When people see me as a client they are usually working to change one, and sometimes all, aspects of their lives. Part of the process, in order to keep these transitions from becoming overwhelming failures, is to identify specific goals. Once we have a goal in place, then we can start determining the steps involved to make it a reality.
Typically weight loss is a topic on the table, as it is with most Americans. My approach to this issue addresses more than just exercise, but also a close examination of everything they eat or drink. I know people who have been hitting the gym for years and assume their potbelly is "natural." In a sense it is...it's natural to have a big gut if you eat potato chips and drink high fructose corn syrup all day.
Part of the education I give them regards eating defensively when they eat out. Unlocking the hidden calories that are a knee jerk reaction for food preparation is the principal way to purge hundreds, nay (how often do I get to say nay?) thousands of calories from your daily intake.
For instance, today I had to get a sandwich at Subway--you know, the chain Jared lost all that weight at? Well I order my stock item there...foot long chicken breast on hearty Italian and the girl shot back at me, "what kind of cheese?" No cheese I say as she glances at me. Cheese is high-calorie and has dairy fat, one of the slowest burning fats one can consume. I just saved myself a few hundred calories and a few hours of running.
I order it with the tomato sauce from the meatballs (not perfect since it has some fat in it from the meatballs cooked in it) and then spinach, tomatoes and banana peppers.
While not a perfect meal, it met a lot of my nutritional requirements and filled me up.
Did I do the chips? No, not this time...but if I do I go with baked Lays or, if my back is up against the wall, chips fried in Olestra. Never regular chips, which are fried in animal fat and high in calories.
So that's the way you do it. Take a look at your daily eating...where can you milk out a few hundred calories here and there?
Next time we can go to McDonald's. While certainly not an ideal dining situation, one can eat there and avoid the land mines scattered throughout the menu.
Any ideas I may have overlooked? Any mistakes I made?
