Tips for Healthy Living

We’ve partnered with Lite for Life, a local weight loss company, to share tips with you about taking a natural and healthy approach to eating and weight management that will help you achieve and maintain control for life. — Carmelo Sigona

Tip 2: Meals: To Skip or not to Skip

This tip can be summed up in two words: eat regularly.

Don’t skip meals thinking you can “save” calories for a heavy dinner or dessert. In addition to keeping your metabolism consistently burning more calories, eating regularly prevents you from ever getting so hungry you lose control; you know, those times when you feel you could eat everything in sight (and may even try). Eating regularly helps make it easier to make smart choices and control your portions at every meal.

Having a little something to eat every few hours also keeps your blood sugars stable, lowers your insulin levels and helps your body more efficiently burn calories. The importance of stabilizing blood sugar levels is covered in tip 1, which you can find here. The key to the Lite for Life program is controlling blood sugar and eliminating cravings.

Do keep in mind it’s not recommended to eat a full meal every few hours. Lite for Life clients are encouraged to eat  three meals and three snacks a day, with a snack being something such as string cheese & an apple, a strawberry smoothie, Fage yogurt with berries, or nut thins with Laughing Cow cheese. It may sound silly to have something like oatmeal anytime outside of the typical breakfast timeframe, but steel cut oats with a few berries is great source of energy, and just a 1/4 cup will leave you feeling satisfied until your next real meal. This approach also helps you feel more in control and avoid episodes of emotional eating.

Stay tuned for tip 3: Love your Fruit.