If you’re confused about where to start or how to get ahead on the road to weight loss, here are the easy habits that can work for you.
Have you ever wondered how eating an ounce of chocolate or a handful of chips equates to major poundage the next time you weigh yourself? It’s often difficult to understand the whys and wherefores of how bodies store fat. And it does seem sometimes that no matter how you try, you just can’t get back to a comfortable weight, both physically and mentally. Creating a realistic approach to food and diet is crucial for success. If you don’t establish habits that work for you, no matter how you count your calories, hit the treadmill, or fill the cupboards, you may return to old and unhealthy behaviors.
Your Path to Better Health Is Straight Ahead
Columbia University’s Mehmet C. Oz, MD, a leading heart surgeon, best-selling author, and popular Oprah Show guest, has strong opinions about diet, outlook, and longevity. In his book, You: The Owner’s Manual, Dr. Oz shares his philosophy. “Most diets focus on one number: pounds lost. Why? This is because so many people are obsessed with being overweight—about fitting into jeans.…[Good health is] about making you feel better, helping you live younger, and slowing the effects of aging.
It’s more important to regulate other numbers and feelings in your life—things like your blood pressure, your cholesterol, and your energy level, rather than focusing on pounds lost.” Dr. Oz offers these tips to aim you toward those goals.
- Eat when you’re hungry, not famished.
- Change your plate size. Use a 9-inch plate, not the usual 11- or 13-inch variety.
- Have nine handfuls of fruits and vegetables every day. Add to that 1 ounce of nuts, and plenty of foods made with whole grain, like breads and cereals. Look for fiber-containing foods.
- Eat fish at least two times a week. Add cooked tomato products.
- Limit foods containing trans fats and saturated fats—opt instead for monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats within balance.
Also from Columbia University, Marianne J. Legato, MD, FACP, an internationally known physician, author, and expert in women’s health, reminds us, “There has been an explosion in weight loss programs based on the premise that all it takes to keep off excess pounds is to limit your daily intake of fat grams.…It’s important to remember that a calorie is a calorie is a calorie, and no matter how you try to bend the rules, the laws of thermodynamics still prevail. If you take in more calories than you burn—in any form—you will gain weight. There is no easy way around this equation.” Fortunately, nutritious food choices are becoming easier to find everywhere, every day. Shop the produce section, and wander down the grocery store aisles to choose from the variety and range of offerings. Check out your local food co-op or warehouse club for fresh fruits and vegetables from nearby or afar. Try something new, and begin your journey today.
