1. Weigh Less for Life: 21 Key Strategies for Lasting Weight Loss
Weight control is of monumental importance to your overall health and functionality. Aside from not
smoking, weight control is the most powerful tool you have to increase your chances of a long, active,
and productive life.
Take advantage of the simple strategies that follow to lose weight for good and feel great for life.
* Please note- This red star indicates strategies that Dr. Ann feels are ESSENTIAL for
sustainable weight loss and weight control.
1. Avoid the “Great White Hazards”*
• White flour products, white rice, white potatoes, sugars/sweets
• These “high glycemic load” carbs give rise to rapid and large elevations of blood sugar
(glucose) and insulin that drive appetite and promote fat storage. (In addition to a host of
additional adverse cardiometabolic effects!)
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2. Fill up on Fiber*
• Dietary fiber is the “secret weapon” for weight and appetite control.
• Fiber’s numerous slimming features include:
o Filling you up with appetite-quieting “volume” for zero calories
o Speeding up and augmenting the release of appetite-quieting hormones from the GI-tract
o Slowing down and impeding the flux of glucose from the GI track into the blood
stream (lowering the glycemic response from carbs)
o Feeding the “good” bacteria in the gut
o Aim for at least 25-30 grams of fiber daily – more is even better. To achieve success
eat more beans, whole fruits, vegetables, and intact, unadulterated whole grains.
3. Pump Up the Volume*
• Eat an abundance of high-volume, low-calorie foods, namely, fruits and non-starchy
vegetables.
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2. • When it comes to satisfying the human appetite, volume trumps calories. Meaning our bodies
desire a given volume of food first and foremost over a certain number of calories.
• Because of their high content of zero calorie fiber and water that “bulks” them up, fruits and
veggies will fill you up without filling you out. In fact, the more fruits and vegetables you eat,
the more successful your weight control will be.
• Strive for 4 cups total or more daily.
4. Give Your Plate Your Full Attention
• Cultivating mindfulness during mealtimes and eating may be one of the most under-recognized
and under-utilized ways to help us eat less. Practicing mindfulness during your
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eating will:
o Help you eat less now and later.
o Enhance the pleasure of eating
o Safeguard against emotional eating
o Reduce stress
• For best results:
o Reserve eating just for eating.
o Before eating, recall in your mind’s eye the foods eaten at the previous snack or
meal.
o Remain purposely aware and “present” throughout every eating episode.
o During eating, pay attention with all of your senses.
5. Restrict Your Intake of Fructose*
• The simple sugar fructose is uniquely fattening and found in all sweet foods and beverages. It
drives fat storage in the body and does not seem to quiet the appetite like other forms of
calories.
• To add insult to injury, consuming fructose-rich foods promotes insulin resistance (the final
common pathway to obesity) and the development of many cardiometabolic conditions
including: metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, high triglycerides, high blood pressure, and
fatty liver disease.
• For best results:
o Strictly avoid all sugary beverages
o Limit dessert foods/sweets
o Avoid sugary cereals
o Beware of processed foods notoriously high in fructose – fat-free salad dressings,
flavored yogurts, etc.
3. 6. Indulge in Dark Chocolate
• A prudent portion of high quality dark chocolate is truly a healthy indulgence that fits in
beautifully with weight control. Make dark chocolate your sweet treat of choice.
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• For best results:
o Choose at least 70% cacao dark chocolate.
o Limit your intake to up to 2 squares from a large dark chocolate bar daily. (This
prudent portion has less than ½ teaspoon of sugar and is plenty satisfying!))
7. Keep Meals and Snacks Flavor-Simple
• The greater the variety of flavors in a food or meal, the more we want to eat.
• For best results:
o Eat whole, real, nature-made foods: fruits, veggies, beans, lean proteins, nuts, low-fat
dairy foods and whole grains.
o Minimize/avoid processed, “factory-made” foods. The longer a food’s ingredients list,
the more permissible it will be for stimulating appetite.
8. Dump All Sugary Beverages*
• On the dietary front, consuming sugary beverages is the fastest direct route to weight gain
and poor health.
• Strictly avoid all sugary beverages – soda, fruit drinks, fruit juice, sweet tea, energy drinks,
dessert coffee beverages etc.
9. Dig the Power of Protein*
• Protein is Mother Nature’s diet pill – providing longer lasting and superior appetite control
than the same amount of calories from fats or carbohydrates.
• Consuming ample amounts of protein also helps safeguard against the loss of muscle mass
which typically occurs during periods of significant weight loss.
• For best results:
o Strive for at least 15 grams of protein at meal time. (25-30 grams is best, especially
for men.)
o Choose a healthy protein or proteins in any combination: fish, shellfish, skinless
poultry, peanut or other nut butters, seeds, whole soy foods, low-fat or skim dairy
products, omega-3 eggs, and beans.
o Be especially attentive in getting a nice dose of protein at breakfast.
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10. Never Skip Breakfast
• Eating breakfast regularly aids in weight control via several separate mechanisms.
