Some good advice for the diet and weight control perplexed.
Leslie Beck
Published on Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2009 7:02PM EST Last updated on Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2009 2:04AM EST
It's resolution time again and for many of us losing weight, eating better and exercising more top the list. Now comes the hard part – keeping those promises throughout the year.
While it's not hard to stick to your resolutions for the first month, research shows that many people lose steam by February and half break their commitment by June.
The problem: unrealistic expectations. Too often people commit to making too many changes at once, something that's incredibly hard to do considering habits seem to be hardwired in our brain.
Others view New Year's resolutions as an “all-or-nothing” endeavour. They pat themselves on the back for being really “good” when they're eating well and hitting the gym regularly. But then, the slightest slip can bring on feelings of guilt, making it tough to get back on track – and eventually old habits creep back.
How successful you'll be at making your resolutions more than wishful thinking depends on how you approach your goals. Instead of making bold statements to transform your diet and your body, start small. Research suggests that gradual changes – letting your brain adapt to one thing at a time – are the best way to make things stick.
The following 12 healthy eating habits will almost certainly improve your diet and can help you lose weight. Instead of resolving to master them all in January, set ongoing resolutions throughout the year. Change your diet a little at a time – each month, set out to achieve one specific goal that's relevant to you.
Keep a food diary
Starting Jan. 1, keep a food diary for two weeks. Writing down what and how much you eat provides awareness, focus and motivation. It clarifies what foods are in your diet and what's missing. Tracking your intake also prevents mindless snacking and makes you think twice about going for seconds.
Plan meals in advance
If your plan is to eat more meals at home instead of in restaurants, it won't happen if you're not organized. On the weekend, spend a few minutes thinking about the week ahead. Map out your meals and snacks. Use your weekly planner to determine your grocery list.
If scheduling a week's worth of meals seems too daunting, plan only for one or two days in advance. Determine what foods you'll need to bring to work and what you'll prepare for dinner. Planning ahead means you'll be less likely to give in to temptation or grab whatever is convenient.
Eat breakfast daily
Breakfast is a key ingredient in any successful weight-loss plan. Studies show that people who regularly eat breakfast are more likely to have a structured eating plan throughout the day and are less likely to snack on empty calorie foods.
Eating breakfast helps to kick start your metabolism and prevents you from getting too hungry before lunch. If you're not hungry in the morning, start small – have a yogurt, a smoothie, or even just a piece of fruit. Over time you'll wake up with an appetite for breakfast.
Read the labels
Read labels on food packages to become familiar with serving sizes of breakfast cereals, crackers, snack foods, salad dressing and so on. Then measure out your foods with a measuring cup or spoon.
If you're trying to lose weight, pay attention to calories per serving. Determine how those calories fit into your day. For safe weight loss, women should consume 1,200 to 1,500 calories a day; men 1,800 to 2,000 calories a day.
Downsize portions
The key to losing weight is portion control. Period. To eat less at meals, divide your plate into quarters. Fill one quarter with protein such as meat, chicken, fish or tofu. Fill another quarter with a starchy food like rice, pasta, sweet potato or quinoa. The remaining half of your plate should be filled with vegetables.
Instead of filling a dinner plate, serve your meal on a luncheon-sized plate (7 to 9 inches in diameter).
Pay attention to hunger
Listening to your body can help prevent you from consuming too many calories. When you sit down to a meal, ask yourself how hungry you are. Assess how you feel before you eat, halfway through a meal, and after you finish eating. Your goal is to stop eating when you no longer feel hungry – you should feel satisfied, not full.
Increase your vegetables
Most Canadians could stand to eat more vegetables. To get four servings each day, follow a few simple rules: Include one or two servings at lunch (salad, raw vegetables, tomato juice, vegetable soup) and at least two servings at dinner. Make one of them dark green (spinach, Swiss chard, kale, broccoli) and one orange (sweet potato, winter squash, carrots). Keep frozen vegetables on hand to zap in the microwave or throw in into soups and pasta sauces.
Add fruit to your diet For many people, it's easier to grab a granola bar or muffin than a piece of fruit. Strive for at least three serving a day. Include at least one at breakfast (e.g. raisins on cereal, berries in a smoothie, a small glass of 100-per-cent juice). Pack fresh or dried fruit to snack on during the day. Add sliced strawberries, dried cranberries or orange segments to salads.
