NYBNY Challenge (closed group)

Today's tip:
November offers a variety of tasty, seasonal produce, giving you the perfect excuse to fill half of your plate with fruits and vegetables, as recommended by the USDA's MyPlate.

Take advantage of these delicious, seasonal vegetables next time you are at your local supermarket:

•Broccoli
•Brussels sprouts
•Cabbage
•Celery
•Kiwi
•Turnips
•Winter squash.

Answers:

1. Set your table for weight loss success! Using smaller dishes to serve food may actually help you to eat less. Try using a salad plate for pasta or a dessert saucer for snacks.
According to the book 50 Ways to Lose Ten Pounds (Publications International, 1994), a study showed that 7 out of 10 people on a weight loss program felt more satisfied with less food when it was served on a salad plate instead of a regular size dinner plate.

2. Exercise raises your metabolism and causes an increased number of calories to be burned even when you're done. That means you can exercise and then sit and watch t.v. and you will be a calorie burning couch potato! Just be sure to work out first; veg out later.
Did you ever see that old weight loss supplement commercial that claimed: "Lose weight while you sleep!"? Well, a pill can't make that happen, but in a way, exercise can. So get moving!

3. Experts agree that watching what you eat and exercising regularly is the best and safest way to lose weight. Exercise is crucial to healthy, permanent weight loss.

4. The fact is you can gain weight by eating too much of anything (Yes, even fruit!). Too many calories in and too few out, and you'll gain weight ... no matter what form the calories came in.

5. If you take your caloric intake down too low, you are actually sending your body into "starvation mode". Your body wants to maintain your weight when it "thinks" you are starving; therefore, your metabolism will actually slow down and you may not lose weight at all.

6. It doesn't really matter when you eat, only how many calories you eat and burn in a day. Whether you're eating in the morning or at midnight your body turns any extra calories into fat. In fact, eating a light snack -- like cheese and crackers -- before bed may help you sleep better.

7. As I'm sure you have learned, eating healthful snacks between meals helps level your blood sugar, keeps your metabolism going strong, and helps to prevent you from overeating at your next meal.

8. There's no time like the present! Lifting weights can actually help your weight loss efforts. Research shows weight-lifting increases muscle mass regardless of your current fitness level; in turn, the muscle increases the rate at which your body burns calories!

9. Technically, there is no way to force weight to come off your stomach (or any other worrisome spots). The good news is cardio exercise is great for peeling off the pounds all over, whether your trouble spot is your tummy or your thighs!

10. This is just an urban legend of sorts. Your muscle will not turn into fat if you stop working out. What will happen -- over time -- if you become inactive is your muscle will atrophy little by little. This is similar to what happens if you are injured and become immobilized for an extended period of time.

How did you do?