• For best results, include some lean protein (see list above) along with fiber-rich carbohydrates
(fruits, veggies, whole grains, beans).
• Check out my Eat Right for Life Cookbook Companion for loads of healthy and tasty breakfast
meal plans and recipes that fit the bill.
11. Don’t Go Crazy – Go Nuts!
• Nuts are a standout food for good health and for weight control.
• Studies consistently show that people who include nuts regularly in their diets have greater
success with body weight.
• For best results include a moderate handful (about 1 ounce) of any variety of nuts in your diet
each day.
12. Get Your Beauty Rest*
• Getting optimal sleep is essential for weight control. (And most people do not know this!)
• Inadequate sleep will sabotage weight loss and weight control via several mechanisms
including:
o Revving up appetite
o Promoting insulin resistance
o Reducing self-control
o Lowering motivation and energy to exercise.
• Strive for 7 hours of quality sleep a night (some people need up to 8).
13. Downsize Your Dinnerware
• The smaller our plates, bowls, and eating utensils, the less we serve ourselves and the less we
eat.
• Transition to eating off of smaller dishes and using smaller utensils as a way to build in
automatic portion control.
o Use a salad plate for your dinner plate, a dessert bowl in place of your regular bowl,
and a teaspoon in place of a regular spoon.
14. Make Room for Exercise*
• If you want to achieve lasting weight loss and/or weight control – regular physical activity is
SIMPLY NON-NEGOTIABLE.
5. • The human body must be moved to some degree most every day for the all-important
metabolic hormone, insulin, to work properly. If your insulin doesn’t function – you are
virtually guaranteed to accumulate excess body fat.
• On a much more positive note , regular physical activity/exercise facilitates weight control
through many different ways including:
o Burning calories, particularly from belly fat
o Increasing lean body (muscle) mass - thus boosting metabolism
o Increasing insulin sensitivity
o Increasing fat burning
o Reducing stress
o Improving appetite control
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15. Find Strength in Salad
• Developing the habit of eating salads regularly is one of the easiest and tastiest routes to
superior health and weight control.
• Salads, especially if they are “dressed” correctly, can improve appetite control through 5
separate mechanisms.
• Strive to eat at least one salad daily. Entrée salads are awesome, but even a side salad is
fantastic.
• For optimal appetite control, eat your side salad as an appetizer prior to the main meal.
• Choose an olive oil-based vinaigrette as your preferred dressing, and get into the habit of
making your own. I have lots of free vinaigrette recipes on my website at
www.DrAnnWellness.com
16. Always Pre-Plate Your Meal
• If we can view all of our food before we begin to eat - and during the eating process, we tend
to eat less.
• Pre-plate all of your food prior to eating including meals, snacks, and desserts.
• NEVER eat directly out of a box, package, or container – this is known to be high risk for over-eating.
17. Drink Your Vegetables
• In contrast to sugary beverages, drinking vegetable juice can be helpful for weight control and
for obtaining some key nutrients.
• Studies indicate that drinking a large glass of vegetable/tomato juice prior to a meal helps to
reduce appetite.
• For best results drink 6-8 ounces of low-sodium vegetable or tomato juice just prior to a meal.
Avoid vegetable juice blends like V8 Fusion as they are filled with sugar.
6. 18. Beware of Highly-Palatable Foods*
• Highly-palatable foods (those high in sugar and/or fat) promote food addiction and hijack the
body’s normal appetite-regulating systems.
• More simply stated – the more you eat highly-palatable foods, the more you want them and
the more difficult it becomes to stop eating them and to resist eating them.
• For best results, restrict or strictly avoid high risk ultra-palatable foods. The worst offenders
include: ice cream, milkshakes, pastries, cakes, cookies, donuts, and other sweets, along with
traditional fast foods like burgers, fries, pizza, etc.
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19. Take Smaller Bites
• Taking smaller bites can improve appetite suppression by providing greater oral exposure to
the food in a meal or snack. This enhances “oro-sensory” satiety.
• Smaller bites also prolong eating, which offers more time for appetite-quieting hormones to
do their thing.
20. Keep it Simple
• The greater the variety or selection of food choices we have, the more we tend to order or
serve ourselves, and ultimately the more we eat.
• To reduce your exposure to food variety:
o Limit dining out (and if it is the only option – check out my Eat Right for Life: On the
Go book for excellent guidance)
o Avoid buffet lines
o Prepare and eat home-based meals ( My Eat Right for Life Cookbook Companion
book has loads of healthy and tasty menus and recipes)
o Of course, exposure to a variety of healthy foods like fruits and veggies is highly
recommended.
21. Slow Down and Enjoy!
• The faster we eat the more food we consume.
• It takes a full 20 minutes after the start of eating for the appetite-quieting hormones released
from the gut to reach the brain’s hunger center.
• For best results, spend at least 20 minutes eating each meal and NEVER go back for second
helpings before 20 minutes from your first bite.