Trying to lose a few pounds?
Or are you trying to maintain your current weight?
So many people are successful in losing some
weight but then gain the weight back.
Why?
Probably because they haven’t
adopted a healthier lifestyle.
Changing
habits as you take off the pounds can be the key to keeping the pounds
off.
U.S. News & World Report has a
great
article:
Stop
Relying on Willpower to Lose Weight.
In it they talk about how important it is to
build healthy routines into your day.
You
may already be doing some of these suggestions.
Then keep it up.
Are there some healthy
routines you could add to your day?
They
introduce a new term, “skill-power” vs willpower.
The promote developing the “skills” to handle
our diet throughout the day.
Here are
some of the healthy habits they suggest we all adopt.
1.
“Beat the Morning Munchies” – How
many people skip breakfast only to hit the office snack machine at 10 AM?
Our breakfast becomes a candy bar or
two.
The article suggests planning out a
healthy breakfast before you go to bed.
It may be a grab and go breakfast.
Grab some 100% real juice and a healthy granola bar.
Carnation has some Breakfast drinks that are
easy to take with you or drink before you leave home.
On a commute, you can easily drink some 100%
juice and snack on some whole grain cereal or granola.
Quaker has some
Breakfast
Squares that are very easy to grab an go.
If you have missed breakfast, taking something healthy with you to snack
on, a banana, a Breakfast Square, some yogurt will help you avoid the trip to the
snack machine.
2.
Bring Healthy Snacks With You –
as I noted in a previous blog.
I was at
a car wash and noticed a mom with her daughter who was about 4 years old.
The daughter had just walked past the snack
machine and promptly announced to her mom, “I’m hungry”.
The mom and the girl sat down, the mom
pulled out baggies of carrot sticks, whole grain crackers, cheese sticks and
asked her daughter what she wanted for a snack.
The U.S. News & World Report article recommends taking some meal replacements
with you.
They use as an example the
meal replacements used by Weight Watchers.
See a
sample
day on the HMR plan.
I like to bring
nuts in a baggie, a granola bar, cheese sticks and crackers with me when I am
traveling or know that I will not be able to eat for a while.
3.
“Don’t
Let Work Stress Get to You- To
me it wouldn’t be just work stress.
Stress can come from other areas of your life.
They recommend a “walk break” during the day
to replace the “snack break”.
But I think
you can have a healthy snack break of yogurt and fruit and also take a short
walk.
Add a walk to your lunch
break.
Taking a few minutes to
decompress can help relieve stress in your day.
4.
“Don’t Go
Hungry” - who isn’t tempted to eat anything in sight when you are hungry?
So, have on hand plenty of healthy food
options.
Have the fresh fruit on the
counter, cut up veggies in the frig, have some cheese and crackers on
hand.
Weight Watchers recommends having
on hand lots of “
Yes”
foods.
One can fill up on fruits, veggies, healthy smoothies,
granola bars, no calorie beverages like sparkling water.
 |
| Healthy snack foods |
5.
“Old
Habits are Hard to Break” – The goal is to replace your unhealthy
habits with healthy habits.
This isn’t
done overnight.
The HMR Weight Watcher’s
program has list of “
To-Do”
behaviors.
What are some of these To-Do’s?
One is to eat 5 fruits and vegetables a
day.
We have talked a lot about “5 A DAY”
and how important it is to have enough fruit and veggies every day.
Another To-Do is to add some physical
activity to your day.
Even a short walk counts.
So, at lunch or after dinner, take a
walk.
Try to be more active during the
day.
In a
book
by Dr. Norman Sears,
The Healthiest Kid
in the Neighborhood, he recommends
Time
Sitting = Time Moving.
Thus, if a
kid wants to play 30 minutes of video games, they first have to have 30 minutes
of physical activity first.
More of us
could be trying to sit less and move more.
What old habits can you try to break this week? Can you be more physically active? Can you pack some healthier snacks for work
or for school? Can you add some fruit or
veggies to your day? Aim for 2 servings
of fruits/veggies at lunch and 2 servings at dinner. Check out the sample day on the HMR plan. It offers some good tips.
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