Eat fish twice a week
To increase your intake of heart healthy omega-3 fats, eat oily fish twice per week. Good choices that are also low in mercury include salmon, trout, sardines, Arctic char and herring.
Go vegetarian more often
To increase fibre and reduce saturated fat, replace meat with beans or soy products a few times a week.
On the weekend make a batch of minestrone, split pea or lentil soup to have for lunch during the week. Serve tacos with black beans instead of ground meat. Serve vegetarian chili or soy burgers for dinner. Replace chicken or meat with cubes of firm tofu in stir fries.
Drink more water
Water is an essential part of a healthy diet. It helps flush waste products from the body, keeps us hydrated and can stave off hunger. Women on average need 2.2 litres (9 cups) a day and men require 3 litres (12 cups). While all beverages count (except alcoholic beverages ), choose plain water over sugary drinks, fruit juice and diet soft drinks.
Train your body to drink more water. Drink one glass first thing in the morning, before you brush your teeth. Keep a glass of water next to you when you're at your desk. Drink from it regularly as you're working. Resolve to drink one more cup of water today than you did yesterday.
Be human
Keep a resolution that allows you to slip up from time to time. Changing eating habits or losing weight does not require perfection. If you allow yourself to lapse occasionally, rather than beating yourself up, you'll be much more likely to pick up where you left off.
If your 2010 goal is weight loss, plan a weekly splurge – a single treat, not a day's worth of indulgences – so you won't feel deprived.
If you find you're starting to slip back into old habits, pull out that food diary to refocus your efforts. Leslie Beck, a Toronto-based dietitian at the Medcan Clinic, is on CTV's Canada AM every Wednesday. Her website is lesliebeck.com .
You may also review the common sense information at
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/new-year/jump-start-your-weight-loss/article1420434/
If you have any questions or concerns I may assist with, please feel free to contact me.
Best regards, Dr. Wayne Coghlan.
Collingwood Chiropractor
Wasaga Beach Chiropractor
Leslie Beck
Published on Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2009 7:02PM EST Last updated on Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2009 2:04AM EST
It's resolution time again and for many of us losing weight, eating better and exercising more top the list. Now comes the hard part – keeping those promises throughout the year.
While it's not hard to stick to your resolutions for the first month, research shows that many people lose steam by February and half break their commitment by June.
The problem: unrealistic expectations. Too often people commit to making too many changes at once, something that's incredibly hard to do considering habits seem to be hardwired in our brain.
Others view New Year's resolutions as an “all-or-nothing” endeavour. They pat themselves on the back for being really “good” when they're eating well and hitting the gym regularly. But then, the slightest slip can bring on feelings of guilt, making it tough to get back on track – and eventually old habits creep back.
How successful you'll be at making your resolutions more than wishful thinking depends on how you approach your goals. Instead of making bold statements to transform your diet and your body, start small. Research suggests that gradual changes – letting your brain adapt to one thing at a time – are the best way to make things stick.
The following 12 healthy eating habits will almost certainly improve your diet and can help you lose weight. Instead of resolving to master them all in January, set ongoing resolutions throughout the year. Change your diet a little at a time – each month, set out to achieve one specific goal that's relevant to you.
Keep a food diary
Starting Jan. 1, keep a food diary for two weeks. Writing down what and how much you eat provides awareness, focus and motivation. It clarifies what foods are in your diet and what's missing. Tracking your intake also prevents mindless snacking and makes you think twice about going for seconds.
Plan meals in advance
If your plan is to eat more meals at home instead of in restaurants, it won't happen if you're not organized. On the weekend, spend a few minutes thinking about the week ahead. Map out your meals and snacks. Use your weekly planner to determine your grocery list.
If scheduling a week's worth of meals seems too daunting, plan only for one or two days in advance. Determine what foods you'll need to bring to work and what you'll prepare for dinner. Planning ahead means you'll be less likely to give in to temptation or grab whatever is convenient.
Eat breakfast daily
Breakfast is a key ingredient in any successful weight-loss plan. Studies show that people who regularly eat breakfast are more likely to have a structured eating plan throughout the day and are less likely to snack on empty calorie foods.
