TAKING CARE
By Leslie Girmscheid
September 2011
The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age.
--Lucille Ball
WEIGHT MANAGEMENT SECRETS:
CHANGING HABITS
Many of you know how much I like to talk food, grow food, cook food and best
of all, eat food. Yet how do I keep my weight down, many of you ask? I should come up
with a gimmick, write my book, make my millions and retire. But I like what I do, so I
will share my “secrets”, and keep on working. Many of these ideas are simple, but not
necessarily easy to accomplish.
The first premise is to change habits, and the second is to make different choices.
Just changing the habits alone can sometimes “tip the scales in your favor.” Basically,
eating 3500 extra calories adds up to a pound and one loses weight by either consuming
less than you need in a day or burning more.
1. GET ENOUGH SLEEP. I would venture that lack of sleep is the basis of much
of what ails this country, kids and adults alike, but that is another topic. Having
experienced extreme fatigue during my residency and after having babies, I can
tell you that I ate to stay awake or to give me a little bit more energy during the
day. If you are tired, go to bed. Give up late night TV, or if you cannot live
without a show, record it.
2. DRINK ENOUGH WATER (6 to 8-8oz. glasses a day) or other low sugar, low
caffeine beverages. Many people drink high calorie fluids when they are thirsty
because they don’t like water. I think that the body learns to send a hunger signal
to those who ignore a thirst signal and consistently don’t drink enough. Keep a
water glass or bottle at your desk and you will drink it because it is there (and you
will get more exercise running to the restroom!)
3. FOCUS on what you are eating. First off, are you really hungry? DO NOT eat in
front of the TV, while reading, driving, talking on the phone or working at the
computer. You will eat more, enjoy it less, and probably get gas from eating too
fast.
4. EAT MORE SLOWLY. Again, you will enjoy it more, and have a lot less
bloating. People that eat slowly often consume less food. (I have found that
Americans are trained from youth to eat quickly as students only have 30 minutes
or less to obtain and eat their lunch. Now it is the same for workers. Who gets
an hour for lunch anymore?)
5. DON’T BUY JUNK FOODS AT YOUR REGULAR GROCERY TRIP. If you
really must have a snack food, make a special trip (? walk or bike there?) or make
it yourself.
6. BRING YOUR LUNCH. Most of you don’t get time for lunch and bring what
the cafeteria or snack machine has to offer back to your desk. Most likely this
meal will be of larger than normal portions and/or be of high caloric content.
Instead, put your dinner leftovers into those take-away plastic containers with
nice lids for lunch at work the next day. After packing your lunch, put your car
keys in the fridge next to the bag or on a hook on the fridge so you don’t forget it.
If you don’t have time to heat something or wish to avoid the “ubiquitous wrap
sandwich” at the lunchtime meeting, bring some fruit, cheese sticks, yogurt cups
or yogurt smoothies to stash in the community fridge. Hide them in a paper bag
with your name though, because they will disappear.
7. NO EATING AFTER SUPPER. If I just stick to this one, I actually start to lose
weight after a few weeks, especially if I skip desserts.
8. DON’T SKIP MEALS. But you can substitute a yogurt or a bowl of soup or
cereal for one of them, preferably supper. Having something high in protein for
breakfast is best and may curb your appetite later. Hard boiled eggs (still in the
shell) keep well in the fridge and are a great way to start the day even if you don’t
eat the yolk due to cholesterol concerns.
9. CHANGE YOUR SUPPER MEAL PLAN. There is no rule that states that
supper is meat, starch, veggie, bread. Substitute the starch or bread with another
vegetable. Eat seconds of the veggies, not the meat or starch if you are still
hungry. Try a stew, stir fry or casserole with less meat and more veggies as the
main dish. This is much easier in the summer when fresh vegetables are more
accessible.
10. NO SUPERSIZING. Buy what you need, not more because it is a better deal.
11. USE SMALLER PLATES for your meals. It will seem like more food. Eat your
cereal out of a smaller bowl.
