Avoiding the Thanksgiving Hangover

Several years ago I was losing weight on a diet program and I was so excited. I was having fun making meals out of their cookbook and I was seeing success...until Thanksgiving. The pumpkin pie, sweet potato casserole, chicken and noodles, etc. got the best of me, but it didn't stop there. A few days later the Christmas parties and events started. With only a few days between Christmas and New Year's day I just continued to eat like before the diet. My birthday is only a few days after New Year's day, so I continued in my old habits.

By the time the holiday season was over, I had regained my weight back-and then some. I was depressed and defeated. I didn't have the drive or the excitement I had before the holidays and so I didn't go back to my "diet" plan.

You don't have to be derailed by the holidays! You can enjoy Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas parties, Christmas dinner and New Year's celebration just like everyone else and not get derailed on your weight loss! I know because since losing my weight 4 1/2 years I haven't been derailed!

CLICK HERE to Download 8 Meal Ideas Utilizing Thanksgiving Day leftovers

The following are some strategies to help you keep from being derailed:


1. Drink plenty of water on Thanksgiving Day

• Water keeps you feeling fuller making you less likely to overeat. If you drink a glass of water before your Thanksgiving dinner you will get fuller much quicker!
• Water is a natural lubricant so your food will easily move through your system.

2. Don’t "junk" every meal

• Eat a simple, light breakfast of an egg whites, veggies, and whole wheat bread (Better yet, eat Achieve Weight Loss approved "Broccoli Bread.")
• Eat a light supper following the big Thanksgiving meal. 

3. Don’t skip breakfast on Thanksgiving. You will be less likely to overdo it at the Thanksgiving meal.

4. Wear tight fitting clothes. The uncomfortable feeling will be a good reminder of why you need to limit your portions.

5. Skip the fillers like nuts and bread. 

6. Watch your portions. At Achieve Weight Loss we recommend that you use a 6-8" inch plate. Try using a salad plate instead of one of those gargantuan plates!

We cover many more ideas in our "Preparing for the Holidays" lifestyle class; however, I know that these six ideas can help keep you from getting derailed on Thanksgiving. If you want to know how you turn you Thanksgiving leftovers into fat-burning meals, download our PDF of meal ideas utilizing your Thanksgiving Day leftovers.

CLICK HERE to Download 8 Meal Ideas Utilizing Thanksgiving Day leftovers

Why These Subway Choices Work PLUS Free Pocket Cheat Sheet

I spend a lot of nights teaching weight loss classes in churches, schools, businesses as well as my own training center. Many of those nights I am traveling back home in the late evening. I am hungry and tired.

It is at those moments many people stop at a fast food restaurant and make choices that send their bodies into fat-storing machines. However, it doesn't have to be that way!

With few exceptions, you can eat at any fast food restaurant and still burn fat. (Hint: you don't have to eat only the salads!) One of the easiest restaurant options is Subway.

I stop at Subway a lot when traveling back home after a long day of teaching people how to make food from their local grocery store work for them.

  CLICK HERE for your Subway Pocket Guide

In the FREE download, I am offering you several options at Subway which you can enjoy and still be in a fat-burning mode. Of course, these are not magical weight loss meals, but when they are eaten in the context of a "Healthy Day" they can keep the Fat Truck parked and your body in a fat-burning mode. Here are some reasons why they work:

1. They don't contain excessive calories. Calories are nothing more than a measurement of energy. Your body only needs so much energy. These foods supply you with enough energy to make it to your next meal. After all, that is all the energy you need-enough to get to the next meal.

2. They don't cause the Fat Truck to run. These meals and options will not cause your body to go into a fat storage mode. You can walk out of the Subway with plenty of energy from your food without causing your body to start the fat storage process.

 3. They supply your body with adequate intake of macronutrients

The macronutrients are: Fat, Protein and Carbohydrates. By having an adequate intake of these nutrients you will maintain muscle mass, have energy and enjoy health.

For your convenience, I have created a small, pocket-sized, fold-over sheet you can keep in your purse or wallet to help remind you of great, fat-burning options at your local Subway. If you make this a part of a healthy lifestyle, you can enjoy losing weight and-just as importantly-keeping it off.

CLICK HERE for your Subway Pocket Guide

5 Food Tips for a Fast Paced Life PLUS Free Download

At a recent health fair, I talked to a young mother. She lamented that she knew what she needed to do, but she just didn’t have the time to cook and eat healthy.

Are you struggling to find time to eat healthy? Are you constantly stopping at fast food restaurants, grabbing a quick snack at the convenience store, devouring your meals because you have to be somewhere quickly? Let’s face it, we live in a fast-paced world. Our days are filled with running from place to place.

When you live a fast-paced life losing weight seems to be impossibility, but it is not. Here are a few tips that will help you.

1. HAVE A COUPLE “GO-TO” FAST FOOD RESTAURANTS 
There a several “safe” options at restaurants which you can enjoy without fear of packing on the weight. To help you succeed in your weight loss in our highly mobile society, we have created a PDF download of “safe” options in 3 national fast food chains.

Click Here for Your Download of "on-the-go" Options

2. AVOID THE SUGARY SOFT DRINKS
When you are on-the-go, it is easy to grab a sugar-filled soft drink. After all, the sugar provides you with an energy bump. However, the sugar also throws your body into a fat storage mode. Sitting in your car, sipping a sugary drink coupled with little activity is a recipe for disaster.

3. AVOID THE SUGARY SNACKS
Just like the sugar soft drinks, the candy bars will give you a brief energy boost, but put you into a fat storage state. Plus, you will find yourself craving more food within a short period of time. Included in your download is a list of 3 snack bars found in many grocery stores and gas stations which will not hurt you in your quest to lost weight.

4. KEEP QUICK BREAKFAST OPTIONS AVAILABLE 
Although I want you to cook your own meals, the reality is that you need to have a few items you can grab out of the freezer, cook in the microwave and eat on-the-go. Since breakfast is a difficult time for most of us, we have included 3 quick breakfast options you can quickly heat up and eat before you run out the door.

5. CARRY A FEW EMERGENCY SUPPLIES
Recently, I was in a fast food restaurant and I ordered their grilled chicken salad. When I asked for the salad dressing options, I found out that they did not have any good options. (Word of warning: low fat does not mean always mean weight loss.) Fortunately, I had some salad dressing packets in my car which I could use that would not derail me. We have included an easy portable option in the download.

Admittedly, it can be difficult to lose weight in this fast-paced word, but it is not impossible! You can do it and these tips and tools can start you in the right direction.

Click Here for Your Download of "on-the-go" Options