- Skipping meals. Especially breakfast. Studies show that people who eat a balanced, complete breakfast eat fewer and better-quality calories throughout the day. Not only can it provide a psychological boost to anyone trying to lose weight, you'll be less inclined to mess up your pound-shedding efforts later. Eating a given number of calories earlier in the day tends to be more satiating than eating the same number later in the day.
- Cutting carbs. At least not the favorable carbohydrates such as whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. While cutting out highly refined, "white" foods is healthy, long-term losers tend to eat balanced meals complete with wholesome carbohydrates in appropriate quantities. Sure, you can lose water weight quickly by cutting out all carbohydrates, but there's a much greater chance of gaining it back even more quickly. Favorable carbs also provide a steady stream of energy, fueling your body efficiently so you can exercise and do heavy brainwork all day long. So cut back to appropriate portion sizes, not out.
- Losing perspective. Keep yourself focused by establishing short, medium, and long-range goals. And write them down—before you forget how you planned to measure your weight loss successes; otherwise, you may not recognize or remember how far you've come!
- Not keeping a food journal. Writing down what you eat will make you more aware of the choices you make. Note your feelings about your food, how much you've eaten, and how much liquid you've had to drink. Looking back over your journal may help you gain insight into your habits.
- Isolating yourself. Remember that old axiom "birds of a feather flock together"? Reach out for social support since numerous studies show people who share their diet goals with others not only lose weight faster but keep it off longer.
- Depriving yourself of everything you enjoy. Deprivation can be deadly to a diet. Doing so will only make it more enticing, and you'll be more likely to eat in excess when you give into temptation. Allow yourself occasional treats and compensate for the calories through exercise or more scrupulous efforts the following day.
- Not listening to your body's signals of hunger and satiety. Your appetite is your friend and worth paying attention to. Think of food as the fuel filling your body's energy tank—healthy choices are the fuel that makes your body operate efficiently and intelligently.
- Not eating with awareness. Focus on your meal! If you sit down to eat with a lot of distractions, like TV, it may result in unconscious eating and overeating. Create a peaceful atmosphere for your meal—try eating at a table with soothing music—it aids your digestion.
- Using food to fill the emptiness in your heart and soul. This concept takes practice, as you may have been taught at an early age to associate comfort with food. As a result, you may seek food for its soothing, rather than nutritional, properties. It takes conscious thought, but feed your hunger with food and your soul with your life's passions.
- Not rewarding yourself. Make a list of non-food rewards and when you've reached each short-term, realistic health or weight goal, pick a prize from your list such as a spa day or a new pair of shoes.
Dedicated to a healthier body and mind, nutrition-and-wellness coach, educator, and culinary expert Jackie Keller is the founding director of NutriFit, LLC, author of Body After Baby, A Simple, Healthy Plan to Lose Your Baby Weight Fast (Avery/Penguin Group, May 2007), and Cooking, Eating & Living Well, a cookbook and guide to nutrition-related lifestyle changes.
In 1987, Jackie Keller and her partner, husband Phil Yaney, formed NutriFit to help people achieve their health needs. Beyond the fresh, delicious, and nutritious delights that are delivered to hundreds of clients, NutriFit also delivers an exceptional level of service and takes a holistic approach to each client and his or her needs. Keller offers customized strategies designed specifically with the client's well-being and personal goals in mind.
With well over 2,000 NutriFit recipes, "We are far from your standard catering company," says Keller. "Ours is a comprehensive approach to understanding the needs of each client—taking into account his or her health objectives, nutritional needs, allergies, likes and dislikes, exercise regimen, and family history of disease."
Keller, whose father passed away from a heart attack when she was a teenager, has made it her mission to help people live longer and healthier lives. "I have a personal commitment to help people circumvent heart disease and other chronic ailments," she explains. "It drives almost everything I do."
NutriFit has provided meal services to numerous celebrities including Barbra Streisand, Uma Thurman, Angelina Jolie, Reese Witherspoon, Charlize Theron, Angelica Huston, Will Ferrell, Jack Black, Penelope Cruz, Susan Sarandon, Val Kilmer, Tia Carrere, Billy Bob Thornton, Jake Gyllenhaal, Topher Grace, and fitness-guru Kathy Smith. In addition, Keller has conducted over 1,500 health education classes at hundreds of locations nationwide, including Sony Pictures, Northrop Grumman, Boeing, Neutrogena, Union Bank, Xerox Corporation, and Kaiser Permanente.
Keller has appeared as a nutrition expert and wellness coach on the Today Show, Early Show, Extra, Discovery Health, the History Channel, Fit TV, The Biggest Loser, VH1, E! Entertainment, Access Hollywood, KNBC-TV, KABC-TV, KCBS-TV, FOX 11, KTTV-TV, KCOP-TV, Fine Living Network, and many more, as well as in dozens of print publications. Also, she was the featured nutrition and health expert on NBC's The Other Half, guiding six women through better body challenges.
Keller is a recipient of the Outstanding Person in Cancer Control award from the American Cancer Society and the Branch Chair award from the American Heart Association. She currently serves as Chairperson of the Board of the Valley Wellness Association and is a member of the California Health Promotion Collaborative.
Jackie Keller holds a bachelor of science degree from the University of Southern California, certification in professional fitness instruction from UCLA Extension, and is a licensed wellness coach through Wellcoaches. Keller received her culinary training from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, France, and has extensive experience in the hotel and restaurant industry. Keller is also an authorized provider of certified food-handler training for the county of Los Angeles. Additionally, NutriFit was awarded the California Fit Business Award in both 2004 and 2005. The award recognizes companies for workplace-wellness initiatives.
For more information on Jackie Keller or NutriFit, please contact (800) 341-4190 or (310) 473-1989 (for local calls). Also, visit www.nutrifitonline.com or www.jackiekeller.com. To schedule an interview with Jackie Keller, please contact Harris Shepard Public Relations at (310) 277-0437.
