HABITS~NOT~ DIETS

Healthy Suggestions…Always consult with your doctor before going on any weight loss program. Plan on losing weight slowly. The first habit we must learn is to keep track of our daily calorie intake. Too much of anything gets stored as fat. Five small meals, each eaten three hours apart, can speed up our metabolism and allow the body to absorb and utilize more nutrients, stabilize blood sugar and increase our energy levels. Eat off a small plate. Eat only what you need and not what you want. Stop eating when you are full.

Exercise is very important to losing weight and keeping it off. Walk at least 30 minutes a day, three to five times a week. When first starting any exercise program, start out slowly and gradually increase the intensity. It is human nature to look for quick fixes. However, when it comes to fat loss, there are no short cuts. For permanent weight loss we must make a deliberate decision to change our eating habits for life.

Eliminate sugar. A diet with lots of sugars has too many calories and too few nutrients. Sugars include white sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, honey and molasses. These supply calories and little else nutritionally. Added sugars are in foods like candy, bakery products, ice cream, soft drinks as well as jams, jellies and plus any sugar we add at the table. Choose fresh fruit instead of foods that are loaded in sugar.  Drink plenty of plain water.

Choose a diet moderate in salt and sodium to help reduce the risk of high blood pressure.

Choose a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol to reduce the risk of heart attack and help to maintain a healthy weight. In general, foods that come from animals are naturally higher in fat than foods that come from plants. Choose lean meat, poultry without the skin, fish, dry beans and peas often. They are the choices lowest in fat. Bake, broil or roast these meats. Avoid fried foods.

Read nutrition labels on canned and package foods you eat to find out the calories per serving and the grams of fat per serving.  Decide what changes you can make for a healthier life style and start by making small changes.  Switch to low fat salad dressings or adding an extra serving of vegetables. Choose healthy low fat foods until healthy eating becomes a habit. Avoid fast foods.

Build a rainbow on your plate. In general, the more colorful the food, the more health boosting benefits you will be eating. Load up your plate with different colored vegetables. Indulge yourself once in awhile. If you allow yourself to eat what you want once a week or every ten days, it will not affect your weight loss that much. You will also feel less deprived. The goal is to eat healthy, lose weight and keep it off permanently.