MAKING SMALL CHANGES FOR BIG RESULTS

By Zoa Linsey

Think about how you feel when you say the word ‘diet’. You think ‘restriction’, ‘suffering’, ‘sadness’ and sometimes even ‘depression’! And you know that with that attitude, the only thing you will look forward to is the day the diet is over. If this is your current approach to losing weight, if all you’ve done is look forward to the ‘end date’, the first thing you’re going to do when the ‘diet’ is ‘over’ will be to return to your old habits and it won’t be long before all that weight is back on your body. The ONLY WAY to lose the fat permanently is to change your lifestyle habits permanently! You need to pick 1-2 changes a week and gradually but permanently implement them into your new life. Make sure you pick things that you can handle, and find substitutions that you enjoy and aren’t looking forward to stopping! Here are a few suggestions to start you on the path to a permanent change in lifestyle.

If you drink soda, stop, or at least cut down. If you have a 6/day habit, that is over 840 wasted extra calories. Four days of quitting the habit and you’ve lost about one pound of fat. (1 lb. fat = 3500 calories).
Choose low-fat cheese instead of full-fat cheese. If you use melted cheese, try the pre-shredded fat-free version which is low in carbs and high in protein. You might be surprised how good it tastes.
Instead of using oil to pan-fry your meat, use butter flavoured non-stick spray. You save up to 3-4 tablespoons of oil in your food which is almost 300 calories.
If you’re eating pasta, choose a tomato based sauce versus a cream sauce. If you’re eating out, eat only ½ the entrée and take the other half for lunch tomorrow. Typical restaurant portions are 2-3 times what you need for one meal. You can still enjoy the food, just don’t eat as enough for 3 people!
You might be stuck in an eating rut! Try out some of the new products available at the grocery store. Kashi Hi-Protein Cereals and Cereal Bars combined with 1 cup of low-sugar chocolate soy milk is a great breakfast to start the day. If you’ve tried something in the past and didn’t like it, don’t be stubborn…look around for other healthy ideas and don’t be afraid to give it a shot! Healthy foods don’t need to taste like cardboard and there are plenty of alternatives.
When shopping for meat, pick lean cuts of steak or chicken/turkey breast. Grill or pan-fry with non-stick spray instead of breading, or deep-frying. Remember that some foods may taste good but are better as occasional indulgences than every day staples.
If you’re hungry, eat! Just pick a healthy snack that combines a small amount of carbohydrates and protein, such as an apple and some low-fat cheese, or some deli meat and healthy crackers. Read the label for portion size and eat just enough to fill you up to about 80%. You should feel satisfied but not stuffed. If you eat regularly you will never set yourself up for a ‘binge’.

Finally, take a look at your daily diet and see if you can come up with any small changes that will not affect your food enjoyment but will give you big results over the course of the week. Don’t be afraid of change and remember that in order to get a different result you must take a different action!