TOPS News for July 11, 2013

Six TOPS and two KOPS attended the July 11 meeting of Imperial TOPS NE0267. The best loser of the week was Donna.

The Yes-Yes for the coming week is to drink 6 to 8 cups of water each day; the No-No is desserts containing sugar.

Judy presented a program on the Myth of Will Power. Relying on your own will power to control your eating just invites failure.

Some of her suggestions were:

1. Ask for help from friends or family: they’re then less likely to entice you to eat.
2. Eat a protein snack at home before going to a gathering where you might be tempted.
3. If it’s appropriate, take your own nutritious food to gatherings.
4. Never skip breakfast. A breakfast consisting of protein and fiber is more filling and burns more calories as it digests.
5. Eat more fiber and protein. Fiber intake helps keep your blood sugar and insulin level.
6. Drink plenty of water.
7. Eat food containing Vitamin C.
8. Fix smoothies, which not only have liquid, but plenty of air, which makes you feel fuller. Try smoothies with low-fat milk or yogurt. Add ice for even more volume.
9. Repeat your meals: too much variety makes us want to overeat.
10. Eat foods that contain a lot of water.
11. Eat almonds – in moderation. They’re filling, and they help your body produce serotonin. According to an article in Medical News Today,

    Serotonin plays an important part in the regulation of learning, mood, sleep and vasoconstriction (constriction of blood vessels). Experts say serotonin also might have a role in anxiety, migraine, vomiting and appetite.

12. In case you’re snacking for reasons other than hunger, wait 20 minutes before you eat something.
13. Drink green tea, which is also good cold.
14. Eat hot peppers.
15. Pinpoint your “sin” foods and make substitutions with lower calorie varieties, e.g. frozen Greek yogurt instead of ice cream or lower-calorie rice cakes instead of potato chips.
16. Get plenty of sleep (if you snooze, you lose).

Next week’s program: Barb will give the program on July 18th and Cheryl on the 25th, on Functional Fitness.

TOPS Club meets from 9 to 10 a.m. at the Imperial Community Center, with weigh-ins beginning at 8:30. For more information about TOPS, phone Cheryl at 883-0265, go to www.tops.org. The first meeting is free.