|
 Tips:
Recruiting a Support System
Ask your husband and children
not to buy foods that you are
trying to avoid, and/or ask them
to be flexible when eating out
because you may be selecting a
healthier place to eat.
Make them aware that this is not
temporary and that your change
will affect them positively,
especially if you are the one
preparing meals and selecting
the foods that they eat.
If cooperation is not possible.
Set up separate areas for your
foods in the pantry and
refrigerator. You will be
surprised about the interest it
will generate among your family
members.
If you frequently spend time
socializing around meals with
other members of your family,
you can choose to share this
change or simply eat according
to your plan.
Be prepared for the pressure to
eat more. Stick to your plan,
sip water to help you cope, chew
gum, stand up from the table and
help wash dishes, or do
something else.
Avoid confrontations. This is
not up for discussion. Set
boundaries with your loved ones
based on respect.
Write a simple contract for them
to sign with specific things
they will do to respect your
efforts. Post it on the
refrigerator door.
Set a Date
Write down the date when you
intend to start making these
changes and what changes you
will implement first. It is
usually best to set a date on a
day with regular scheduled
activities, such as a work day,
so that you are not dwelling on
the changes. A word of caution,
do not set a date to begin this
after a big celebration,
especially if you had alcohol
the night before and you have
not slept enough. Alcohol is a
depressant and it will affect
your mood until it is out of
your system, and lack of sleep
will throw off your mood and
appetite.
The simplest way to start a
weight loss program is with
snack substitution, controlling
quantity of snacks, and some
form of exercise. Give this
about a month and measure
progress by your lack of
snacking at problem times, or by
your ability to substitute with
healthy snacks in small
quantities, and your increase of
activity in minutes and
consistency of effort. Write
down your progress daily. This
action will help you identify
what needs improvement and what
is working!
When you reach the point of
having an exercise schedule and
are satisfactorily coping and
controlling snacking, set two
more goals around food and
exercise, such as portion
control and an increase in your
exercise time. Give this another
month and measure progress in
time and consistency when it
comes to exercise, and portion
control and diminishing snacking
habits and healthy substitution
as it relates to food.
|
Tips: Healthy Snack Ideas |
|
Aproximate number of
calories |
Healthy snack options |
|
10
calories
25 to
30 calories
60
calories
100
calories
150
calories
200
calories |
-
1
large stalk of celery
-
1
cup of raw vegetables
-
6
medium baby carrots
-
2
cups air-popped or light
popcorn
-
1
cup of cantaloupe or
grapes
-
1
small can of vegetable
juice
-
1
cup sliced banana and
fresh raspberries
-
2
domino-sized slices low
fat Colby
or cheddar cheese
-
1/2 cup frozen, low-fat
yogurt topped
with 1/2 cup blueberries
-
1
cup sliced apples with 1
table
spoon smooth peanut
butter
-
4
slices whole-grain crisp
bread
(a wafer thin cracker)
-
1/4 cup dry roasted soy
nuts
-
1/3 cup granola
-
1
cup low-fat cottage
cheese
topped with 1/2 cup
sliced fresh peaches
|
|
Source: Department of
Agriculture – Nutrient Data
Laboratory, 2005 |
|
|
|
Next, you
can start applying some food
knowledge to your efforts. We
will cover this in the next
issue. Be aware that at any
point during this change, you
may revert to old habits. Don’t
dwell on these episodes, apply
your coping techniques – if they
are not working, try others –
and move on with your progress
toward health.
Tips: Setting a Date
Set reasonable goals. If you
want to succeed, set small goals
at short intervals.
Measure success with exercise in
minutes and consistency.
Measure success with your diet
by the types and quantity of
snacks you are consuming, and
your ability to control portions.
Stay away from the scale, your
body weight can easily fluctuate
3 to 5lbs daily. A better gauge
is how you fit into your clothes.
Use the scale sparingly.
This first step will involve
practice, getting to know your
reaction to the change and
learning how to manage it. This
can easily take 90 days.
A reasonable, healthy weight
lose goal is 1lb or less a week,
if you are exercising
consistently 3 times a week, and
cutting back your snacking and
practicing portion control.
If you are not exercising, the
weight lost will depend on your
food intake and your metabolism.
Don’t rush this process or try
to make multiple changes at a
time, especially if you are
undergoing, or have just
experienced major changes in the
past six months such as marriage,
divorce, a newborn, death of a
loved one, a new relationship,
moving to a new place, job
changes, major surgery.
Make a choice, start with one
change in each area (diet and
exercise), and stay with it
until it is under your control
before moving on to another.
If in the process of
incorporating another change you
notice that you are not doing
well maintaining the previous
one, stop and set up another
date to try again in the near
future.
Take Action
From experience I can tell you
that the process of preparing
your mind for a change is as
important as taking action.
Mostly because the action of
preparing will set your mind in
motion and you will continue to
process the “how” of your course
of action which will sustain you
when things get rough. Spend
some time on this, set up your
stage and get ready to perform!
Look at this process as
preparing for a journey that
will challenge your old habits.
Something like moving to another
country and not speaking the
language well enough to
understand the culture while
maintaining a sense of curiosity
and desire to master your new
environment.
In the next issue we will look
at simple ways to control
portions and make healthier food
choices. We will also consider
the relationship between our
activity level and the amount of
food we should eat to lose
weight. Until then, work on your
vision!
Sources:
1)
Prochaska & DiClemente, 1983;
Pochaska, DiClemente, & Norcross,
1992; Prochaska & Velicer, 1997
2)
Why alcohol calories are more
important than you think… The
Facts About Fitness.
www.thefactsaboutfitness.com
3)
Colette
Bouchez (February 4, 2005). The
Dream Diet: Losing Weight While
You Sleep. Can more weight
really help us control our
weight? Three tops experts
explore the possibilities. WebMD
Weight Loss Clinic
http://www.webmed.com
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