Congratulations on your wedding! We hope it was the most beautiful day of your life and everything you hoped for it to be. And hats off to your success in “Operation Lean Bride”…we’re sure your struggle paid off and you looked fabulous in your white dress. We believe every woman deserves to learn the secret of staying at her wedding dress weight, so read on!
According to Lona Sandon of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, newlyweds often put on 10 pounds right after saying “I do.” It’s hard to sustain your vision-in-white status after weeks and months of restricted eating. Once on honeymoon, it’s party time, with delicious food, drinks, and cakes at the center of your celebrations. And after returning home, you’ve got those new Cuisinarts and blenders to keep you in a food-focused mode.
So what can you do? It’s time to abandon the roller coaster of dieting that takes you from starving to feasting. Instead, here are some tips to help you formulate your own healthy approach to eating that keeps you healthy and looking great for the rest of your life, like so many of our successful clients.
Important Note: When it comes to burning fat, all foods are not created equal. In fact, by incorporating these fat-blasting foods, the pounds will peel off faster than you think.
1. Unsalted nuts- just by eating 3 ounces, you can lose an inch off your waistline per month! Nuts contain a lot of protein and healthy fats, which help eliminate the unhealthy fats.
2. Fish & other seafood- high in protein, low in saturated fat….you stay full up to two hours longer than you’d normally do. Fish and seafood increase leptin levels, a hormone that diminishes those powerful pangs of hunger.
3. Avocado- not only does it contain Omega 3’s, avocado contains Omega 9 fatty acids, which attack your fat reserves for energy, thereby revving your metabolism.
4. Coconut- this helps the liver metabolize up to 30% more fat! The triglycerides and fatty acids keep you fuller longer and also stimulate thyroid activity, thus spiking fat metabolism.
5. Leafy Greens- anything dark green is your friend. They’re loaded with antioxidants, vitamins, and fiber—beneficial for digestion—which protect against cancers, cataracts, heart disease, and memory loss.
6. Oats- commonly labeled as a “no-no,” oats is actually a whole grain packed with fiber, making you feel fuller longer. It also lowers cholesterol and decreases fat in the blood.
7. Cayenne- spice is nice! It lowers blood sugar levels, curtails insulin activity to keep your metabolism on fire, and helps you eat less. If you have a love-handle problem, you’ll want to use this quite a bit.
8. Cinnamon- this is both an excellent spice and sugar substitute. In fact, foods with cinnamon metabolize sugar 20 times better than food without cinnamon!
9. Turmeric- used in Indian cooking, this spice is full of beta-carotene, which protects the body from free radical damage that cause aging, decreases the rate at which fat is stored, and has anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial properties.
10. Finally, Beware Low-calorie Snacks & Artificial Sweeteners—synthetic fat and sugar substitutes actually pack on pounds!
Hope you can feel the pounds coming off already! And to keep it going, visit our blog and look out for our next article, “Worst Late Night Snacks.”
“Enjoy Healthy”
Michele Risa
Beyond Body Mind Spirit NYC
P.S. Want to stop your sugar cravings? Watch our TV show, “Sweets Are Not So Sweet” next Tuesday, August 16th at 8 PM, Channel 3 on Manhattan Neighborhood Network. If you miss it, feel free to e-mail me at mrisa@beyondbodymindspirit.com and I’ll be happy to forward you the tips.
Michele Risa is a Health Consultant with a BA from New York University and a MA from Columbia University. She is certified as a Kundalini Yoga teacher by the Kundalini Research Institute and certified in Therapeutic and Hatha Yoga by Satsang Yoga Center. Risa has certifications in Breathwalk, Conflict Resolution, Divorce Mediation, and Yoga for Children, and has completed courses in Vipassana and 16 years of White Tantric Yoga with Yogi Bhajan.
Since 1989, she founded Beyond Body Mind Spirit (www.BeyondBodyMindSpirit.com), which offers her four main areas of expertise - weight-loss, anti-aging, stress management and yoga, using non-traditional approaches. Risa has produced her own yoga TV show since 1998, has been a frequent radio guest, and has co-authored a book, “Conscious Entrepreneurs: A Radical New Approach to Purpose, Passion and Profits,” Winner of the National “Best Books 2008″ Awards.
She has lectured at corporations such as Boeing, Viacom, and Forbes and produced a 6 month program at NYSE where she reduced stress and lowered health care costs. Although the majority of Risa’s clients are in NYC, she has conducted seminars as far west as California and as far east as Russia.
Her motto for healthy living is, “When you find your personal formula for self love through body, mind and spirit, you create the life you want.”