Weight Control Therapy - Group Therapy with Lisa Ortigara Crego

Water is essential and should never be skipped. At least 8 glasses of water are necessary every single day. Water will hydrate you, quench your thirst, improve your skin and fill your belly. Often we think we are hungry and we are really thirsty.
One way to keep the metabolism revved up is to eat your meals 4 to 5 hours apart through out the day. In time, your body will come to recognize it is meal time on the designated hours. For example, if your breakfast is at 8:30, lunch 1:00, dinner 5:30, and your snack is at 9:30 your brain will signal you that it is hungry close to those times. It is as though you have programmed your mind to know it is time to eat without the aid of a watch..

Sugar, flour, and wheat are highly addictive foods for many of us. They have a tendency to cause cravings, fatigue, bloating and mood swings. It is suggested you avoid these foods to tame the cravings and hunger.

Meals should fit on your plate not over your plate. A serving of protein is the size of a deck of cards, the palm of your hand, or 4 ounces. Vegetables are a wonderful food that will fill you up. Do not skimp on your two cups for lunch and two cups for dinner. Remember that corn, peas, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, winter squash, wild rice and other starchy vegetables will fall into the starchy carbohydrate category and must be portion controlled, eaten at breakfast and dinner times. A baked potato would be 6 ounces. Brown rice is measured as one cup.

To reach your optimal success, avoid processed foods at all times. Processed foods are not "real" foods and will upset your balance causing the craving, mood-swings, hunger and fatigue to return.

If you do fall off your new life-style of eating simply return to your whole, healthy foods on the very next meal. This is not a diet but rather clean eating as a life-style. A brief detour will not interfere with your long-term goal of being at your proper weight and in good health.

Relaxation, meditation and self-hypnosis are an excellent daily practice. Rather than eating out of emotion turn to relaxation, meditation and self-hypnosis (weight loss by the sea) to center and balance your mind and body. These are excellent, natural tools that you can turn to anytime you are feeling anxious and/or out of sorts, especially after eating processed foods, sugar and white flour.

Make every food you eat count. Your goal is to heal your body so that it will operate at an optimal level for you. The foods you choose will play a significant role in your over all health. The idea is to create balance with your foods.

Keep your environment well stocked with the whole, unprocessed foods. The cleaner your surroundings the easier the adjustment and future success. Always have your foods readily available. Always think "balanced" eating with whole foods. If you fail to plan, plan to fail!

The most successful Weight Control Therapy participant is the one who is disciplined and very serious about this style of eating. If you sort-of live this style of eating you will sort-of be successful in your weight loss endeavors! This is not a diet this is a way of eating. Your attitude and way of thinking can lead you to your ideal weight. The hypnosis tapes (Power Thoughts) are excellent tools to guide you on your journey.

Whole, starchy carbohydrates are: Wild rice and brown rice, Sweet potatoes, white potatoes, winter squash, peas, black beans, etcetera. Oatmeal, oat bran, millet, corn grits and any cereal that contains whole grains absent of sugar, flour, and wheat are perfect whole carbohydrates. If the starch is real and not processed, void of sugar, flour and wheat, it is okay to include in your food plan.

When choosing wild or brown rice choose ½ cup raw, which equals one serving. A Cereal serving is one cup. Potatoes should be medium and/or 6 ounces. The words whole and 100% on the label are key to being on track with real foods.

Become a label reader. Learn which foods are real and which are processed. The ingredients should simply state the food. If you notice words you cannot pronounce it is probably not real. Remember you are looking for progress not perfection..

Be very conscious of your fat intake. One tablespoon of fat a day should be your goal. Olive oil, butter and canola oil are excellent choices of fat.

Make your own natural shakes with fruit, yogurt, saccharin and ice. This makes an excellent snack food. Other sweeteners such as equal, sweet and low, and Splenda tend to spike your blood levels leading to hunger and cravings.

Alcohol should be avoided as it tampers with the moods, cravings, fatigue and bloating.

Plain low fat yogurt mixed with frozen blueberries and a dash of liquid saccharin placed in the freezer for an hour or so makes a wonderful snack food a few times a week. One half scoop of "clean" cottage cheese placed in a half of a melon also makes a nice healthy treat.

Toting your lunch to work makes eating balanced, natural foods much easier and less expensive. Those who bring their foods with them have a greater weight loss and fewer temptations. Taking dinner "leftovers" makes preparing lunch much easier.

Exercise is not an option but a must. If you start with even 5 minutes of exercise daily you will begin to burn calories and manipulate your metabolism. Our bodies were intended to move on a daily basis. Remember, the more you do, the more you can do and if you don’t use it you lose it!
Choose foods your really enjoy to make this new life-style a pleasant experience for you.