Healthy Eating Plan - The Lifestyle
Losing weight or maintaining a healthy weight doesn't have to be a difficult
task. If you are willing learn to eat
healthy and exercise regularly, you
can train your body to accept a healthier "way of life."
Here is a simple 5 step healthy eating diet plan that can help you learn how
to live a healthier life:
Get into a Healthy Eating diet Mind-set:
If you are going to lose weight or gain weight you MUST believe that you can
do it. If you are discouraged, you will
not be able to do it. You must
think, I CAN LOSE WEIGHT. I WILL LOSE WEIGHT. I WILL GET HEALTHY STARTING
RIGHT NOW!
This may seem a little over the top - but it's not. You need to get yourself
into a healthy mind-set. You need to
give yourself positive reinforcement
and pump yourself up.
If you feel you need some help to get into a healthy mind-set, just remember
it is not a weakness to admit that you
need help. You may need the help of a
trained professional (a doctor, a dietician, a personal trainer) or simply a
support
network of friendly people. If you have tried to do it on your own
and have failed, then it is time to get the help that
you need - start with
your family physician.
Your support network can be composed of people that are available for you to
talk to. They should be positive people
and they should believe in YOU.
Find Motivation, Set Goals, and Reward Yourself:
Motivation to lose weight or get healthier is going to be completely up to
you! Whether you are just trying to lose
a few pounds to go to your high
school class reunion or you are trying to lose fifty pounds so that you can
be a healthy
person and play with your children... You need to find a
motivation.
Once you have a motivation, set attainable goals. Set goals that you know
you can achieve. In other words, don't
try to lose five pounds in one week.
One or two pounds per week is a small, attainable goal.
Also, plan to reward yourself when you've reached your goal. For instance,
if your motivation is to shed ten pounds
to go to your class reunion, then
reward yourself with a new outfit to wear to the reunion. Or, if your
motivation
is to lose 50 pounds so that you will feel healthier, plan one
fun day going to an amusement park when you've reached
your goal weight.
Take little steps. Motivate yourself using rewards every step of the way.
Set goals and rewards. For instance, "When
I lose 5 lbs., I will reward
myself with a new pair of shoes."
Set your own rewards based on what you really, really want. Follow through -
don't just say you will reward yourself
and then conveniently forget because
there are more important things to buy or do - GO THROUGH WITH YOUR REWARD
PLAN.
Plan to Eat Healthy Foods and Healthy Serving Sizes:
You may want to consider the healthy "food pyramid" the US government has
provided for us. This plan works! So don't
be afraid to use it. It's simple,
too. If you are an adult, each day you should have the following allotment:
Fats, Oils and Sweets - use sparingly.
Milk, Yogurt, Cheese - 2 to 3 servings.
Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Nuts, Eggs - 2 to 3 servings.
Vegetables - 3 to 5 servings.
Fruits - 2 to 3 servings.
Grains, Bread, Cereal, Rice, Pasta - 6 to 11 servings.
6 to 11 servings is a wide range. The amount of servings you need per day
will be based on your daily activity and
special needs:
A breast-feeding mother will need the highest amounts - 3 servings of milk
and cheese, 3 servings of meat.
A middle aged woman who has a desk job will probably need the lower servings
suggested - 6 servings of the grain/bread
group, 2 servings of meat.
6 servings of grains may seem like a lot of food - but - you must be careful
on the serving size. A pasta meal at
a restaurant may equal 6 servings of
pasta. Watching the amount of food is as important as the kinds of food.
Serving
sizes follow:
milk group - - 1 cup 2%, 1 cup yogurt, 1 1/2 oz of cheese
meat group -- 2-3 oz. of meat, 1/2 cup cooked dry beans
vegetable
group -- 1/2 cup of cooked or raw cut up, 1 cup raw leafy
fruit group -- medium sized piece of fruit or 1/2 cup cut up,
3/4 cup of
juice
grain group -- a serving is 1/2 cup of cooked pasta or rice, 1 slice of
bread, 1 oz. dry cereal.
Do not assume that the serving sizes on packaged products are the same as
the above. Use common sense. Be honest
with yourself about serving sizes.
Plan to Exercise:
You don't need to run a marathon every day in order to get exercise. There
are little ways that you can get the exercise
you need everyday. Here are
some suggestions - choose at least one of these and do it everyday or at
least three times
a week. I guarantee that after a couple months - if you
don't get your exercise, you will MISS it!
Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
Park the farthest away spot from the store every time you go.
Take a 30 minute walk everyday. (This is the one that I do - I love my walk,
if I don't get my walk, I really feel
at a loss - and I am definitely NOT an
exercise fanatic, but I never miss my walking even on vacation - and I feel
GREAT
because of it.)
Take an aerobics class or a dance class. (Do you have a partner? Take
ballroom dancing! Not only will you get some
exercise, you will also learn a
useful, fun skill.)
Get off the subway or bus stop one stop before where you normally get off
and walk the rest of the way home.
Decide to take up a sport like Tennis, Racquetball, or even join a Softball
team. Check out your community athletic
center or the YMCA for sports that
you think you might like to participate in. Swimming is an especially cool
work
out in the summer!
Buy a work out video and commit to working out 20 minutes a day at least
three times a week.
There are some awesome workout programs for free on the internet. Just do a
search for "exercise plans" on your favorite
search engine. (I like the free
ones I can do at home. Who needs to be embarrassed by doing any of those
exercises
in public!?)
The Right Tools:
Support Network - In the first part of the plan, we discussed a support
network. This network may be made up
of health professionals or simply a
group of family or friends that you can talk to. They are positive people
that
will help you over the rough spots.
Healthy Eating Guide - You need to know the right balance of foods to eat.
Use the US Government Recommended
Daily Allowances. If you join any type of
Diet plan, they all have their individual ways of keeping track of your
calories
or nutritional intake. Some are similar to the Food Pyramid, some
are not. Just remember that moderation, portion size,
and exercise should
ALWAYS be considered with any plan you choose.
Nutritional Counting Device - There is really no better tool available no
matter what your choice of health program
than the NutriCounter. Make your
healthy diet fun! The NutriCounter can help you keep track of your daily
eating habits,
it's a wonderful way to get into a routine and stay healthy.