Eating breakfast helps to kick start your metabolism and prevents you from getting too hungry before lunch. If you're not hungry in the morning, start small – have a yogurt, a smoothie, or even just a piece of fruit. Over time you'll wake up with an appetite for breakfast.
Read the labels
Read labels on food packages to become familiar with serving sizes of breakfast cereals, crackers, snack foods, salad dressing and so on. Then measure out your foods with a measuring cup or spoon.
If you're trying to lose weight, pay attention to calories per serving. Determine how those calories fit into your day. For safe weight loss, women should consume 1,200 to 1,500 calories a day; men 1,800 to 2,000 calories a day.
Downsize portions
The key to losing weight is portion control. Period. To eat less at meals, divide your plate into quarters. Fill one quarter with protein such as meat, chicken, fish or tofu. Fill another quarter with a starchy food like rice, pasta, sweet potato or quinoa. The remaining half of your plate should be filled with vegetables.
Instead of filling a dinner plate, serve your meal on a luncheon-sized plate (7 to 9 inches in diameter).
Pay attention to hunger
Listening to your body can help prevent you from consuming too many calories. When you sit down to a meal, ask yourself how hungry you are. Assess how you feel before you eat, halfway through a meal, and after you finish eating. Your goal is to stop eating when you no longer feel hungry – you should feel satisfied, not full.
Increase your vegetables
Most Canadians could stand to eat more vegetables. To get four servings each day, follow a few simple rules: Include one or two servings at lunch (salad, raw vegetables, tomato juice, vegetable soup) and at least two servings at dinner. Make one of them dark green (spinach, Swiss chard, kale, broccoli) and one orange (sweet potato, winter squash, carrots). Keep frozen vegetables on hand to zap in the microwave or throw in into soups and pasta sauces.
Add fruit to your diet For many people, it's easier to grab a granola bar or muffin than a piece of fruit. Strive for at least three serving a day. Include at least one at breakfast (e.g. raisins on cereal, berries in a smoothie, a small glass of 100-per-cent juice). Pack fresh or dried fruit to snack on during the day. Add sliced strawberries, dried cranberries or orange segments to salads.
Eat fish twice a week
To increase your intake of heart healthy omega-3 fats, eat oily fish twice per week. Good choices that are also low in mercury include salmon, trout, sardines, Arctic char and herring.
Go vegetarian more often
To increase fibre and reduce saturated fat, replace meat with beans or soy products a few times a week.
On the weekend make a batch of minestrone, split pea or lentil soup to have for lunch during the week. Serve tacos with black beans instead of ground meat. Serve vegetarian chili or soy burgers for dinner. Replace chicken or meat with cubes of firm tofu in stir fries.
Drink more water
Water is an essential part of a healthy diet. It helps flush waste products from the body, keeps us hydrated and can stave off hunger. Women on average need 2.2 litres (9 cups) a day and men require 3 litres (12 cups). While all beverages count (except alcoholic beverages ), choose plain water over sugary drinks, fruit juice and diet soft drinks.
Train your body to drink more water. Drink one glass first thing in the morning, before you brush your teeth. Keep a glass of water next to you when you're at your desk. Drink from it regularly as you're working. Resolve to drink one more cup of water today than you did yesterday.
Be human
Keep a resolution that allows you to slip up from time to time. Changing eating habits or losing weight does not require perfection. If you allow yourself to lapse occasionally, rather than beating yourself up, you'll be much more likely to pick up where you left off.
If your 2010 goal is weight loss, plan a weekly splurge – a single treat, not a day's worth of indulgences – so you won't feel deprived.
If you find you're starting to slip back into old habits, pull out that food diary to refocus your efforts. Leslie Beck, a Toronto-based dietitian at the Medcan Clinic, is on CTV's Canada AM every Wednesday. Her website is lesliebeck.com .
You may also review the common sense information at
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/new-year/jump-start-your-weight-loss/article1420434/
If you have any questions or concerns I may assist with, please feel free to contact me.
Best regards, Dr. Wayne Coghlan.
Collingwood Chiropractor
Wasaga Beach Chiropractor