o you think you have to give up delicious food to balance your weight?
Are you among the 69 percent of Americans trying to lose or maintain weight?
Are you still searching for that miracle weight-loss plan that you’ll be able to stick to?
If you answered yes to these questions, it’s time to adopt some positive thoughts about food and eating to help you create and follow a healthier diet.
Try these positive thoughts on for size:
- Food sustains my life, making me feel energetic and confident.
- Instead of overhauling my entire diet, I’ll make just one change a week.
- I’m going to eat foods that promote health rather than depriving myself of foods that I think are sabotaging my goals.
- I’ll savor each bite and enjoy the pleasure of eating.
- I can have high fat or sugary foods every now and then.
- I need to enjoy not just the flavor, but the texture and the feel of the food.
- I’ll take more time to eat with special people in my life.
- I won’t be a slave to my scale.
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You can’t put a number on heath and wellness. |  |
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Examine Your Eating Habits
People often eat for emotional relief, to cope with boredom, stress, fatigue, and to avoid unpleasant activities at home or at work. If you feel the urge to eat for any of these reasons, take a brisk five-minute walk up and down stairs or around the block. Listen to a favorite song while walking. You’ll find yourself refreshed, more alert, more productive, and hopefully you will move past your craving.
Stop Eating When Stressed
We tend to make poorer food choices when we’re very hungry, stressed out, or tired. Don’t eat or go shopping at these times. Plan to eat at least every 4-5 hours to maintain your energy. It's easier to avoid tempting treats if you eat at regular planned intervals. Try to delay between-meal and unplanned snacking for 10 to 15 minutes instead of giving in to instant gratification. You might find you become involved with other projects and lose the craving altogether.
Learn to Read Food Labels
Food manufacturers make many different claims about their products on the packaging. For this reason, it is important that you learn how to read food labels. The following are a few definitions that will help.
Fat and Calories
- Fat-free – less than 0.5g fat per serving
- Low-fat – 1g or less of fat per serving
- Reduced or less fat – 25% or less fat per serving than a full-fat product
- Lean – less than 10g fat, 4.5g or less saturated fat and less than 95mg cholesterol per serving
- Extra Lean – less than 5g fat, less than 2g saturated fat and less than 95mg cholesterol per serving
- Calorie-free – less than 5 calories per serving
- Low-Calorie – 40 or less calories per serving
- Reduced or Fewer Calories – 25% less calories per serving than the regular product
- Light – 1/3 fewer calories or 1/2 the fat of the reference food
Create a Personalized Action Plan
Measure your diet success by the increased energy you feel and not by the number of pounds lost. When eliminating fat and calories, it’s important to have the right balance of nutrients. The ideal daily calorie count for losing a pound a month is about nine times your ideal weight in pounds, plus the calories you burn each day in physical activity.
Eat to Live Rather than Lose Weight (and still lose weight!)
The key is learning a way to live, not just a way to diet. Plan meals that are high in whole foods and low in prepared, packaged, convenience foods (which are generally bursting with sugar, salt, and fat) and you will see and feel the difference. You can’t put a number on health and wellness.
By Erica Watson, Nov 09, 2008
This is some of the best adivce I have heard in a long time!
And, I need to really stopo eating when I am stresed...and go for a walk instead!!!
By Carlo DeCarlo, Dec 01, 2008
We all have situations that trigger us to reach for a snack, just like a smoker reaches for a cigarette. Mine is TV... and stressful situations... and seeing something yummy to eat. What can I say? I have a lot of triggers.
So what's your trigger?
By Victoria Klein, Dec 11, 2008
With the media becoming less about information and more about entertainment, it can be hard to get REAL, HONEST answers about food and diet. This article is a great step in the right direction and I hope many read it. Food is not about entertainment - food is about health and sustainability - both as a people and a struggling planet.
By Lois B, Feb 06, 2009
I don't know if the advice here about not eating when stress will work out for me when I am really at my wits end. Can anyone suggest some other strategies besides chewing gum?
