Guest Post: Drink Water, Not Sugar

You’ve probably heard that one 12-ounce soda has about 150 calories and 10 teaspoons of sugar. But did you know that juice can have even more sugar than soda?

Drinking sugared soda, fruit drinks, and juice can add up quickly. It’s easy to consume several hundred calories a day without realizing it. Research suggests that people who drink soda or other sugary beverages on a regular basis are more likely to gain weight than those who don’t, and that switching from these to water or unsweetened drinks can reduce weight.

Without a doubt, drinking water is one of the best ways to stay hydrated and manage your weight. It’s thirst quenching and calorie free. So, drink up! And to determine your individual fluid requirement, divide your body weight in half – that’s approximately how many ounces you need daily. For example, a person who weighs 180 pounds needs about 90 ounces of fluid per day. Please share in the comment section below. Your ideas could be very helpful to other readers.

Guest post provided by Lorraine Matthews-Antosiewicz, MS RD.

Lorraine is a food and nutrition expert specializing in weight management and digestive health. She is committed to empowering people through education, support, and inspiration to make real changes that lead to optimal health and lasting weight loss. Take her Free Self-Assessment and learn how you can lose 20 lb. – or more. Jump Start your weight loss today! http://njnutritionist.com/freeassessment

Rapid weight loss worked for me best

Many “experts” want you to believe that slow, gradual weight loss is easier to sustain than large, rapid weight loss.

What worked for me is opposite. I needed a solution that would provide the fewest calories possible while still providing all of the essential nutrients required by the body: protein, essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals.

I started to lose weight fast and fast results kept me motivated.  I got excited and wanted to stick with my method.  I had the incentive to keep going because  I saw the numbers on the scale going down every single day.

Clinical trials have found that people who jump-start their diets by dropping a lot of weight in the beginning had the best results in long-term studies.

Hot tea is beneficial for losing weight

I drink hot tea several times a day. No sugar, no milk, just plain, hot tea.  Hot tea is very beneficial for losing weight. It can give you a real boost.

Some hot teas actually reduce sugar and fat absorption while speeding up the digestive process.

Each time you sip hot tea, you get a huge infusion of powerful compounds called antioxidants which are believed to fight off heart attacks and cancer.

Drinking iced tea is not the same. A cup of hot tea contains more of antioxidants than iced tea. Chilling tea reduce the antioxidants. Iced tea drinks tend to have less actual tea and more other ingredients, such as flavorings which have no nutritional value in them.

Regular consumption of hot tea is associated with decreased weight whereas regular consumption of iced tea is not. Several cups of freshly brewed hot tea (minus the sugar) per day is the healthiest option.

After water, tea is the most commonly consumed beverage worldwide.

This website has more info on hot tea drinking benefits:

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/997.html

Life happens

Nobody is perfect.

Life happens.

At same point we are all going to struggle, we are all going to have a bad day and make some not-so-healthy choices.

It is called being human. It happens to all of us. The difference between success and failure is how you handle those bumps in the road.

Maintenance is not a destination

Over the course of the past two years, I've learned a lot about myself and the strategies that are important for me to use to maintain my new weight.

Maintenance is not a destination. To me it's a continuation of a process of refinement of the habits that I developed to lose weight. Once I reached my goal weight, I was determined to make this a lifestyle and not to return to my old ways. I knew that to keep the weight off my new behaviors needed to continue.

Long-term maintenance of behaviors is something we can all achieve when we focus on the reasons that forced us to lose weight. For me focusing on my health was the catalyst that changed my whole perspective and allowed me to take a different look at my life.

I better understand now that my experiences both good and painful are here to help me grow and evolve. I continue to take personal responsibility for the decisions I make throughout my day. Sure they’re not always the best, but I've learned that it's okay not to be perfect.

Tracking was a very important weight loss tool for me and one that I've continued in maintenance. I continue to weigh myself daily.

Reportedly only 5% of dieters are able to lose weight and keep it off. Who knows the exact number, but it's a very small percentage. I’m sure, there are many more that lose weight initially, but keeping it off is a whole other story.

You can lose weight

You can lose weight - but it's up to you to take the simple daily actions that will make losing weight a habit. You, and you alone, are responsible for what you eat. Quit eating unhealthy, fattening foods cold turkey or wean yourself off. Both work and are completely valid.

Choose what works better for you and start your own healthy habits today. Start making these changes now - this very moment. There is never a “best moment” to start losing weight. The best time is now.

Most people will just keep thinking about making changes. Thinking about change and talking about change don't make a difference. You need to get to the execution phrase. Action is what produces change.

Procrastination only leads to more excuses. If you take the first step today, you will have done the hardest thing that you will need to do - overcome inertia. Start losing weight now.

You can do it.

The difference between who you are and who you want to be is what you do



Food is the component that largely determines whether we are gaining or losing weight. The key to losing weight is focusing on eating of the foods that promote weight loss. Once you know the nutritional differences between processed and whole foods, you have a choice.

Every journey begins with a single step, but you will never finish if you don’t start. Once you make the first step everything else becomes easier; but it is important to make that step otherwise you cannot expect to finish something you did not start.

Make the first step today and start making these changes now. Stop waiting for the right time to start losing weight; it never comes. There is no reason you can't begin your weight loss journey right here, right now. No more excuses! Don't wait for the "right time". Do it now. Take advantage of the motivation you're feeling now and start making these changes now.

I learned that one should not wait to for a best movement to start losing weight. My experience is that there is never a “best moment” to start losing weight. Most people will just keep thinking about making changes. Thinking about change and talking about change doesn't make a difference. You need to get to the execution phrase. Action is what produces change.

The difference between who you are and who you want to be is what you do.