Watching your weight? Guest Post tips

It is Tutorial Tuesday again and to change things up
my guest Ann Crabs
is giving us some tips on watching 
our weight.

Her tips were so good that

 I just had to share it with you

I hope you enjoy!!!

**************

I am honored to do this guest post for http://happyhomemakerandmomma.blogspot.com/ and I hope you enjoy it.  This was originally posted on November 1, 2010 on my blog, Ann Crabs at http://ann-crabs.blogspot.com/2010/11/tips-for-staying-thin-from-thin-woman.html

People look at me and think I have no idea what it is like to be overweight, and they are right.  I am a thin woman.  However, that being said, there is a reason why I am a thin woman.  If you are overweight, take a look at thin people around you.  They might have some habits that allow them to stay thin.  I thought I would share a few of mine with my readers.

1. Pile a large serving of fruit or vegetables on your plate and eat that first.  Really--just get them out of the way.  This serves two purposes: good nutrition plus if you fill up on fruits/vegetables, you probably won't eat as much of the bad stuff on your plate.  Trust me, if I gobbled up my other food first, I might feel too full to eat the healthier stuff.
2. Eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day.  Vegetables are better for you than fruits due to the high sugar content in fruits.
3. Portion control.  Pretty simple, if it is not on your plate, you won't eat it.
4. When eating out, save a portion of your meal for lunch the next day.
5. Start each day with a good, high protein breakfast. 
6. Feeling hungry?  Drink a glass of water.  I have read that one of the first signs of dehydration is feeling hungry.
7. Read labels.  You can learn a lot.  There is a lot of fat and calories in some surprising places.
8. Find fitness in the most unusual places.  I do squats while I dry my hair in the morning. When sitting on the floor playing with the kids, throw in a couple leg lifts. Stand up from your desk and do a minute of jumping jacks.  Use the stairs instead of the elevator.  Walk fast when going from your car to your office.  It all adds up.
9. Get up and do 3 minutes of exercise.  Include jumping jacks, sit-ups, and push-ups.  Just three minutes a day can make a difference.
10. Know you are going out to that restaurant that has a fat and calorie-loaded meal you just can't resist?  Offset it by eating well all day and the next day.
11. Realize that eating a lot high-fat foods tends to make you crave more fatty foods.  This summer, I was tempted to eat ice cream for dessert every night when my daughters had it.  Next thing I knew, I was craving potato chips and other bad stuff and I packed on 5 pounds very fast.  Having a bowl of ice cream just every now and then does not lead to these cravings in me.
12. Make sure your snacking on healthy foods that will provide long lasting energy so you don't feel hungry so soon. 
13. Realize that it is OK to feel hungry sometimes.
14. Don't diet.  Make healthy lifestyle changes instead.  If I want to lose a few pounds, I simply make changes in my habits--one at a time.  I like to add positive changes, like eating leafy greens two times a week.  As I put more positive changes in, the negative behaviors fade out.

So there you have it, tips for staying thin from a thin woman.  I hope you have found something useful in my tips.