1. Replace all sugary, energy or hard drinks with water. Aim for drinking 64 ounces per day. If you are a larger person, you should drink more, around half your body weight in ounces, i.e., if you weigh 200 pounds, water intake should be 100 oz a day. Drink with a straw—it’s more fun and you will drink more water. In summer, water can be chilled, if you are warm. However, in winter, the water should be at room temperature. It takes a lot of energy to heat cold water from 40 degrees to our body temperature of 98.8 degrees. That energy needs to go to keep us warm and keep our immune system strong. We have limited energy, and it is wasteful to use it heating up cold water to keep our bodies at their healthy temperature. Swish the water in your mouth, get your lips wet and then swallow. It is preferable to drink a glass of water with your meals, as this will enhance the digestive process. Water should be of high quality—filtered, reverse osmosis UV light exposed. Try not to drink tap water unless you have a home filtering system. Water should be stored in glass or hard clear plastic bottles. Replacing water for all your liquid intake decreases 28 percent of the junk calories in your diet and increases the detoxification process. This simple choice will improve your health!
2. Park your car at the opposite end of the parking lot whenever you use it—whether it is for work, school, grocery store, etc. Also, try to avoid elevators and use the stairs. Start to walk more and use the car less—walk whenever you can. This helps the environment, saves money on gas, and burns fat!
3. Purchase smaller plates and bowls. This will automatically decrease your portions and decrease caloric intake.
4. Take time to eat and slow down. You must sit down whenever you eat. Do not eat standing up or as you are running out the door. If you cannot sit down, then do not eat. Eating on the run usually involves poor quality food and damages the digestive system. In order to properly digest our food, we need to be in a resting or parasympathetic state. Put your fork down between bites—savor your food. Take the time to taste it.
5. Chew your food until it is liquid. Do not swallow food whole as you are running out the door. Chewing more frequently sends signals to the brain that you are full faster, and you will decrease your food intake.
This is the beginning of restoring your health and losing weight. Once this is mastered, you can move on to a more comprehensive approach to restoring your health and losing even more weight.