By Meredith S, Mar 29, 2009
this is amazing advice and a lot of what I do in my health coaching practice. People need fat in their diets. This is a big problem and what leads people to often over do it with carbs. There's nothing wrong with moderate amounts of high fiber whole grains. What happens is that low fiber white flour containing refined foods make us hungrier and crave more of those substances...and we overeat in general. Fat in moderation actually builds cell membranes and makes us feel full. Processed foods are the culprit of so many of our problems. Keeping the diet clean but full of flavorful foods is key. Ginger, garlic, scallions, tarragon, lime and limited amounts of coconut milk do wonders.
Mereditwww.sobelwellness.co...
By Elly G, Apr 07, 2009
I'm addicted to food.. I can't stop eating... so I keep healthy snacks in my drawer at work, like cereal, cereal bar, whole wheat bread and I also have fruits in the fridge. At home usually I make fruits salad for my snacks and sometimes I made peanut butter-choco oatmeal cookies.
By Megan P, Apr 10, 2009
It is okay to enjoy food. In fact, it is one of the greatest pleasures we have. The problem lies in forgetting how delicious and satisfying some of natures treats can be and instead going for that over-processed ho-ho instead. So next time you have that relentless hankering for something sweet, try grabbing a piece of ripened fruit, take a bite, and allow the natural sweetness to captivate your taste buds and satisfy that sweet tooth! After years of eating overly processed foods, we forget how delicious clean, simple eating can be. So, the biggest favor you can do for yourself is allow your taste buds to readjust to eating a clean, minimally processed diet and learn to truly appreciate food as nature intended. And don't forget, eating is awesome! Enjoy each and every bite!
Megathehappyonion.blogsp...
By Janet G, Apr 13, 2009
Great advice!
I definitely reach for a snack when I'm bored or anxious, but have been working on breaking that habit! I try to remember...I'm still going to be bored 5 minutes later after I eat something!
Taking a walk outside and getting some fresh air is a great tip - it always helps to distract me and help me figure out if I'm actually hungry, or it's just emotional eating! I also think really paying attention to what you're eating - focusing on it, instead of on the computer, or the TV, or whatever distraction is around, is a great way to really enjoy your food and be satisfied with less.
By Marie-Aude P, Apr 21, 2009
Very good article. Addictions are such a problem in our society today. In my experience with any addiction one may have whether it be food or cigarette or TV or any other; if one wants to get rid of these addictions one has to take his/her attention off of them.
And for the most part it needs to be replaced by something else. Usually exercising will be a great substitute but that can only be done if one is willing to move on, leave his/her addictions behind with a real reason to stop.
I use to be a heavy smoker in my 20s (3 packs a day and I worked 12 hr days) and I quit a couple of times before being able to stop fully.
I replaced my cigarette habit with a large glass of water whenever I thought of having one. I actually lost weight and became healthier. I also made a point of going to the gym more often to not have too much time alone or being bored. My reason was I wanted to get pregnant and have a healthy baby.
I had to stop seeing any of my friends who were smokers and would not support my wanting to quit.
I changed my entourage; surrounding myself with none smokers and healthy people that would help me and support my new lifestyle.
The same thing can be done for food addictions. It is a complete change of lifestyle that needs to be done. Clean out your fridge and cupboards at home and office and stick with the people that already have this kind of healthy diet. Take walks with them at lunch time, join a yoga class, etc.
And this doesn't mean one cannot eat his/her favorite foods but portions have to be moderated and the foods have to be more natural (fruits, grains, veggies) than processed (white flour processed).
Back to the source is the motto!
Imagine if we didn't have any grocery stores and you had to grow and make your own foods? One would not have all these tempting, full of sugar and corn syrup processed foods available at their finger tips...
This subject is so large and so many factors are involved particularly emotionally that it is difficult to have one recipe for all.
Each of us have to find our own way in whatever our goals are.
By Heather C, Apr 25, 2009
I like your final comment, similar to the "Eat to live, don't live to eat" motto my kickboxing teacher would tell us that every day at the end of class. This teacher had the most amazing, healthy body I have ever seen, so while I might not always stick to that saying, I at least try to keep it in mind! If you have an iPhone I have found a few of the food diary applications really helpful. LIVESTRONG and Lose It! both are easy ways to track what you ate, the calories, fat content and things like fiber or vitamins. I think it helps to see the content of what you have put in your body that day. Both of those programs also track exercise and calories burned. Lose It! is still free, LIVESTRONG now costs like $3 but I think it is worth it.
