Diet

Many people feel they need professional help losing weight and to be honest, enlisting professional help will increase your chances of being successful and ensuring you lose the weight the right way. Here is a list of professional to consider reaching out to:

Family Physician: The first and most obvious place in New Orleans to seek assistance from is your doctor’s office. Whenever starting an exercise or weight loss program; it’s best to always make sure you get the green light from your doctor…particularly if you already have health issues.

Ask him or her about the best and safest way to lose weight. Your physician should give you a healthy diet plan to follow or one for you to use as an example to start eating better, so you can shed some pounds.  Your physician will probably be thrilled to hear that you’re ready to take your health in your own hands and lose some weight.

When it comes to losing weight, a lot of people are always looking for shortcuts. You might be tempted to ask for help losing weight in the form of diet pills and weight loss medications. This is a valid way that some people lose weight when they can’t seem to do it alone.  Ask your doctor if this is a good option for you. In most cases, starting a healthy diet and a regular exercise program is all you need.

However, your doctor will know your medical history and your current health and be able to advise you on which medications might be an option, or explain why you shouldn’t bother taking any diet pills/medicine.  Don’t be discouraged if your doctor is against the idea of prescribing weight loss medicine; millions of people have lost weight without taking pills or using other aids, and so can you.

Counselor/Psychologist: Other professional help losing weight that might be beneficial to you, besides your doctor, is a counselor or psychologist. While this isn’t an often recommended step in losing weight, for some people, it can be an important one. Quite a few people have trouble losing weight because they eat compulsively, and very often this has roots in an emotional or psychological cause. Changing your whole mindset on how you eat in New Orleans could possibly be one of the most difficult aspects of losing weight.

It’s very difficult to eat healthy or even just stop overeating if you have emotional triggers that cause this compulsive behavior.  Talking to a counselor or a psychologist can help you get to the root of what is causing your eating problems, and put you one step further down the road to healing yourself emotionally while you’re getting healthier.

Some local hospitals even have programs about nutrition and exercise. Ask about their different programs.  Most people who run such programs are happy to talk to you about them and help you get started on the right track.

Nutritionist/Dietician: If you can afford it, you might want to visit a nutritionist or dietitian because they can really offer you needed knowledge, advice and help with losing weight.  These experts on food, eating and nutrition can put together an eating plan that is designed to be right for you and the foods you eat. They will use your food choices and modify them into a healthy diet that will let you lose weight.

Personal Trainer: Also, a few visits or consultation with a personal trainer can offer you help losing weight by ensuring you’re exercising correctly.

As you have read professional help losing weight in New Orleans is a viable option for everyone who is willing to seek it out. Don’t hesitate! Get the help you need…a good place to start finding the help you need is in the Health and Fitness Directory.

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Jonas Deffes, New Orleans Exercise Specialist

Provides the therapeutic benefits of health and exercise at companies and events throughout New Orleans along with his very popular New Orleans Boot Camp for women. I am very serious about building long-term relationships, achieving positive results and upholding my commitment to excellence.

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As I’ve mentioned in my earlier post – I need to lose 20 lbs and I actually thought (for about a week) that I could start losing the weight right now…during the Holidays.  I’ve come to realize I was attempting to do the impossible while turning myself into the Grinch who stole Christmas.

To lose weight, you have to burn more calories than you intake…to burn more calories than you intake you have to be and stay on a pretty strict, structured and specific diet plan. Exactly how do you do that during the Holidays without skipping Holiday parties, engagements and any possible interaction with friends and family where massive amount of delicious food is available?!?

Now here’s the New Orleans twist to the Holiday Season…what comes shortly after the New Year? Yep, Mardi Gras!! “Good bye” candy canes, cookies, pies, turkey, stuffing and “Hello” King Cakes!! Does the Holiday Season ever end in New Orleans?? I think we all know the answer to that is “No” but we do have short breaks between them. So…what’s the solution? The solution is to focus on losing weight between the major Holidays and work hard to maintain your weight during the actual Holidays.

Top Six Methods to Maintaining your weight during the Christmas/New Year Holiday Season?

1. Only Splurge on Absolute Favorites (in moderation): You will splurge (you know you already have). The question is: was your splurge worth it? Will your future splurge be worth it? You wouldn’t splurge your hard earned money on sub-standard quality and half-desired purchases, so why would you splurge your precious allowance for calories on anything less than your absolute favorite food? Only splurge on your favorites and in moderation.

