5 Helpful Tips on Successful Dieting!

I feel as though it has been forever since I last blogged! I've had a crazy week of weddings galore! Summer is TRULY wedding season! Well, as some of you saw on the Facebook page, I posted a picture of my progress. Although it's not a HUGE difference in both pictures, I definitely feel leaner and healthier since 3 months ago!

May 2012 and August 2012

Not perfect...but getting there!

So as I've mentioned before, from what I've researched and just as general rule of thumb with weight loss, it's 20% actual excercise and 80% diet/what you eat. And trust me, I know how hard it is to watch what you eat. I find that whenever I go to parties, it's so hard to stay away from the pasta's and creamy dips (ugh...). But you just have to be able to have self-restraint. That's what a lot of what dieting is all about. So here are some helpful tips that I've read/used that will make dieting more realistic and goal-worthy.

Stick to the Foods

Now I don't mean, eat ONLY one food every single day. That would be SO boring! But people who are successful dieters tend to stick to the same foods week after week. That way, you know exactly how much calories, carbs, sugar, and protein your body is intaking with those foods. Also the foods that dieters tend to eat, are healthy (I know, what I concept?!). That means less fried foods and creams, more veggies, whole grains, fruit, fish etc. If you eat the same things, you can portion control and that'll help you get on track too!

Be Specific

All of us can sit here and say, "ugh... I want to lose weight..." But unless we set specific goals we want to achieve, it'll be very difficult to start losing weight. And these goals don't have to be HUGE goals. They can just be, "I want to lose 1lb in a week" or "I want to fit into THESE pants in 1 month". When you have a goal, you have something specific you are working toward, and it'll help you see the goal more realistically. That said, make sure they are realistic goals! I'm sorry to say, losing 20lb in 2 weeks just isn't going to happen.

Surround Yourself with Motivation/Positivity

This has been something that has helped me a lot. Let's face it, not ALL of your friends are going to be on the same weight loss track as you are. Some people may not care at ALL and will be munching away on their potato chips and hamburgers (curse them!). Obviously I would never tell you to get rid of your friends!! However, what has helped me a lot is to surround myself with people that have the same feelings and goals as me when it comes to my weight. When you talk to people that are trying to lose weight and get fit like yourself, you feel more comfortable talking about your goals, your struggles, your plan. And they REALLY listen because they know exactly what you are going through. These people will become your biggest cheerleaders and when you have positive influences in your life that tell you to keep going, that's going to really help you go that extra mile.

Track Your Success

What I do is keep a log of my weight in a small notebook, and I write the date, my weight, and what time I weighed myself (I try to weigh myself at around the same time every time or at least see how my weight fluctuates during what times). Now to be totally honest, I've been having a few cheat days lately, and I get so DOWN when I weigh myself on cheat days. But, looking through my records, I can see I lost a solid 5lb since a few months ago. I can see that because eventually my weight stops yo-yoing and I stay around the same weight for a few days or weeks. And it's an AWESOME feeling seeing that change!

Instead of "I CAN'T eat that" say "I DON'T eat that."

This is something I read in Women's Health and literally had a MIND.BLOWN moment. This is for situations in which let's say your friend offers you some food that you KNOW is bad for you (i.e fried foods, candy, cookies) When you say "I can't eat that", it shows weakness and you are giving yourself the opportunity to give up and eat that bad food. But, if you say, " I don't eat that." you are showing a firm decision that you choose not eat that food and it shows you have more will-power to say no!

Well I hope these were some helpful, realistic tips that will help you in your goal towards fitness and weightloss! :)

Healthy Food Options When on Vacation!

So I just got back from a fun, crazy weekend trip to Las Vegas! However, after 4 days out on vacation, I definitely ate a TON of CRAP food. In N Out, BBQ, Taco Bell, AYCE Sushi... just to name a few. And my body took a toll, because by the last day I just felt disgusting. And I knew so many people out there are going through the same problems as me this summer. You want to enjoy your vacation and it's so hard to resist all those bad foods! That is why I decided to make this blog post about some healthy alternatives that you can bring along while you are on vacation to keep you on track for your goal towards health and fitness!

Before I give you some snack/food options, here are some suggestions I have for when you are on vacation:

Stay Somewhere with a Kitchen

Our group stayed at the Tahiti Village in Las Vegas and the coolest part about this hotel room was that it had a kitchen! It came with a fridge, stove and microwave. If there is a kitchen, you can bring your own food which not only can save you a ton of $$ but you can keep eating healthy too! Anything that might be perishable (i.e veggies, soy milk, fruits, yogurt etc.) you can just stick in the fridge! How awesome is that. And by having a stove top, you can control how much oil and sauces you use in your meals! You might not be cooking for every meal (because let's be real, you are on VACATION), but at least try to cook some meals!

