12 Simple Steps for a Healthy Weight

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Step 1: Keep a record. It’s a lifestyle, NOT a diet.

Now that you’ve survived the holidays, it’s dieting season again. Newspapers, magazines, and the airwaves are filled with weight loss ads – each one promising a miracle solution for the perfect body.

“The key to a healthy weight is definitely not another diet,” says Debi Miller, registered dietitian (RD) with the Team Nutrition Program and chair of the Eat Right Montana coalition. “The real solution is to make healthful eating and physical activity a way of life. The key to a healthy weight is to ignore those misleading weight loss ads – and focus on taking permanent steps toward a healthy lifestyle.”

During 2004, Eat Right Montana (ERM), a statewide coalition promoting healthful eating and active lifestyles, will offer Montana families a dozen ways to reach, and maintain, healthy weights forever. Each month, ERM’s website (www.montanadieteticassociation.org/promo.html) will feature sensible advice, practical tips, and effective resources for taking simple steps toward a healthy weight.

According to Miller, the first step to a healthy weight is to keep a record. “Study after study has confirmed the benefits of keeping track of the food you eat and the activity you do. That’s why every successful weight management program suggests that you keep a food diary and/or an activity log.”

Your personal nutrition and fitness record can be simple, or detailed, whatever works for you. The simplest record is to keep track of one or two things on a regular calendar. For example, you could keep track of what you eat for breakfast and the number of minutes you walk. “Eating breakfast and 30 minutes of walking per day are habits that help adults and kids maintain healthy weights,” notes Miller.

Some people like to keep more detailed food and activity records. Several different formats can be downloaded free from the Internet, like one from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s Healthy Weight Program at www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/lose_wt/diary.htm

“Keeping a record can help in several ways,” explains Miller. “Sometimes just writing things down helps people eat better; they feel more accountable when they see things in black and white. It is also a great way to identify problems areas – and see which habits you need to starting working on first.”

12 Ways to Create a Healthy Eating Style

1. Forget the fads : Diet fads come and go – without offering a permanent solution. When you hear about the latest diet, always ask yourself: Can I eat this way for the rest of my life?
   
   
2. Be realistic: Any eating plan needs to work for your family and your situation. It needs to fit with your schedule, your food budget, and your cooking skills.
   
   
3. Make a commitment: Write down some important reasons for changing your eating habits. Share a written or verbal promise to make healthy food choices with your friends or family.
   
4. Start slow: Making drastic changes can be a recipe for failure. Small changes can make a big difference, if they last. Pick one change, like eating breakfast, and make it a habit.
   
   
5. Be consistent: The human body responds well to consistency. If you decide to eat breakfast, make eating breakfast part of your daily routine – rather than an occasional thing.
   
   
6. Stick with it: Research suggests that it takes about 21 days for a behavior to become habit. If you want to start eating breakfast, make a plan with 21 breakfast menus you’d love to eat.
   
7. Be flexible: Life is full of surprises, and plans need to change. If an early meeting makes breakfast at home impossible, you need some alternatives, like desk-fast at work.
   
   
8. Be creative: Make a list of all the possibilities – like all the breakfast options that you enjoy: at home; in the car or on the bus; at work; or from a vending machine.
   
   
9. Stock up on options : Once you have a list of possibilities, stock up. Fill your cupboards, car, and desk drawers (anywhere you might eat breakfast) with healthy options.
   
   
10. Plan ahead: When situations pose problems, make a healthy plan. Have a meeting where giant cinnamon rolls are served? Plan to eat ½ a roll; bring cheese and fruit with you.
    
    
11. Forgive yourself: Healthy eating does not have to be perfect eating. If you make a mistake or miss a few days of healthy eating, no biggie. Just get back on track ASAP.
    
    
12. Congratulate yourself: Changing your eating habits can be tough. Just think how long you’ve had your current habits. Give yourself a pat on the back for any healthy changes.

12 Ways to Create an Active Lifestyle

1. Forget the fads: Like diets, exercise fads come and go (remember mini trampolines!). When you think about a new workout, ask yourself: Is this something I really enjoy doing?
   
   
2. Be realistic: Any activity has to fit into your schedule and situation. If you don’t have time to get to the gym or if you hate running, it’s time to look for some new activities.
   
   
3. Make a commitment: Write down some important reasons for being more active. Share a written or verbal promise to be more physically active with your friends or family.
   
   
4. Start slow: Making drastic changes can be a recipe for failure. Small changes can make a big difference, if they last. Pick one change, like walking more, and make it a habit.
   
   
5. Be consistent: The human body responds well to consistency. If you decide to walk more, make walking part of your daily routine – rather than an occasional activity.
   
   
6. Stick with it: Research suggests that it takes about 21 days for a beha vior to become habit. If you want to start walking more, make a plan to walk 30 minutes a day – for 21 days!
   
   
7. Be flexible: Life is full of surprises, and plans often need to change. If you can’t get out in the morning, fit a 30-minute walk into a lunch break or go out before you have dinner.
   
   
8. Be creative: Make a list of all the possible ways to fit a 30-minute walk into your life – like walking a dog, walking with a friend, walking to the store, or walking around the mall.
   
   
9. Make a list of options: It’s always good to have options, like indoor ideas when it’s cold. Make a list of all the ways you like to move, so you’ll always have a fun option.
   
   
10. Plan for activity. There is always too much to do in our busy lives. Make room for fitness in yours by putting activity on your schedule, like walking from 7:00 to 7:30.
    
    
11. Forgive yourself: If you miss a day of activity, it’s no big deal. Just put on your shoes and get your walk in today! The goal = at least 30 minutes of activity, at least 5 days a week.
    
    
12. Congratulate yourself: Becoming more active can be tough. Just think how long you’ve been sitting around. Give yourself a big pat on the back for any increases in physical activity.

www.montanadieteticassociation.org/promo.html

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