what you will be doing". But stick to it and don't give up, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, it may take a while, but it will be so worth it.

First Things First: We always give God the early part of our morning, either meditating in his word or just spending time with him. This is a great way to begin your day and I have found that for the last 5 years by doing this, I find my day is more organized and less stressful. God will give me the Grace to get through anything that comes my way.

Breakfast: Secondly, we eat a small breakfast, usually oatmeal and toast, or dry cereal Special K with fruit, and a small can of V-8 juice. Simple and not a heavy breakfast. I believe that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and do many times it's the easiest to skip - so don't. Although sometimes we do love to go out to eat breakfast and on those occasions we will have eggs, etc.

Lunch: For lunch we have a sandwich (whole wheat or multi-grain bread) with fruit and soup. We really love Progressive "lite" soups. Always look at the numbers on the cans for everything you buy at the grocery store, the lower the better, except for fiber, you want a higher number on the fiber because it is very good for you. If you take whatever the number of carbohydrates is just subtract the fiber count and you are getting less carbs in the long run. Stay away from trans and saturated fats, and always check the number of calories, cholestoral, and that dreaded sodium - again the lower the better I say.

Snacks: In between meals we will if needed a fruit or vegetable snack, but sometimes it can be cashews or your favorite nuts, just not too many of them. I love flower seeds myself.

Dinner: For dinner we will have a balanced meal, or try to anyway. Our entree will be either grilled, boiled or baked. We stay away from pasta and rice dishes, but when we do have them we have very small portions. That is the key to eating any of the foods that are not necessarily the best for you, but you like to have on occasion, is smaller portions. Then of course we have a vegetable or medley of veggies, I love veggies but Larry doesn't care for them as much, so we try to get creative on how we prepare them. For instance we will stir fry the medley of cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, onions, etc. We experiment with seasonings and try something different each time. When we stir fry the veggies we use very little olive oil to cook the vegetables. Some suggestions are to add garlic, onion powder, salt and pepper during stir frying and then just sprinkling a little Parmesan cheese when it's on the plate - makes these veggies come to life. Then we will add either a salad with light dressing or just oil and balsamic vinegar. We will either have a salad or fruit dish or jello (no sugar added type). That's it. Easy and balanced.

Walking: In the morning after breakfast we usually try to walk on the treadmill or when it is nice outdoors we take a walk around our neighborhood. We live in the Pacific Northwest so the weather here is sometimes unpredictable. On nice days it's great to get outdoors and get some fresh air. We have a huge hill we have to walk up right at our driveway so by the time we are up at the top fo the hill we feel we have received a full workout. Larry walks on a daily basis, sometimes twice a day about 35 - 40 minutes.

Tips: For instance we use whole wheat or whole grain breads. Instead of a huge hamburger bun when we have hamburgers, we use Oroweat thin wheat buns (and I mean they are thin), my husbands blood sugar numbers are so much lower when he eats this type of bun in our meal. When we want french fries we use the frozen pre-cooked kind and then bake them instead of frying them. They are even better when you take them out of the oven and spray some olive oil on them and then sprinkle with a combination of salt-substitute and garlic powder, yummy!

More Tips: Instead of butter, "I can't believe it's not butter", it's great on baked potatoes, but don't have a whole potatoe,, share one with your spouse. Light salad dressings or a combination of oil and (rice vinegar or balsamic vinegar). Salt substitute, splenda instead of sugar. If you have a sweet tooth there are hundreds of candies with no sugar added on the market. Also Pillsbury makes a cake and icing mix with 50% less sugar when we are in the mood for cake. You can also make chocolate chip cookies with (brown sugar splenda) now.

Entrees (chicken, beef, fish, veal, pork) should be grilled, broiled or baked. If you add more vegetables to your diet along with fruits and salads you just can't go wrong. Also drink more water on a daily basis and skip pop if you can. We really like Crystal Light, they have a great variety of flavors to choose from or Iced Tea. Look for recipes that are low in fats and carbohydrates - it's actually fun to cook different types of food. If you make it fun and include your spouse which I do, it really makes a big difference come meal time.

So there it is - I know that I didn't cover all the foods that you can eat but just touched on a few. Do your homework, and when you make that decision to begin a new lifestyle so you can loose those unwanted pounds, it will be exciting. Then when you begin to see progress well that is the time to shout and dance for joy. You only have one life to live - live it healthier and you will live longer - and you will enjoy it more!