More tips to help with weight management

The final goal for next week is weight loss or weight maintenance. For many folks, weight loss was one of the main reasons for participating in this program. Weight loss is a tough challenge. Many of us want to lose more weight faster than we can, then we get frustrated, give up and quit. Don’t give up on yourself, keep trying new tactics and keep on exercising! Following are some more tips to help you make lifestyle changes to achieve weight loss.

In order to manage our weight, we need to adapt a new way of thinking about food and exercise. The successful weight loss program is a “lifestyle modification” program. It is not a “diet” that you go on for a month or two, paying an outrageous amount of money for a small amount of food as many weight loss programs would have you believe. Even maintaining your current weight is preferable to continuing to gain weight throughout your lifetime. Focus on the good things you are doing for your health rather than just on weight loss.

Try to identify your eating patterns as Larissa Musgrave explained in her column a few weeks ago. When do you overeat? Why do you overeat? What types of foods are you eating too much of? Is food your stress reliever? Do you eat to ward off depression? Do you eat in front of the TV without realizing how much you’ve put away? Do you eat so fast that you’re finished with your meal before everyone else has only taken three bites? Do you overeat only by yourself — a hidden secret that no one else knows about? Do you think about food all the time? Do you think food will make you feel better? If you binge eat, eat compulsively or use food to “cover up” pain that is deep inside, seek counseling. Food can be an addiction, not unlike alcohol and drugs and it may need treatment for recovery. If you have concerns that you have an eating disorder, consult with your health care provider for assistance.

Eating patterns take a lifetime to develop, don’t expect to change them overnight, but do become aware of what your patterns are. Change one unhealthy eating habit at a time. For instance, identify and then don’t buy unhealthy food choices that are an overwhelming temptation for you. For women, it tends to be sweets — chocolate, cookies, ice cream — and for men it tends to be meats, cheese and snacks like chips and “happy hour” food. We usually crave food that is sweet and fatty or salty and fatty. Fighting those cravings is tough, but it helps if that food unavailable.

Try to find another way of dealing with stress — practice meditation, yoga, exercise, talk to a friend, write in a journal, seek counseling, take a class, develop a hobby, take a bath, see a movie, etc. Emotional eating is a problem for many of us and can undermine our determination to make a change. Breaking the chain of stress related emotional eating can be a challenge, but managing your stress in healthy ways can help you to stick with your healthy eating plan.

Slow down your eating. Our society is geared toward doing everything fast, including eating. We eat too fast and we are often preoccupied and do not pay attention to what we are eating. Try to count to 15 between each bite, chew your food longer and put your fork down between each bite. It takes 20 minutes for our bodies to register fullness. If you eat your entire meal in 10 minutes, your body still thinks it’s hungry so you continue to eat more, resulting in overeating.

Do not join the empty plate club! Begin to leave a small amount of food on your plate. If you can learn to focus on internal cues to stop eating when you are full, instead of always eating everything on your plate, you will eat less calories overall.

Reduce the amount of fat in your diet to less than 30 percent of calories. Fat is a highly caloric food source: it has 9 calories per gram compared to carbohydrates and protein, which have about 4 calories per gram. Read nutrition labels to monitor fat intake and keep a record of daily fat grams or calories. Remember, just because you are cutting down on fat calories, it doesn’t mean you can eat all the “fat-free” cookies and low fat ice cream that you want. Although, they may be low in fat, they still have lots of calories. Eat more whole grains, fruit, veggies, low-fat dairy and low-fat meat choices. Choose healthy oils instead of saturated fats like butter. Avoid fast foods that are high in fat, choose healthy options.

Weight loss is a slow process. Although it may seem like you woke up one morning with an additional 40 pounds on your 5-foot, 6-inch frame, in reality it probably took years for you to gain that weight. Continue to get a minimum of 150 minutes per week of moderate activity to assist in weight loss. Research suggests that for weight loss, you should try to accrue 60 minutes of moderate exercise 5 – 7 days per week. The goal is to upset the balance — more calories out than calories in. If you are really struggling, make an appointment with a registered dietitian for a weight loss consultation. Many insurance companies will cover at least one visit with a dietitian with a physician’s order.

Good luck in the final week of the New Year, New You 2010 Fitness Challenge!

Tags: life, health