6 Simple Habits For A Smaller You
If you want a smaller, healthier you, keep it simple. Start seeing food as fuel. There are YES foods that fuel your body and NO foods that exhaust your body. Make it a habit to choose YES foods and you'll be well on your way to a slimmer, healthier, and more energetic you.
1. Soda Pop, Gummy Bears, and Your Sweet Tooth
YES
- Water, coffee, tea, and skim milk.
- Raw brown sugar or honey, agave nectar, and Stevia to sweeten food or listed as an ingredient in packaged and prepared foods. Editor's Note: Brown sugar is still sugar - but has slightly higher values of Potassium, Calcium, and Folate compared with white sugar - however the differences are very small.
NO
- Regular and diet soda pop, sports drinks, energy drinks, sweetened teas, and coffee "milkshakes."
- High Fructose Corn Syrup, white sugar, and all artificial sweeteners like Splenda®, SweetN'Low®, and Nutrasweet® (unless prescribed by your health care provider) to sweeten food or listed as an ingredient in packaged and prepared foods.
2. The Great Carbohydrate Debate
YES
- Whole grain, high fiber, low glycemic carbohydrates.
- Eating whole grains as part of your regular diet and understanding that eating the right carbohydrates is the secret to losing and maintaining weight and the key to long-term health.
NO
- White, processed, low fiber, high glycemic carbohydrates.
- High protein diets. They may create a temporary weight loss, but the weight will inevitably return and in the mean time, you may suffer from bad breath, constipation, and muscle atrophy. Be especially cautious with high protein diets that recommend large quantities of saturated fat, which can create heart disease. Editor's Note: The opinions presented here are not necessarily the views of Diet Blog.
3. The Most Important Meal of the Day
YES
- To eating breakfast every morning. Start your day with fruit, whole grains such as oatmeal or toast, scrambled or poached eggs, and nonfat or lowfat yogurt mixed with berries and nuts.
NO
- Skipping breakfast or eating processed, prepared items such as pastries, sugar-filled cereals or eating white, refined foods like pancakes or French toast not made with whole grains.
4. 10 AM and 3 PM
YES
- Have a snack when you're hungry. Snacking on the right foods helps to prevent overeating at your next meal. Snacks don't need to be large. A small handful of raw walnuts, a piece of light string cheese, a a banana, a small square of dark chocolate, and a few whole wheat crackers with hummus are all terrific ways to keep your energy up and the hunger pangs at bay.
NO
- Going for long periods of time without eating or mindlessly snacking on chips, cookies, or candy.
5. Count Me In!
YES
- Limiting portion size. You don't really have to count calories to be successful in losing weight, but overeating is a huge factor in the American obesity epidemic. For meats like a grilled chicken breast or side dishes such as whole grain penne pasta, use the size of a deck of cards as your guide. Your salad and vegetable portion can be larger, but go easy on large quantities of dressing, nuts, and cubes of cheese.
NO
- Jumbo-sized portions or second helpings of meat or sides. If you're still hungry, eat more vegetables or a piece of fruit. Make sure vegetables are steamed or sautéed in a heart healthy oil like olive, walnut, or canola oil.
6. Move More
YES
- Find some way to be active; garden, take a Pilates class, chase your children or grandchildren around the park, go swimming, take a half hour walk, workout with weights, go jogging, take a yoga, ballet, tap class, or go to Jazzercise, but get a move on. Taking stairs whenever possible is a great way to increase your heart health and decrease your waistline.
NO
- Feeling overwhelmed because you have a significant amount of weight to lose. Take baby steps...literally. Start with a ten-minute walk twice a day and work your way up to a thirty-minute daily walk.
By Kami Gray - Author, The List: Sixteen Simple Habits for a Smaller You (and a Healthier Planet), New World Library. Due in bookstores Spring 2009.
More like this in Tips and Tools · Sep 11, 2008
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There's a few things wrong here. Firstly I don't agree with "yes" and "no" foods - it's the same as "good" and "bad" foods. Food is food. Problems arise when we label it like that.
I'm also wondering why Splenda, for example is a "no" food.
I think my biggest concern is the "Say no to high protein diets!". What's that about? I'm sure there's quite a few bodybuilders out there who would disagree with this. Protein helps you feel more full for one!
