FATspiration Tip #5

I haven't written a FATspiration tip in a while, so here goes...

FATspiration Tip #5:  Eat every 3 hours and keep a daily food/drink journal.

I've seen this done on all of the FAT shows recently, but when it was recommended by my beautiful, skinny cousin, I knew it had to be true.  :-)  She's one of those people who makes a fat girl want to spit out the candy she just stuffed in her mouth.  This woman has an amazing body, gorgeous hair, and a very pretty face.  The worst part?  She's so ridiculously nice that you can't hate her.  :-)  Seriously though, she works really hard to keep her body looking as awesome as it does, AND she's really into the fitness world.  She knows her stuff.

According to this wonderful lady, eating every 3 hours keeps your metabolism going.  Obviously, sitting on your couch with a box of Twinkies ready to fill your "every 3 hour" requirement is not what we're shooting for.  Personally, I like to keep a bag of fresh almonds in my kitchen (no salt or sugar added).  If it's been a few hours and I'm not ready for a meal, I just grab a few almonds.  If I remember correctly, I can have about 23 for 4 Points.  I don't even come close to eating 23, so it is a healthy, filling, super low-Point food.

I can also speak from experience regarding the food journal.  Tracking your food is a component of WW, and it has really helped me.  Those of us who are addicted to food go through bouts of denial.  When I first started keeping a journal, I could not believe how much I had been eating before WW.  It was disgusting and kind of scary.  Even now, when I don't lose during a week, I know it's because I didn't keep detailed track of my food on a particular day.  I think I'll remember it later, but it's really easy to forget.

In addition to keeping a journal, even if you're not doing WW, you should set goals for how many glasses of water you want to drink each day.  I love having the little water tracker on my WW tool.  During the weeks I lose the most, I meet my daily water goals.  Tracking it keeps me aware and motivates me to make sure I'm drinking enough.  On Saturday, I looked back through my previous WW weeks.  The water is a huge factor.

If you're trying to shed some pounds, add the food journal to your plan and make sure you eat healthy snacks throughout the day.  :-)  Good luck!

Click here to visit my cousin's new blog!  She has a lot of great ideas about saving money.  :-)