Lose Weight in Summer

Can you lose weight in Summer? You sure can!

In Australia, we're in the beginning of the second month of Summer. Some states have certainly been having hot summer weather, sending people inside where it's cool. That means people may not be doing their usual jogging or walking to keep fit. They're staying inside instead, and maybe they're raiding the fridge in their search for coolness.

This can lead to eating too many sweet and cool things. This, added to the lack of exercise and combined with the usual Christmas season partying and good food, all adds up to danger time if you're trying to lose weight. There are some ways you can stock the fridge though, that can help you.

Keep the fridge topped up with calorie free drinks - water is still the best thirst quencher there is, so make sure you always have a jug of water in the fridge. There are a great many diet soft drinks available if you want a change from water every now and then.

There are some great cooling foods available in summer, especially grapes. Crunchy sweet grapes are a lovely snack, and don't add too many calories. Other good food ideas are sandwiches - cheese with pickles says summer to me, and I love the sandwiches nice and cool, sometimes with some chicken or turkey slices, yum!

Nuts are also a good snack. Yes, nuts are high in fat, but the fat they have is a fat that's healthy for you body. This doesn't mean you should go overboard and eat nuts all day, the weight would pile on if you did that. Nuts are high in protein though, and they have fibre too, so they fill up your tummy, and your body shouldn't get hungry as it would if you were eating sweet foods.

In summer, salads come to mind, and they can be a great way to have a healthy and low calorie meal. Be careful with the dressing you use though. There are some excellent low cal mayonnaise products available in the shops, and of course lemon juice is a great way to give raw vegetables a zing. Another interesting and no fat dressing is balsamic vinegar - excellent with fresh mushrooms and baby spinach!

For people with Wii Fit games and good air conditioning, there are lots of fun ways to exercise, alone or with friends. And of course summer in Australia is synonymous with the beach or the pool. Go outside and play in the water, fun, fun, fun!

So there are some ideas to help you lose weight over summer, enjoy!

Pre News Years Eve Resolution

We all mean to do well over the Christmas period. We say or think we'll eat wisely and not have too much, and we'll do some exercises too. Sadly, for many, that doesn't happen.

Not meeting these goals though, doesn't mean all is lost. The best time to get back on track if you're trying to lose weight or get fitter isn't next week, or next month. The best time to get back on track is right now!

Right now, you can decide whether you're truly hungry, or simply bored. Right now you can walk up those steps instead of catching a lift. Right now you can eat a piece of fruit instead of the tasty but fat laden cake you've been thinking about.

The new year means party time for many, and party time often goes with lots of food, fattening food. Arm yourself if you go to a party with some low fat and calorie snacks, such as rice crackers. Either take them with you, or eat a meal before you go out, and stay firm when you tell others you're not hungry.

If it's too difficult to do, stick to the healthiest foods you can see at the party, and have lots of water to drink. The water will help you to feel full, and will be good for your body too.

Christmas time is often holiday time too. Get out, walk around your neighbourhood. You can often find interesting things quite close by if you travel by foot. Driving around means you can sometimes drive past things you would have enjoyed, if you'd been going slowly.

There are many things to do to lose weight that a free or at least cheap. Walking is always a good one, swimming is too. Most biggish towns have a heated indoor pool which is available to the public at a reasonable price.

If you've been a couch potato for many years and think you can't do anything, at least get up and walk a little bit. It doesn't have to be a 20 hike to do you good. Just walking to the letter box and back a couple of times can be a good start. Do it twice one day, then slowly increase the number of times every day. Before you know it, you might be going beyond your letterbox!

These small things can all add up. As you get fitter, you may feel more like getting out and about. Getting fitter isn't just about getting slimmer, it's about becoming more comfortable with your own body too. You may realise your body loves the new fitter you you've become!

Are you trying to lose weight and save money?

Doing both at the same time can sometimes seem like an impossible dream. But if you can get help, you can do it! Click on this link to go straight to a place to help you!

I’ve found a great website that has lots of fantastic tips on ways to improve your diet.

This is an American site, so some of the information may not directly suit people from other countries, but most of the hints and tips are still good for those in other countries.

I live in Australia, so the tips on great food to eat in Autumn/Fall are not so useful when it’s Spring where I live, but lots of the info is still good.

When I saw an email about 10 ways to eat better for less, I knew I had to read it! Most of the hints are fantastic and I can see myself starting to follow the advice.

The website has information for people with various dietary needs, for different kinds of food, different types of meals. It’s all focused on eating a healthy nutritional diet, and it doesn’t limit you.

Instead, it gives you alternatives so, if you want to eat something sweet, the site doesn’t say you can’t do it, it gives you ideas on how to get your sweetness in a healthy way.

Are you interested? Have a look at the website, your body will be glad you did!

My New Food Bible

Do you need help finding recipes that are nutritious and acceptable to the whole family? Have you search and searched for a single source that has all you need?

This is the site you need - Chef Jeena. It has everything you need - nutrition, pasta, chicken, sweet treats, it's all there, in colour and with video too. Check it out, you'll be glad you did!

It was onion bhajis that got me to this site, but there is so much more there too. Gluten free, vegetarian, and more.

Community Healthy Eating, It's On!

Community Foodies classes are starting next Wednesday, so I'll be getting all trained up in healthy eating and all kinds of other interesting things. I am so looking forward to be able to say, with authority, this is true, this is what you might be able to do to have a better diet.

At the moment, I know what I should eat, even though I know I don't eat enough vegetables, but I'd love to have more knowledge, and to know the best places to look for the most up to date knowledge.

There is just so much information available out there, and I know that a lot of the information is just plain wrong. It is frustrating. And every time I go to the supermarket and look in the shopping trolleys of other people, I can see where they are going wrong.

I'm not saying I am a saint with my own eating, but when I have something higher in calories, I make up for it in other ways. Chocolate is fine for me, as long as I only have a little bit, and I have a little less of something else later on.

And as long as I don't have it too often. I shared a block of chocolate with my husband and son last night, and we have another block of chocolate in the fridge still. I'm OK with that - the chocolate block only weighs 30 grams - 10 grams each is not going to be a major weight problem, unless we started eating that at every meal and on every day, instead of for dessert once a month.

So on Wednesday, I will get to know my fellow Foodies better, and begin a whole new adventure in better health for me, my family and my community!