By Holly C, May 03, 2009
In my experience there is an unholy alliance between times of stress (being too busy, being "behind") & "bad" foods kicking down the dietary door. When I don't have time to cook, or am feeling down, I don't want to make the effort- self-perpetuating circle! I'm busy, so we'll order out, etc.
Smart grocery shopping is one of the best favors you can do for yourself - and cooking say, a steamer full of brown rice on Sunday to add to meals during the week can help keep healthier carbs around. Have a bag of walnuts or almonds handy, and don't be without string cheese! If you stock your cupboard with with some common sense & make sure you have decent quickly prepared foods available- even if it say, a Kashi pizza- those are great alternatives to hitting a drive through!
By Amy E, May 20, 2009
I truly enjoy food. I really try to find things that don't feel just like a replacement for what I really want but to be something I really want. Like if I want a piece of cake I am not going to eat a carrot!
By keila l, May 22, 2009
agua de jamaica if you drink it in the morning without sugar can help you loose weight too, its proven!!!
By Sakinah, May 26, 2009
Great advice. Too many people starve themselves and generally treat their body rather abusively and then wonder why it doesn't work out the way they want. When we love our bodies and take good care of them, they reward us with good health. Thanks for giving good, basic information that everybody needs.
By heather b, May 27, 2009
Thats great advice. I normally eat once a day and I tend to feel tired alot. I do snack here and there sometimes and Im not doing this to lose any weight its just a habit. When im really stressed I just crave sweets or not wanna eat at all.
By Amy L, May 28, 2009
Great advice! I always worry about what is added for flavoringwhen something is fat free. Or even sugar free.
By Karyn Polewaczyk, Jun 18, 2009
This is such a great reminder of how we should treat our bodies. I feel like I should print a copy of this article and post it to my pantry. I tend to binge on 'piece' foods - raisins, nuts, chocolate chips - when I'm stressed or working on a tight deadline, even if I'm not hungry. I used to go through those huge tubs of animal crackers (we all know they're really cookies) in an entire night in college. I never feel good the next day - especially with the raisins. I try to replace the hand-to-mouth motion with exercise, like crunches or jumping jacks. My neighbors might think I'm crazy, but it works!
By Kitty, Jan 21, 2010
This was some great advice. I recently decided it was time to stop putting off losing weight. I had kept saying "after I amdonenursing school" well I'm done and have no more excuses. Glamour magazine has a 12 week program online that is supposed to help you reach your goal but when I read a sample diet I nearly died laughing. There is no way I was going to give up coffee, all alcohol, sweets and carbs all at once and then add that much exercise to my daily habit,honest it would have killed me.
I decided to follow these rules:
1. The majority of my food should come from natural sources and not boxes.
Translation: Eat more real food and less stuff from a package. It might sound good for you but there is a lot of hidden fat and other stuff I dont need. This way I can control what goes in my meals.
2. Moderate exercise must be added daily.
So I went out and offered to walk a friends dog for her everyday on the week days for 1 hour a day...and she offered to pay me for it, bonus!
3. Cutting back on carbs not cutting them out.
Lets face it, carbs are necessary. They give us energy and our brains can only use carbs to function. That does not mean every meal needs to be 60% carbs though. Being asian this is very hard for me since rice is a part of every meal!
4. Less sweets NOT no sweets.
Desert if ok in modderation, I have promised to only eat 1 serving of sweets. I have learned to read packages, 5 ginger snaps is WAY better than 2 chocolate dipped butter biscuits, and I dont feel cheated.
5. ONE soda a day.
I drink a huge amount of calories from soda, so thats it one a day. I have found a couple of diet sodas I dont hate but I only drink one of those as well. Unsweetened iced tea, water and flavoured mineral waters work well.
Well I hope these changes help. I am going to expect a slower weight loss but at least I can live with these changes. My goal is to lose 20 lbs in the next year (target weight is 125 lbs) and keep it off! Wish me luck!