Don't Let Anyone...

Don’t Let Anyone…

Don’t let anyone decide for you what to eat, when to eat, or how much to eat. So many times we look to someone else to give us the “magic” formula as to what, when, and how much to eat so that we will lose weight. But it doesn’t really work that way, “Why?” you may ask…because you need to learn what is best for you in all cases, at all times. Otherwise you will never have lasting results when it comes to your weight loss. And isn’t weight maintenance the final and ultimate goal?

What Do You Do?

Learn to listen to your body and learn based on trial and error. Learn to listen to your body when you eat and realize when you are close to being full…STOP before then! You want to feel satisfied, NOT FULL. You want to try stopping earlier than you usually do and see how long it takes for you to be hungry again. Be sure to write down what you ate and when you ate. At first you will want to also write down whether you felt you ate too much, too little, or just the right amount. Go to www.timerdiet.com/journal and you can download for free (but it’s copyrighted so don’t sell it!) the daily journals to keep track of what and when you are eating. Remember: Write down your daily eating as a way to educate yourself about you, not as a way to be accountable.

Do NOT Be Accountable to Anyone!

You do not need to be accountable to anyone, doing so will backfire and make you want to just quit. Don’t even be accountable to yourself, you may just feel disappointed. Instead when you are hungry look to what you last ate and when and learn from your notes. Did you not pick the right amount of foods, did you not eat enough, or maybe more time has passed than you thought and it makes perfect sense that you are hungry now! Writing down when and what you ate is for your education not to be accountable.

What to Eat?

Enjoy what you eat at all times, that being said learn the nutrients of all the foods that you love and want to incorporate into your daily diet. Oh by the way the word “Diet” has as its 2^nd definition in the Merriam Webster dictionary—daily nourishment. I love that definition of diet, we all need daily nourishment. On page 47 of TimerDiet I discuss, Explaining the Ratios, in great detail. For now I will give you the quick and easy way to look at foods. Forget everything you have ever been told about grams equaling calories and how dietary fat has different values from protein and carbohydrates…this is all too complicated! Consider each gram of equal status and then try to keep to this motto: No more than double, no less than half. So if you have 10 grams of dietary fat you would want to have no more than 20 grams of protein and/or carbohydrates. Alternatively, no less than half—so no less than 5 grams of protein and/or carbohydrates. Which gives you a lot of leeway for getting the ratios using the TimerDiet method!

Give it a try and see and write down how you feel!!

Sherri Sue Fisher, author of TimerDiet and recently released TimerOrganizer

www.timerdiet.com/journal

www.timerorganizer.com

    

Beverages

Beverages

When we think of beverages we really need to focus on purpose. What is the purpose for what we are drinking? Most of the time when we eat, it is because we are hungry. But, many times our beverages are for a variety of reasons other than thirst. I normally don’t like to link to other peoples blogs, but this particular blog has a lot of scientific information in it which is in particular is what I want to discuss. So here is the link
http://www2.potsdam.edu/alcohol/AlcoholCaloriesAndWeight.html#.U8mLA19AKhs

 

In the Morning

When you get up in the morning what is your go to drink? More importantly why? For me it is coffee with half-n-half. I love the taste and after four decades of drinking coffee I can’t imagine a morning without it, so there are sentimental reasons, too. I have transitioned the way I drink coffee from my teens when it was half cream/half coffee along with real sugar then to my late twenties after I dabbled with sugar substitutes and decided in a very short amount of time that they were not for me and decided to not partake of any sugar substitutes whatsoever…so I decided to make the switch to NO Sugar at all. I was a little worried, but now if I accidentally get someone else’s coffee with sugar in it, I can’t stand it…so I am definitely converted.

When you drink in the morning are you adding sugars to your beverages? How does this make you feel? Have you tried going without any type of sugar or sugar substitute altogether? If you haven’t, give it a try and write down how you feel with and without the sugar or the sugar substitute.

 

During the Day

Your best bet to get some water into your daily routine is during the day, after your morning beverage of choice and before the evening arrives and the options usually change to more adult beverages. So if your daily beverage of choice is soda, juice, or some combination thereof you need to see how this is affecting you. Have you tried drinking just water during the day? Challenge yourself for one day to drink water during the day (make sure you like the taste of the water you are drinking!) and write down how you feel vs. how you were feeling when you drank all the other non-water beverages during the day. My hope is that you feel more refreshed, alert, and had little impact on your appetite. Sometimes drinking beverages other than water can make you hungry—so give it a try! I like to drink water from noon until about 7 pm until I switch to my evening beverage.

