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Finally Thin!
By Mary Kearl
The seemingly ultimate yo-yo dieter, Kim Bensen, author of "Finally Thin!" went from size 6X to size 6, dropped 212 pounds, four ring sizes and 200 points of cholesterol. Now she's been at her goal weight for five years and is ready to reveal her top tips for losing weight and adopting a healthful lifestyle, without straying. Plus, here's her advice for how to get back on the weight-loss wagon if you happen to fall off.
www.kimbensen.com
1. Find a Diet That Fits Who You Are
"There's not any one diet that's perfect for any one. Pick a healthy diet," and stick to it, says Bensen. "Trying to cut back on your intake -- that's awesome, but for most people who are really struggling with their weight, a structured program is important."
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2. Get Rid of All Your Red-Light Foods
"When I was 350 lbs. -- you need to eat a lot of calories to sustain that -- bakery items were really a big red-light food for me. You have to get them out of the house. Give them away if you can. Or throw them away. I have this saying, 'waste or waist,' because if you don't get rid of them, they'll go to your waist," Bensen says.
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3. Fill Up on Green-Light Foods
Replace the red-light foods with good things like fruits and vegetables -- but pick ones you love. "Take a diet and weave it into every facet of your life in every way so it becomes a part of your lifestyle -- the most wonderful lifestyle," Bensen encourages. "A salad to me is one of the most wonderful things in the world. I would rather have a dressing that isn't free that I have to save for."
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4. Plan Ahead
"Every morning, I would write in a journal as if I had already eaten. I do Weight Watchers, so I wrote down the foods I planned on eating and the corresponding points. Not only was I writing it down and keeping track, but I was mapping out how to follow it for the rest of the day," Bensen says.
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5. Gather Your Support
"People aren't mind readers. They aren't going to know that you need their help," says Bensen. Whether it's co-workers or friends -- reach out and tell them if you're struggling, and they'll be willing to help you by working your diet into your social outings. Some people may benefit from scheduled online or in-person support group or one-on-one support meetings, she adds.
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6. Know Before You Go
"Drive-thrus and restaurants have become a substitute for the kitchen table. Don't think you can't diet at the drive-thru, but you really have to know how to do it," says Bensen. "Speak up and ask about menu items," or look up the information online before you go, so you can order something that fits your diet.
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7. The Lesson of the Veggie Burger
"I was going to Ruby Tuesday's and I usually get the salad bar, but I wanted to have some protein, so I went for the veggie burger. When I got home I looked it up, and it was around 900 calories. I could have had four petite sirloin steaks for that one veggie burger. I wanted that petite sirloin but I thought I was being good." So the moral is: Look up nutrition information beforehand, and if all else fails, "go for the natural form of ingredients. Choose chicken, steak or baked potato without extra ingredients, because if you're getting something with mixed ingredients, you have no idea what's in that." And that could add up to unexpected fat and calories, which "can just mentally blow your diet, even if calorie-wise it hasn't blown your diet."
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8. No Such Thing as "Free" Foods
"You have to remember that no food is completely free. Every food has calories," Bensen says. Eating too much salad is still eating too much. "Spray butter is a really great example -- even though it's labeled calorie-free, per bottle it can range between 700 calories and 70 fat grams and 900 calories and 90 fat grams. It's a great alternative, but don't use a bottle a day!"
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9. Learn to Get Back On
"There's no straight line from A-to-Z with weight loss," Bensen says. She say people always ask her how she stayed motivated for two "whole" years while she was losing the weight. Her reply? "I've been at 'goal' for five years, so I've had to do this for seven years, but I'll do this for the rest of my life. I honestly never get off my diet." But that doesn't mean she doesn't slip up. Here are her five steps to follow if you've gotten sloppy in dieting, or if you want to recover from a huge binge.
1.Stop and clean the house again. Get out the red-lights and get in the green-light foods.
2.Get back to planning. Get out your journal. Get out old ones -- don't throw them away. They're menu plans that you have already shown can work for you.
3.Don't expect to come home and leave your meal to chance.
4.Ask for help -- you have a support group ready to help you from slipping up again.
5.Like the Nike commercial, you've got to just do it. You do get re-motivated. Cheer small successes: "I did it! I did it!"
You've got to take these steps continually when you get off track in life.
