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| UNCLE VIC'S FIT TIP #18, 2007 — By The Inch It's A Cinch
Have you ever done the math? Do you realize that if you simply improve your caloric consumption-to-expenditure ratio by 500 calories a day, you will lose a pound a week? And if you lose a pound a week, you could lose 52 pounds a year if you wanted to?
If you begin to incorporate a mere half hour of moderate activity a day, such as walking, jogging, swimming or biking riding, you will burn about 250 calories a day. This means if you simply cut out three cookies, a scoop of ice cream, a half a donut, two sodas or a Starbucks mixed drink a day, you will achieve your goal of a net of 500 less calories a day.
Here are ten easy tips to help you reduce caloric consumption:
- Don't take your kids shopping. They will influence you to buy junk food.
- Don't ever go shopping on an empty stomach. An empty stomach will increase your desire to buy sweets.
- Don't buy soft drinks and soda. If you don't have it in the house you won't drink it. If you do, you will.
- Don't buy fruit juice, buy fruit. An 8 to 12 ounce glass of fruit juice contains between 100 to 200 calories. An orange or apple contains half that amount.
- Eat three correctly-sized meals each day. Remember, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. If you get off on the wrong foot with empty calories or no calories at all, you will over-eat all day.
- Eat smaller portions. We all remember what our mothers told us and tend to eat everything on our plate.
- Learn to make a great salad. Salads are high in fiber and fluid, so they are more filling and contain less calories than other foods of similar volume.
- When eating out, just order an appetizer portion of the entrée. Goes back to eating everything on your plate.
- Have healthy snacks on hand. Raw nuts (not roasted), sliced apple or pear, oatcakes, vegetable soup and homemade unbuttered popcorn are some easily accessible examples.
- Drink plenty of water throughout the day. Water has virtually no calories and will help maintain a satiated feeling in your stomach.
So, that's it! What do you reckon? You can cut out several hundred calories a day without even noticing it, don't you think? And, coupled with a little extra exercise, you can easily achieve those 500 calories a day! Remember, by the inch, it's a cinch!
Answer to last week's fitness quiz:
"What does GMO stand for in terms of food production?"
Genetically modified organism
Answer to last week's extra credit quiz:
"What is Roe vs Wade?"
Roe vs Wade was a landmark United States Supreme Court case establishing that most laws against abortion violate a constitutional right to privacy, overturning all state laws outlawing or restricting abortion.
This week's fitness quiz:
"What percentage of the total calories you consume each day is burned in eating and digesting your food?"
Extra credit quiz:
"What was the name and rank of Tom Hank's character in 'Saving Private Ryan?' "
Corny Joke of the Week:
If April showers bring May flowers, what do Mayflowers bring? Pilgrims and furniture.
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