This is the exact room I stayed at the Tahiti Village! Having a kitchen was great!

Bring a Cooler Bag! (If There is No Kitchen)

 Now most hotels you stay at are not going to have a kitchen. If you're lucky you MIGHT have a mini fridge if that. So if you know you are just going on a weekend trip, bring yourself a cooler bag. When you first leave, make sure you have some ice packs in there, and once you get to your hotel room, bring some plastic baggies that you can fill with ice from the ice machine to stick in the cooler bag. You can pack some pre-made snacks (I shall list out later) that you can snack between meals so you don't starve yourself at any point. 

Don't Forget to DRINK WATER!

I know we're on vacation, but we can't forget to keep at our routine of drinking water!! Stick to drinking 8 or more cups of water a day. If you are out in the sun all day, you'll want to drink more to keep hydrated! 

Stay Motivated, Try as HARD as You Can to Not Be Persuaded!

This is something I struggle with not just on vacation, but on an every day basis. Not everyone of your friends is going to be as health conscious as you. Especially on vacation they are just going to tell you to "pig out!" "don't worry you're on vacation!" "one time won't hurt!"... and it's so hard to say no. But just remember, when you come back home and you've eaten all those bad foods, your body is going to pay for it. It's okay to "live a little" and splurge sometimes, but just remember your future goal towards fitness!

All You Can Eat (AYCE), Maybe Just Once?

When you're in Vegas, it's realllllly hard to avoid the AYCE buffet. I just went to one! Makino's sushi buffet. nomnomnom... So I get it! But, what you can do is, especially if it's just a weekend vacation, just go ONCE to the buffet, and when you're there, still eat all the healthy stuff! Try to salad bar and stick to fish, avoid fried, saucy, foods. And for dessert, instead of the chocolate ice cream, go for the fruit!!

Alright so I hope those were some helpful tips, I know I will definitely be taking my own tips into consideration when I go to Vegas in November (for the Marine Corps Ball!). So as promised, here are some healthy snack options that you can bring on your trip!! 

Healthy Snacks to Bring

• Brown Rice Cakes
• Apple Sauce (the above two make a GREAT healthy snack)
• Veggie Sticks (carrots, cucumbers, celery)
• Peanut Butter Sandwiches on 100% whole wheat/multigrain bread
• Fresh Fruit (apples, bananas, peaches, pineapples, strawberries... some of them you may have to keep in the fridge)
• Oatmeal (GREAT for breakfast, and if you bring the instant one you can just mix it with some hot water!)
• Pretzel Thins
• Hardboiled Eggs (this is something you might have to finish on the road trip there...might spoil)
• Canned Tuna (don't forget a can opener)
• Canned Veggies (corn, green beans)
• Cereal/Granola
• Yogurt (make sure you have somewhere to store it)
• Bottled Water!
• String Cheese
• Nuts/Trailmix (but make your own instead of buying the sugary ones)

I hope this helps! Comment below if you have anymore suggestions!

Control what you EAT!

If you look through a lot of health and fitness blogs, they will tell you, if you are trying to lose weight, it's 20% fitness 80% diet! So it really matters what you are putting in your body! Even if you are lifting those weights and running all those miles, if you are eating JUNK, then you will get no where. Also, it's all about portion control. It's great if you choose to replace white rice with brown rice, or start eating more fruit. But, if you are eating TOO much of it, then you are probably going to be taking in more calories than you are burning, and you'll hit a plateau. The best way to get over this, is controlling the sizes of your meals.

This is something I found on Pinterest and I think this is GENIUS! So I decided to get something similar for my lunches.

I got my lunch organizer at Rite-Aid for less than $7.00. When i saw it, I knew this was something that would become very useful for me and my new diet plans! The way its set up, you can put 3 little "appetizers" or salad toppings and because each section is smaller, you don't have to worry about over eating!

It comes with a container you can put dressing in, and it won't spill!

So I decided to take this to work for my lunch. I decided to make a salad. I absolutely LOVE salads because there are so many options in what you can have in it! But beware, not all salads are healthy!

Regular romaine mix from Trader Joe's and some grape tomatoes peeking through!

Cucumbers, Chicken, and Carrot Sticks. With a touch of Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing

And it was delicious! Just the right amount I needed for a lunch. And if you feel that you get a little more hungrier after that meal, try having some yogurt, or maybe a few hours later, grab a granola bar to fuel your energy. It's important to not starve yourself at any point of the day, and try to eat small snacks through out your day to keep your metabolism up!

Try something new for lunch today, maybe skip out on that pizza? Or that hamburger? Try something refreshing! Keep checking back for more new posts!