Healthy Food Chart

In many places school is back in session. As a former teacher I would make resolutions two times a year – and one of them was back to school time. I would resolve to eat better and exercise even thought my schedule would be more hectic than the relaxing summer. If you are heading back to work as a teacher, or sending your children back to school, this is a great time to review your weight loss goals and set new, or different, ones.

Here are some back to school weight loss tips:

Plan out your exercise – with a busier schedule you may be more likely to let exercise go by the wayside. Write it in your planner or set work-out dates with friends or family so you know someone is counting on you. As much as I used to hate my alarm going off at 5:30 am I found that morning workouts were the best during the school year – I had a better day because of it and at 4:30pm when I got home I knew my workout was done and being tired would not be an excuse to skip it.

Eat breakfast – you may not have the leisure time of making breakfast, but there are so many great grab-and-go things to take to eat in the morning. Try a hard boiled egg, yogurt and dry cereal, or peanut butter on whole grain bread. Remember that fruit is portable and can be a great way to start your morning. If you have a place to get hot water at work keeping instant oatmeal in your desk is a great way to have breakfast once you get to work – just get the plain flavor and add your own fruit.

Pack lunch – don't count on cafeteria food being weight loss friendly and heading out to the local deli or pizza shop can also derail your diet. While you are making dinner also make your lunch for the following day so you always have it ready to go. Don't forget you can make extra of your dinner so you have leftovers for lunch.

Plan your snacks – keep healthy snacks handy. Fresh fruit, whole grain cracker and cheese, yogurt, or trail mix can be great snacks to have at that 3 o'clock hour when hunger strikes. If you know that when you get home you are starving and will eat everything in sight have some nuts, a granola bar, or even half a sandwich before you drive home to suppress your hunger until dinner time.

How do you keep yourself on track when your work schedule changes?