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Bellweatherrock 09:39:52 PM Feb 01 2009
I don't care what diet you are on you need to exercise - its just the way it works - A few things that are not mentioned are how to stay motivated and being accountable. Here are a few things I would like to add - Set a goal - Get support - Schedule your day around your workout â try to train at the same time each day - Keep a fitness workout and nutrition journal - Plan and follow proper nutrition and supplementation - Monitor progress with before and after pictures - Make a no excuse pact with yourself and never ever give up - Have the proper equipment - Get proper rest - Reward yourself - Pick and chose what will work for you. If you want a great place to get most of the above check out http://www.freeonlinegym.com
Mamanuke 08:37:10 PM Jan 22 2009
The best way I have found to get thin and stay thin is to eliminate rice, bread, potatoes and sugar and anything that contains sugar or flour from your diet, including fruit and cereals. Eat a small snack(a hand full) of nuts if you get hungry. Allow only one failure per week. It's either the french fries or slice of pie or a hamburger bun but never all of them or two of them. When you get your portions of meat and veggies reduced(eating on a salad plate) you can then add small amounts of the failure items but never make them a daily part of your diet. Drink as much water as possible. It makes your skin clear and makes it glow. Remember the more you eat the more you'll want to eat. Eat less, shrink the stomach.
Sakred1 08:23:42 PM Jan 19 2009
Type your own coPCMR's (Portion Controlled Meal Replacements) are a great way to get yourself on track and motivated to continue on your weight loss Journey. My household uses these everyday. My mother lost 42lbs in 4 months , Dad 15 in 3 weeks, brother 20 in 1 month , husband 15 in 4 weeks. We are true believers in this. The Best safe, healthy and accepted in the Medical Field as the leading program to fight obesity.For more information check out www.simple2.tsfl.commment here
Sakred1 08:23:18 PM Jan 19 2009
PCMR's (Portion Controlled Meal Replacements) are a great way to get yourself on track and motivated to continue on your weight loss Journey. My household uses these everyday. My mother lost 42lbs in 4 months , Dad 15 in 3 weeks, brother 20 in 1 month , husband 15 in 4 weeks. We are true believers in this. The Best safe, healthy and accepted in the Medical Field as the leading program to fight obesity.For more information check out www.simple2.tsfl.com
DameDePantoufle 07:48:01 PM Jan 19 2009
I do low carb myself. Sugar and flour/bread products just do NOT agree with me, and even when I do low cal or low fat, my body is miserable, I'm miserable, and my body just doesn't let go of fat. Some people need LC diets because of medical issues. That said, I have never eaten so many veggies in my whole life! I have at least one salad a day and at least 3 to 4 other servings of veggies. Can't get over how fresh they are! I lost 10 pounds last month and have a goal to lose 30-35 more, depending on where my body is. I exercise daily, and I haven't once had a craving for any 'red light' foods. I do allow myself smaller treats every two to three weeks, any more often and I'd just binge. Anyway. I hope we all succeed with our plans!
Vtrimmer 07:24:11 PM Jan 19 2009
I'm on Vtrim and I love it. It isn't a diet it's a weight behavioral management program. I can eat what I want, I just have to be careful about portion control and my triggers for eating. And the program is online...it's great! Anyone who is interested should check it out at www.uvm.edu/vtrim. It's 24 weeks and the research says you lose on average 1-2 pounds per week! And you keep it off.
Mg0758 06:48:56 PM Jan 19 2009
I lost 60 pounds but my neck skin never snapped back, so now I have a gobble neck. How did she do it and get rid of her neck? Maybe it's age (I'm 49).
Thecoachtp 06:30:32 PM Jan 19 2009
i agrree with Maggijolle - gym models are flawed - i lost 20 lbs in 4 months at home with bands and the other cool tools at - www.freeonlinegym.com
sydnlrx 04:15:23 PM Jan 19 2009
A HUGE factor for me in losing weight was starting by getting rid of all the sodas and limited myself to one or two a week (Fresca). Secondly try to think about how many processed foods (prepackaged) you buy and eat. They need to go. By cutting your salt intake in half- you will see a great loss of water weight. And vow never to go back to eating Hamburger helper or boxed mac and cheese again, or no more than twice a month. and.....when you are thirsty, try decaf tea or water (I put lemon in my ice water from the tap). Both are great with so many different tea flavors out now. Eat as much from scratch foods as possible even if it means buying a new cookbook. You deserve it.
Maggijolley 04:13:58 PM Jan 19 2009
First of all read the label of everything you want to buy. If in the first 5 ingredients you see any kind of "enriched" (flour, wheat, etc), High fructose corn syrup (yes what you have heard is true ITS BAD STUFF), Sugar, ANY partially hydrogenated oils or hydrogenated oils DONT buy it! I watched a show on Discovery called "You on a Diet" and it opened my eyes! Don't waste your money paying for a gym membership, as they said on the show you can use your own body weight for resistence training. If you haven't seen the show or bought the book "You on a Diet" you should at least go browse through it at a book store. I have lost 140 lbs over the last year and plan on getting rid of the last 60 lbs this year to hit my ideal weight. I still drink way to much soda, but I'm cutting back on that too (I use to drink a case of soda per day by myself, now I make a case last me a week; which is a HUGE improvement). DONT do these dumb fad diets they dont work and so many are unhealthy! Atkins is one
