This is part 2 of the benefits of weight loss series. You can read part 1 here.

Benefit# 2

Increased Energy

Have you ever had a day where you just couldn’t peel your butt out of bed? And even when you did manage to get up, you still felt tired and rundown?

That was everyday of my life as an overweight guy. Sure I may have only had an extra 30-40 lbs of extra weight on me. But the negative effects of that extra weight made everyday a challenge.

Now, I still dread getting up (I love my sleep) but I know I can get up when I want to without a problem. I’m able to handle anything that is thrown at me during the day and still have plenty of energy to spend with the family.

Improving your energy levels will also improve your quality of life. There is no doubt about that.

How I increased my energy levels naturally

The first thing I did was reduce the amount of processed foods that I was eating. I was amazed to find that only 30% of my calories were coming from natural foods. I don’t think it’s possible for me to cut out all of the man made or altered foods out there. The selection is just too great and besides I enjoy the junk foods when I choose to eat them.

Here are some of the natural foods that I switched to:

Lean Beef
Chicken Breasts
Lean cuts of Pork
Turkey Breast (no deli meats)

Broccoli
Carrots
Peas
Corn
Turnip
Spinach
Brussell Sprouts
Beans
Tomato
Cucumbers

All Fruits (Sparingly as most are high in sugar)
Apples
Oranges
Bananas
Grapes
Cantaloupe
Melon
Pineapple

Skim and 1% milk

The next thing was to increase the amount of exercise I was doing. (which was 0) Exercise is an incredible tool for getting energized. I’ve found it most effective in the morning. A good 20-45 min cardio session will provide all the energy you need to make it to dinner time. Short on time? HIIT is the way to go.

The final step was getting more sleep. No more crazy late nights until 2-3 in the morning. I switched to an 11pm bedtime and it has done wonders. Trust me; there is nothing on TV that is good enough to make you feel like crap the following day.

If you try all of this and I mean really try it for a least 4 weeks and you still have low energy, you might want to check with your doctor. It might be a sign of an underlying health condition (Diabetes, Thyroid issues etc…)

If you do want to try to supplement this with a pill, I would go for a good multi-vitamin or even a B-complex. Again check with your doctor first.

Before I tell you what I think the number 1 reason for eating fast food while trying to lose weight, I will tell what it isn’t.

It’s not the taste – Burgers, fries, pizza etc… may taste good but you can make healthier versions of your favourite junk foods at home. Most of these taste just as good as or better than the full fat dishes.

It’s not the cost - $5 for a combo is cheap, but you can make a healthy meal for 4 people for under $10 including drinks.

It’s not the health benefits – Fast food has some of the highest levels of fat, salt and sugar around. A single Big Mac sandwich as 29g of fat, 1020 mg of sodium and 9g of sugar. There are of course better options at most major chains, salads, chilli etc… But for the most part you’re not ordering that stuff.

Not to mention the negative after effects from eating most of that stuff. I’m not going to go into details but I think you know what I’m getting at.

The #1 reason

Lack of preparation – This is the number one reason I think most people are eating unhealthy fast food while trying to lose weight. Think about it if you had great tasting healthy food available (already prepared) at your finger tips and you were actively trying to lose weight. Wouldn’t you eat that instead of running out for a pizza?

How do you get prepared?

Here are some tips to help you stop eating out of convenience and sticking with your healthy eating goals:

1. Cut your dinner in half. Eat one half for dinner and take the other for lunch the next day.

2. Get a slow cooker. Some of the easiest meals can be prepared in a slow cooker. Set it in the morning and when you arrive home in the evening your dinner is ready.

3. Cook in large batches, divide in to multiple portions and freeze them.

4. Pack your lunch at night. Simple but very effective. Mornings can be hectic and a healthy lunch is usually at the bottom of the to-do list.

5. Leave your money at home or locked up at your desk/office. You can’t buy junk if you have no money. On a side note: Tell your coworkers not to lend you money for food no matter what?

6. Keep lots of almonds, peanuts, and granola bars etc… close at hand. Snacking between meals can help keep those cravings at bay until your next meal.

7. Water. Yes water. You’ve heard it a million times so just drink it already.

What are your thoughts?

When ever I hear an overweight person say this phrase “I want to be healthy” it makes me very sad. Sad because I know that they will still be overweight and probably unhealthy 6 months down the road.

Don’t get me wrong, being healthy is something that you definitely want to achieve. But as far as a tangible goal that will help you lose weight it’s just awful.

Below are some tips to help you set and achieve realistic weight loss goals.

1. Think big. Pick a goal that gets you excited. Losing 5 lbs isn’t going to cut it.

2. Set weekly and monthly targets, review them daily.

3. Make your goals public. Announce what you want to achieve to people that will hold you accountable. This can be a great source of motivation.

4. Write it down and post it where you can’t miss it. On your fridge, your bathroom mirror or the inside of your front door.

5. Always include exercise in your plans. Weather it’s completing 20 push-ups a night or running 20 miles a week. Always include some kind of exercise in your plans.

I have been guilty of uttering that phrase hundreds of times myself. I didn’t start to move towards being healthy until I stopped talking about it and started taking action.

In my opinion when I hear people say “I want to be healthy” in terms of goal setting what they are really saying is “I don’t know how to be healthy”

Here is more info on setting weight loss goals.

Goal Setting
WebMD
MayoClinic
Steve Pavlina

I came across this interesting show on while watching TV the other night. It’s called Marketplace and it covers a wide range of topics that relate to consumer products and services.

This is from their website:

“Whether it is a slick scam or maddening customer service, CBC News: Marketplace weeds out wrongdoing against consumers, and puts pressure on people in power to set things right.”

This episode was about how local casual dining restaurants don’t disclose the calorie content of their dishes. As well as just how many calories are in some of your favorite meals.

Here is the trailer:

They conducted nutritional analysis of 16 different meals and their findings were pretty shocking. I don’t want to spoil it for you, but you can watch the whole episode here.

There was also a bill introduced that would have made it mandatory for these restaurants to include calorie and other nutritional information on their menus. Amazingly it was rejected.

The website also offers some great tips on how to eat healthy while at restaurants. You can watch the whole episode at CBC.ca/marketplace.

It makes you think twice about ordering your favorite dish again.

Parmesan-pepper sweet potato fries

Here is another one of my favorite recipes from the Biggest Loser CookbookThese are great as a side dish or on their own. Try them out and let me know what you think.

Ingredients

½ pound of sweet potatoes, cut into ¼ inch thick sticks

1 tablespoon of grated parmesan cheese (reduced fat)

½ teaspoon of extra-virgin olive oil

1/8 of a teaspoon of garlic powder

1/8 of a teaspoon of paprika

And a pinch of the following:

Ground black pepper, cayenne and salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees

Place all of the ingredients in a bowl and toss until the potatoes are well coated. Lay the potatoes in a single layer on a nonstick baking sheet.

Bake for 8-10 minutes on one side, then flip the potatoes and continue baking for another 10 minutes. They should be tender with some brown spotting.

Per Serving

249 Calories, 5g Protein, 49g Carbohydrates, 4g Fat, 7g Fiber and roughly 250 mg of sodium

You can get this great Cookbook directly from Amazon or for free if you join the Biggest Loser Club