12. If the food is served on the table, it is tempting to take seconds, so SERVE
FOOD IN THE KITCHEN rather than family style or serve buffet style from the
kitchen.
13. READ ALL FOOD LABELS and not just the side of the cereal box in the
morning. Note the serving size and number of servings provided as well as the
caloric content. See what types of fats are present and how much sugar is in the
foods. If you avoid overprocessed “foods” with ingredients that are sweeteners
other than sugar, thickeners, stabilizers, colouring agents, and preservatives, you
may loose weight on that choice alone.
14. “MERCHANDISE” YOUR FRIDGE. Have fruit or cut veggies and other
healthy foods in plain view in your fridge and on your counters. I find that
produce kept in the crisper drawer is often forgotten so try placing the
fruit/veggies in a brightly coloured bowl with a clear cover on a visible shelf.
15. NO FOOD AT YOUR DESK. Do not have a candy dish on your desk or snacks
in your desk drawers. Try to avoid eating meals at your desk. Preferably, the
only consumable allowed on your desk should be a low calorie beverage.
OFFICE NOTES:
**** GIFT CERTIFICATES are available. They are perfect for holidays, birthdays,
anniversaries, and as a thank-you for a job well done.
****REFERRAL CREDIT Many of you have asked if it’s OK to give my name out
to friends, relatives, co-workers, and your doctors, chiropractors, PTs, and sports
trainers. The answer is definitely yes. The majority of my business is by word of
mouth, and you are my greatest supporters. In fact, you earn $10 off a 1 hour massage for
yourself for each referral who books an app’t.
****We are entering the cold and flu season so I would like to remind you to call (or
email) me ASAP if you have any questions regarding symptoms and to discuss
whether you need to be rescheduled. If you wake up ill, please call (after 7:30 a.m.)
or email me as early as you can. I do not charge the cancellation fee if you are ill.
LAUGH OF THE MONTH
George Carlin Strikes Again...
There are three religious truths:
1. Jews do not recognize Jesus as the Messiah.
2. Protestants do not recognize the Pope as the leader of the Christian faith.
3. Baptists do not recognize each other in the liquor store or at Hooters.
If a pig loses its voice, is it disgruntled?
Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?
Why are a wise man and a wise guy opposites?
"I am" is reportedly the shortest sentence in the English language. Could it be
that "I do" is the longest sentence?
If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, doesn't it follow that
electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted, cowboys deranged, models
deposed, tree surgeons debarked, and dry cleaners depressed?
If Fed Ex and UPS were to merge, would they call it Fed UP?
Do Lipton Tea employees take coffee breaks?
What hair color do they put on the driver's licenses of bald men?
I was thinking about how people seem to read the Bible a whole lot more as they
get older; then it dawned on me... they're cramming for their final exam.
You never really learn to swear until you learn to drive. (Especially in
Boston!)
CONTEMPLATION:
The Trouble Tree
Author Unknown
The carpenter I hired to help me restore an old farmhouse had just finished a rough first
day on the job. A flat tire made him lose an hour of work, his electric saw quit, and now
his ancient pickup truck refused to start. While I drove him home, he sat in stony silence.
On arriving, he invited me in to meet his family. As we walked toward the front door, he
paused briefly at a small tree, touching the tips of the branches with both hands. When
opening the door he underwent an amazing transformation. His tanned face was wreathed
in smiles and he hugged his two small children and gave his wife a kiss.
Afterward he walked me to the car. We passed the tree and my curiosity got the better of
me. I asked him about what I had seen him do earlier.
"Oh, that's my trouble tree," he replied." I know I can't help having troubles on the job,
but one thing's for sure, troubles don't belong in the house with my wife and the children.
So I just hang them on the tree every night when I come home. Then in the morning I
pick them up again."
He paused. "Funny thing is," he smiled, "when I come out in the morning to pick 'em up,
there ain't nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night before."
Take care!
Leslie
Leslie Girmscheid, MD, NCTMB
Licensed Muscular Therapist
3 Apple Tree Lane
Cape Elizabeth, ME 04107
207-272-6027
www.takingcarewellness.com
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