ReplyI have to disagree Amy... foods need labelling as 'good' or 'bad', or 'yes' or 'no'. Ok there has to be a middle ground, but if people don't know whether the food is going to help them burn fat or cause them to store fat they will continually make the wrong food choices and ultimately end up obese.
ReplyAmused to see the editor's note on the sat fat = heart disease point. I suspect the lowcarb-lowfat debate will rage on for a good few years yet and form the basis for many a blog-based disagreement :-)
The thing that makes it so polarising is that being on one or other of low fat or low carb can mean that whole chunks of dietary best practice are different, which makes presenting a consistent message on a blog with multiple contributors not an easy task - you have my sympathy!
ReplyDo high protein diets really 'recommend' large quantities of saturated fat ??? I'll admit I don't have in depth knowledge about high portein diets but I have never heard staturated fat being recommended.
A limited but nice recap of what to dos...
ReplyI feel like it can be difficult for people to just up and quit eating certain foods that they've eaten for most of their lives. I think the key is to gradually reduce the amounts of those foods and replace them with healthier alternatives. I feel that moderation is the key as opposed to completely not doing it.
ReplyYour post contradicts this previous post regarding Stevia vs Splenda. I still use Splenda and am skeptical about Stevia. Just because Stevia is an herb doesn't ensure it's safety. I don't think you can completely rule out Splenda and group it with other artificial sweetners as they are all made up of different substances.
ReplySorry, it linked in the preview...here is the address of the post:
http://www.diet-blog.com/archives/2008/06/05/which_food_additives_are_safe_unsafe_or_questionable.php
ReplyPlease note this is a guest post - and does not represent the views of Diet Blog staff writers...
I think it is wise to remain skeptical about Stevia - particularly if it will become a mainstay of your diet.
Splenda on the other hand... If you're bored one day - have a trawl thro the 360+ comments on this splenda side effects post. It is truly entertaining reading.
ReplyI think it's important to eat when you're hungry, but for some people appetite is the reason why they get into trouble when trying to lose weight. After eating so much for so long, sometimes intervention is required to help "just say no" to eating at inappropriate times. Appetite control can be just as important.
However, this article is very well-written and full of sensible advice. I agree that breakfast is an important meal often overlooked.
ReplyI sort of disagree with the whole "yes" and "no" thing. No one's perfect and I think that following "yes" and "no" guidelines can maybe set you up for failure if you "screw up". I like the 80/20 rule: eat healthy food for 80% of your daily calories and let 20% of your daily total be from whatever you want. If you eat that way, you're less likely to feel deprived and give up later.
I also sort of disagree with the whole "you must always consume natural sweeteners all the time". I enjoy a diet soda once a day or so and yeah, it's got NutraSweet in it...it keeps me from eating too much with my lunch and sorry, but I need caffeine.
ReplyThe list sounds like the south beach diet, which is great for women with PCOS.
After seeing an episode of Emeril Green, I'm going to give the agave nectar a try. I want to keep away from the artifical sweetners, but really want a tad bit of something sweet in my coffe or tea.
ReplyI like the very last post in that taking your goal one day at a time. It can be very overwhelming, but by breaking it up and only focusing on the short time you can achieve your long term goals.
ReplyVery informative blog. I usually eat 4 to 6 small meals throughout the day. This helps me control my hunger every day. Thanks for your information.
ReplyAlthough it's really helpful to know all these, a lot of time the problem lies on self-control. Definitely drink water if thirsty, lukewarm water can somehow easy the hunger. And I'm also trying to think this way, I drink water not only for myself, but it helps people in Africa, since I drink Volvic. (bottled water) If anyone wants to join -> http://drink1give10.com
ReplyI found some awesome recipes & a great support team for a healthier life style.
ReplyEating healthy foods is a possitive thing,
Replyanother is having a clean colon since many waste are
kept inside the intestine and it make's it very hard for many to loose weight and is a cause of mayor stomach
problems from ulsers to acid indigestion.
Habits are the foundation for our health. If we can figure out to get people to start good habits then, it will be easy to get hem to slim down and get healthy.
Reply