In the Evening

Some look to the evening for their wine, cocktails, and/or beer and this doesn’t appear to affect weight loss adversely if done in moderation (now is the time to look at the link above.) I personally like either red wine or bubbly (sparkling wine or champagne-depending on the occasion) in the evening while alternating with some water. I also make sure that I have a protein rich and dietary fat rich meal for dinner, along with some greens for vegetables. It doesn’t matter how late I eat. If I have already eaten dinner and it is later in the evening I may have some cheese and crackers—either goat cheese or cheddar cheese with saltine crackers. Until it is time to go to bed…

Overnight

When I go to sleep I ALWAYS (I can confidently say always) have water by my bed before I go to sleep. Almost always I get up at some time during the night and have some water. I live in a dry climate, so this could be the reason, but even when I travel I do the same thing.

My Plan

So there it is my daily plan for my beverages: Coffee w/cream in the morning until about noon, then water until about 7 pm and then beginning with dinner wine or bubbly alternating with water, until it is time for bed and then it is back to just water. Make your own plan and see how you feel!

 

Sherri Sue Fisher, author of TimerDiet and TimerOrganizer

www.timerdiet.com

www.timerorganizer.com

 

Discipline vs. Willpower vs. Knowledge

Discipline vs. Willpower vs. Knowledge

I recently got into a discussion with a friend of mine who is also a doctor and the word discipline was used, or the lack of discipline, to describe why we have an epidemic of obesity on our hands today. Then another person said it was lack of willpower. But I personally think it is lack of knowledge.

Discipline Means…

When one is disciplined then one knows certain rules and agrees to obey those rules and risk punishment for not obeying the rules. Which makes sense that my doctor friend chose this particular word. Doctors have a ton of rules that they must live by or suffer severe consequences. So I get it…

Willpower Implies…

Willpower is control over ones impulses. In the usage during our conversation, the lack of willpower would mean that there is little control over ones actions. I think we have a lot of control over our own actions and we willingly do what we do, when we do it, for whatever reason we may or may not give ourselves.  

Knowledge is Key…

My first response during our discussion was, “don’t you think people would rather have steak and asparagus if they knew it would be good for them?” Most of our lives we have been told all the foods we ate back in the day (60s & 70s in my case) are bad for you—butter, cheese, red meat, alcohol (ok not until the late 70s for me), and so much more.

We hear to be sure to go for the low fat or reduced fat foods; as if dietary fat were making us fat? I wish there were more words in the English language so we could distinguish between the excess fat on our bodies with the dietary fat that is needed in our bodies.

TimerDiet is knowledge…

There is so much that we hear, read, and watch on TV about what to do or what not to do that it can become sensory overload and we just give up. But, I promise I can make it a whole lot easier if you just give me a chance. Look over the concepts of TimerDiet and see if it something you can get your head around and if so check it out and give it a try. I think you will see the lifestyle change does not require discipline or willpower, because I give you the knowledge you need to make wise choices for you!

Sherri Sue Fisher, author of TimerDiet and recently released TimerOrganizer

www.timerdiet.com/timer-diet-concepts

www.timerorganizer.com

4th of July Barbeque

4th of July Barbeque

Barbeques are as much about the 4^th of July as are the fireworks! And why not? A barbeque is a great way to feed a lot of people in a short amount of time and have fun while you do it! More than likely whatever is on the barbeque whether it is hot dogs, hamburgers, steak, chicken, or fish is NOT going to get you off track if you are losing or maintaining your weight…it is the other foods at the barbeque!

Happy Birthday America!

If You Are in Charge of the Barbeque

Hosting the barbeque means you have a little more control over the options but you also want to have a lot of the foods that most people are expecting as well. No one wants to go to a barbeque where Kale salad is the only side dish. On page 117 of my book TimerDiet if give you a few ideas such as beans, corn on the cobb, or green beans. Tossed green salad along with the more traditional salads like macaroni and potato makes for a variety for people to choose from.

Bun or NO Bun

I also tell you how to get more of your barbeque foods on your plate and less bun or NO bun! More than likely if you are having a hot dog or hamburger you will want a bun, so what can you do? But the bun in half and then cut the hot dog or hamburger in half and then double it on one half of the bun. Easy way to reduce your bun intake but still enjoy! And your bun to barbeque ratio just got so much tastier!

Barbeque Desserts

The best dessert for a summer barbeque is hands down “Watermelon!” Nothing says a summer barbeque more than watermelon, if you want something a little more rich then make some homemade ice cream! If you want a workout while doing it use the old crank kind, we did as kids and it was actually fun!!!

Pace Yourself

You probably have several hours to enjoy yourself. So don't over do it right away. Pace yourself and allow yourself to go have some fun and then come back if you are still hungry...this is the biggest secret of all...

Sherri Sue Fisher, author of TimerDiet and just released last week TimerOrganizer—Available now in paperback at Amazon.com

Check them both out on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!

www.timerorganizer.com

www.timerdiet.com