10 Lbs. Down - Day 1

Registered dietitian and trainer Tara Wind of Life Time Fitness in Cary will help cheer us on and guide us toward better health and diet. I asked her to comment on the bullet points of our Ten Pounds Down plan.

For someone active trying to lose weight monitor and measure out portions of starch (breads, rice, pasta, potatoes, peas, corn) and proteins (meats). For starches at breakfast, lunch and dinner try to limit yourself to 1 - 1.5 cups cooked. For proteins at lunch and dinner try to limit yourself to 4-6 ounces of a lean cut.

Great idea - easy easy way to cut a bunch of those calories and fat! Try sauteing in 1 tbsp olive oil and finish baking it off in the oven.

Just by keeping a food journal people automatically change their eating habits for the better. Accountability is a huge factor in weight loss - whether it is you holding yourself accountable or someone else (like me) holding you accountable. Journals also help to highlight patterns of erratic eating, missing meals or eating the wrong combination of foods all which can lead to sticking your hands in the candy bowl later on.

Weight loss is so much more effective and lasting if done with a combination of nutrition and exercise. Aim for 5 days per week of exercise but be active in your daily life as well - those little calories from walking up stairs and parking far away can really add up! Also weight lifting doesn't have to include weights - strength training may be a better word :)

Don't drink soda! If you are drinking fruit juice limit yourself to 6 ounces daily.

Don't have a diet that is all tan. Have color every meal and snack. Start with having fruit at breakfast, mid am and mid pm snacks. Have 2-3 cups of vegetables at lunch and dinner.

6 ounces a week - lean cuts ending in loin, or 90% lean ground beef. Red meat contains good things too - zinc, B vitamins, iron, protein.

Anything that comes in a box or the frozen aisle is going to have more salt, fat, calories that it's made at home counterpart. Cooking does not have to be fancy or hard! I love Cooking Light - it inspired me to make cooking my hobby (which my husband to be is of course happy about haha)

Have one per day - about 3 cups worth of greens with a drizzle of olive oil and vinegar. Experiment with salads - my current favorite green is "Herb Mixed Salad" - spinach, baby lettuces, arugula, cilantro, dill and parsley.

Same time every day and same day or days every week.

Tomorrow, Tara Wind will offer healthy lunch ideas, offer advice to diabetics, tell us what we should eat after working out and educate us on the value of strength training.  Let me know what you think so far.