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Plan ahead for weight loss
By Darren Overmiller—
New Year’s resolutions are right around the corner, and the most common resolution is to lose weight and get healthy. But before 2021 gets here, we have a lot of opportunities to pack on more weight and make getting healthy that much more difficult. For that very reason, I don’t offer my weight loss program in November or December. It is just too easy to lose control with all that tempting food. But there are a few things that you can do before starting that diet to give yourself a head start. So, take this opportunity to add them to your daily routine and make starting your diet on January 1st a little easier.
The biggest problem with dieting and the holidays, as we all know, is overeating. So, what can be done to keep it under control? Weigh yourself. If you know you need to lose a few pounds, this isn’t easy to do but, stepping on the scale every day or two will remind you what you want to accomplish in the next year. The program I offer requires weighing yourself (at home) every day to track weight loss. When not dieting, weighing regularly helps you track your maintenance. If the pounds start to accumulate, you will catch it early and be able to make the necessary changes before it gets worse.
Taking a few good supplements is a great way to get ready for your upcoming weight loss program. Taking multivitamins, omega-3/fish oils and probiotics can help get your body ready for a diet. With the standard American diet, we don’t get all the vitamins our body needs, so take one every day. Fish oils or Krill oil are said by some to help with weight loss. I don’t know about that, but they are needed to be healthy, and improving your health should be the primary goal of any diet. If you have had issues with taking fish oils in the past, try freezing the capsules and taking them before bed.
I also recommend a probiotic for those looking to improve their diet. Probiotics are the good bacteria that our intestinal tract needs to function at its best. Unfortunately, when we take antibiotics, all kinds of bacteria are killed, both good and bad. Once off antibiotics, it is the bad bacteria that grows back quickly and can take over the intestinal tract. Think of it as killing your yard and then allowing all the weeds to grow back without replanting grass. Taking a probiotic helps to replant the good bacteria and push out the bad.
Another problem with the standard American diet is the lack of fiber. If you aren’t going to start eating a whole lot of vegetables, then you need a fiber supplement. Be sure to get fiber that is made from non-soluble psyllium husk, also commonly called bulk forming fiber. It doesn’t really matter what brand, just that it is psyllium husk. Fiber is great for colon health and can even help lower cholesterol by keeping the body from absorbing fat. If you are going to be eating a meal containing a lot of fat in it, take some fiber with it to help block the absorption of fat. But also remember that it can block the absorption of some vitamins so take your multivitamin at a different time as your fiber. Be sure to drink plenty of water with your fiber.
Finally, portion size. There are lots of tips and tricks online to help keep your portion size under control. Two of the easiest tricks are to use smaller plates and drink water. Using a smaller plate may seem silly, and you might think that a person would just pile the food higher or go back for seconds, but there is plenty of evidence that people eat around 20 percent less when using smaller plates. Drinking a glass of water 15 minutes before eating helps your body feel full and allows your stomach to tell your brain it is full earlier than without the water. One study showed that drinking 20 ounces of water 15 to 30 minutes before eating resulted in around 15 percent fewer calories.
Dr. Overmiller practices at Childress Specific Chiropractic, 210 Commerce in Childress, 940-937-6600.
