Resolution Solutions

Are you someone who ever year says you want to lose weight and get in shape for the New Year? If so, I hope this is the year that you change your approach and have great success. Diet's don't work, they are "to die with a T"!  Taking small steps towards more healthy food choices, having consistency with your exercise program, drinking enough water,  along with getting enough rest can make a big difference.

You have to decide you want to change and believe in the change so it can become a habit. I recommend people write down why they want to lose the weight as this will give you some motivational tips to keep moving forward with your goal. Picture yourself healthy and able to do the things you enjoy. Many say to post a picture taken when you felt you were at an appropriate weight to help you get back to that body shape but remember age will shift how you change and you may not look the same.

Give it time!!! You can drop 1/2 to 1 pound of weight in a week and 1-4% body fat in a month realistically. If you try to do it faster than this you are dieting and much of the initial weight loss is water reflecting a 3-5 pound change. By the way, when you are properly HYDRATED the scale will drop 3-5 pounds and when you are DEHYDRATED you will gain 3-5 pounds!

When evaluating success do not rely no the scale, better yet evaluate things like: "How do your clothes fit? "How is your energy?" "How are you sleeping?" "Are you having any cravings?" "How is your mental focus through out the day?" "Are you feeling better?" These questions will allow you to "feel" from the inside/out the progress you are making instead of relying on a number. Here are some things to think about with regards to your food, exercise, water and sleep steps.

As you think about food choices try to look for foods that are as close to their natural form. The more processed the food the less nutritional value in it.

The perimeter of the store tends to be where the best food choices are: Fruits, Vegetables, Seafood, Chicken, Meat, Dairy, Cheeses and breads (for those that are not gluten sensitive) Within the isles the healthier choices are usually on the top or bottom shelf. Leave your cart at the end of the isle, walk in, get what you need and walk out, you are less likely to grab additional items this way.

Read ALL labels and look for hidden forms of sugars. Things ending in "ose" along with high fructose corn syrup and corn syrup are some of the biggie's to watch for.

When you set up your exercise program don't try to jump into 5 times a week start with 1-2 and build up. Maybe go every other day or every 2nd day to start. Do what you like to do and when your time schedule allows you to exercise, you will have higher compliance.

You can also park further from your office, the store or any place you are stopping to do an errand. Walk stairs whenever you can. Set an alarm on your phone that goes off each hour so you get up at work and walk to the bathroom or make a lap around the office building. Use a heart rate monitor to gauge what is an appropriate output. (See my article "Burn The Fat Save The Carbos" on my website).

Get a pedometer and shoot for 10,000 steps a day. You will quickly see that if you do not do a "formal" walk each day you may not get close. If you have pets you will definitely have a better chance with walking them 1-2 times a day and parking further from your destination.

Be sure to drink enough water but not too much. The base amount of water is  your weight divided by 2. You add 2-4 ounces of water for every 15 minutes of exercise. If you find you are drinking water and always going to the bathroom, try some Fiji water which has a higher pH and is absorbed in the tissues to help "cleanse" the body better. If you are not having good bowel movements you may not be drinking enough water!

How much sleep varies for each person. Usually 6-9 hours is recommended. If you are not sleeping well you may have adrenal exhaustion issues, allergies, hormonal imbalances, or you are not eating enough of the right food choices and relationship.

I highly recommend keeping a log/journal. Research shows that those who do, have a much higher rate of success. It is very helpful for me to review if we work together too as I can see patterns and explain why certain cravings come about from what you have eaten. This also allows you to start learning the consequence from your food choices. You can evaluate what is and what is not working between your food choices and exercise along with you sleep patterns.

Create positive rewards for yourself and be ready for relapses. Don't beat yourself up, just get back on track with small steps.  You may find that once you get a routine going if you do relapse you will feel better more quickly than when you first started out and this gives you motivation to keep working the process.

If you want to work on bringing these things into balance the correct way, live a healthy lifestyle and keep the weight off because you have the tools to play the game all year long, contact Dr Caroline Smith www.metabolismmagic.com or call (303) 471 4725


Here's to a healthy and happy New Year.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins (Gluten Free)

It has taken a lot of bombs to get this recipe acceptable to share. I brought it out at a recent Christmas party and they were a hit. After a number of my guest asked for the recipe so I shared it with them and then  I decided to share it with everyone on my blog too. I hope you enjoy them!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Yield: 8-12 regular muffins and 12-18 mini muffins

½ heaping cup sliced organic unblanched almonds

1 ½ cups organic Oat flour

¼ cup organic brown rice flour

1/3 heaping cup of organic raw sugar (can cut this in half or omit)

1 ½ TBSP Pumpkin Pie Spice

1 tsp baking soda

¼ heaping tsp baking powder

¼ tsp sea salt

3 large organic eggs

2 cups organic plain pumpkin (whole 16 ounce can)

1/3 Safflower oil

1 ½ cup mini chocolate chips

Check consistency, if too wet you will need to add some more flour, try brown first.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Put almonds on a baking sheet or pie pan and bake about 5 minutes, just until lightly browned; watch carefully so they do not burn. Slide almonds off the baking sheet so they cool quickly.

Grease muffin cups or use foil or paper baking cups.

Thoroughly mix flour, sugar, pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.

Break eggs into another bowl, Add pumpkin and oil and whisk until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips and almonds. Pour over the dry ingredients and fold just until moistened. If the batter is too thick add 1-2 TBSP of water until a little easier to stir.

Scoop  batter evenly into muffin cups. Bake 25-35 minutes for regular muffins and about 15-25 minutes mini or until puffed and springy to the touch in the center. Watch closely so they don’t get over cooked and too dry. Turn onto a rack to cool. Cover with a dishtowel to keep the moisture in. Once cooled wrap in a plastic bag and keep one or two days to enhance the flavor before serving. Great to freeze. Can be reheated before serving.  

If you need help putting together recipe ideas, figuring out how to convert recipes or just overall help with your nutrition and exercise program please feel free to check out my website www.metabolismmagic.com or give me a call at 303 471 4725.  Happy Holidays.

Dr Caroline Smith