2. Continue to Exercise: This is much easier said than done if you’re staying home and not traveling. It gets tougher if you happen to be on the road but still doable because you can still go out for a walk or jog no matter where you are. Other things you can do…chores!! Volunteer to take out the trash, clear the table, do the dishes…that will surely burn more calories than sitting on the couch. The key is to be active.

If you are staying home – stick to your usual workout routine.  You might have to shorten it to meet all your obligations and deal with the holiday gym hours, but be sure to still get in the gym.

3. Don’t Be Caught Hungry: Before you head out to any events, parties or dinners; be sure to EAT! Eating something small, preferably something with complex carbohydrates (slow burning carb/calories that keep you feeling full) will help you from reaching for anything you can find once you get to the party because you’re starving.  You’ll be able to think twice about what you eat while you’re out.

4. Don’t Fall for Peer Pressure: “Come on, just eat one” – “You’ll hurt my feelings if you don’t try this” – “What is it going to hurt to eat this?” or don’t feel like you can indulge too because everyone else around you is indulging. Stick to your guns.  You know what you can and will splurge on and stick to that plan. Firmly decline the people who are trying to fatten you up.

5. Control your Alcohol Consumption: Alcohol is a big empty calorie trap.  When you do drink, reach for the light beers or red wine. I realize telling most folks in New Orleans to keep drinking to a minimum is almost pointless…but I’m going to keep saying it – Control your Alcohol Consumption.

6. Look for and Use Healthier Alternative/Substitutions: There are ways to make your favorite foods with healthier alternatives that won’t have the same harm to your waistline. The following sites have great options what substitutions you can make while cooking and baking during the holidays:

Baking Substitutions for Healthier Holiday Recipes source About. Com

5 Easy Recipe Substitution Tips for Your Favorite Holiday Recipes source HealthCastle.com

Calories are Coming to Town source Spark.com

This is a list I’m going to stick to because there is NO WAY I’m adding another 1-7 pounds to the 20 pounds I already need to lose.

Do you have any other pointers on what you do to maintain your weight during the Holidays?

Just for fun – You can check your knowledge by taking this Holiday Calorie Quiz

I moved to New Orleans on January 5^th, 2009 from the Northern VA/DC area.  When I moved here I was about 15 pounds heavier than what I wanted to be.  It was a New Year and a new beginning and I was motivated and set on losing the extra weight…so although the city and it’s fabulously enticing foods were trying real hard to tempt me – I was able to resist. I lost 12 pounds in a few short months and by May ’09 – I was quite happy with myself.  Unfortunately, I did not keep the weight off.

A few things happen. First, I started to feel all the hard work that went into losing the weight; my elbows and left foot started to hurt and overtime, they hurt a lot more.  Next, I got engaged to the man of my dreams and he moved to New Orleans. Injuries, Love, New Orleans and living in the French Quarter…turned out to be a solid recipe for putting on some pounds.

Do you know how easy it is to eat out when you live in the French Quarter? One Saturday, not too long ago, we ate out for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  The only small saving grace is that we were walking everywhere.  Eating out is the almighty culprit to unhealthy eating – the only thing that gets slimmer eating out that much is your wallet.  We haven’t much cared or worried about how much we’ve been eating out because…well, we’re like two newlyweds on an everlasting honeymoon in the French Quarter.  We’ve been fully embracing and loving our lives in the Quarter. (Thankfully neither of us are drinkers – those extra calories would certainly have done me in much sooner)

Since before adolescence, I’ve been running and working out pretty intensely but with the injuries that I have, the only way to actually heal has been to take 100% time off from all exercising.  Depressing. Not working out has been demoralizing and depressing. I am, like many people (particularly women) an emotional eater. With depression came the chocolate cravings.

I know firsthand that you can both easily lose and gain weight in New Orleans. Like any other place in the world, it boils down to will power, saying “No” and making healthy decisions.  I’ll admit the temptations are much greater and at times the healthy alternatives are more difficult to find but where there’s a will there’s a way.

My goal is to lose 20 pounds in 2010.  I’ll log in my progress, challenges, observations, advice and recommendations as I go about losing the weight.