It's January, which means that many of you having dieting on your minds. But before you jump on the next diet craze, I'd like to plead with you to try something different this year...something that I believe actually works for lasting weight loss and health. There is a way to eat healthy, be healthy, and even lose weight without living your life trapped jumping from one diet to the next. It starts by making small eating changes—reasonable changes that you can (and want to) maintain for the rest of your life. When you go on a diet, the mindset is that you will stick to some strict rules until you reach your goal (and proceed to gain the weight back when you stop dieting). But when you make a lifestyle change, you're choosing to live free—and live healthfully for the rest of your life.
I’m not talking about short term fixes but long-term decisions about how you will live your life.
Unlike many diets, lifestyle changes aren't a one-size-fits-all thing. You're a unique person with unique needs and habits. Your lifestyle changes need to be based on you and what works for you—not a cookie-cutter plan that worked for Beyonce (who, by the way, may have a little more help and money at her disposal than the rest of us).
Yeah-daptation #1: Choose to save sugary, high-calorie beverages for special occasions and drink mostly water throughout the day. This means saving the mocha-fraps for date night and keeping soda off the dinner table. Sugar drinks are a huge source of extra calories that come with little nutritional benefit. By my calculations, if you switch from one 140 calorie can of soda per day to a glass of water, that little step could mean a weight loss of 10-15 pounds in a year. How easy is that!?
What is the most tempting high-calorie or high-sugar beverage for you? How are you planning on drinking less of it in 2012?
This is good. My issue is definitely sugary coffee.... I love it. I think I'm going to start putting just milk in my coffee.
ReplyDeleteI took sugar out of my coffee last January and after a few weeks, I grew to like the non-sugary version better! On special occasions, I add back in a sweetener. During the cold months, hot cocoa however, is my downfall.
ReplyDeleteMine is the Pumpkin Spice Latte, which isn't always available luckily! I am working on drinking less Diet Coke now, because I don't need too much caffeine or sweetener! Drink water! That is what the Army always told us, and it's true it's the best thing!
ReplyDeleteKendra, I love Pumpkin Spice Lattes too! It's so important to allow ourselves to have treats like this from time to time...it's when pumpkin spice lattes become a daily treat that we start to have problems! I've also started to ask for half of the pumps of syrup at Starbucks when I get a flavored latte...it's still plenty sweet with much less sugar!
ReplyDeleteLove this idea!! My weakness is Coke, as in full calorie, no diet here... And not from a can either... the largest size from Sonic with the really great ice. By the end of 2011 I was drinking them every single day! And even worse...it would even become my "comfort" for the day. Starting Jan 1 I have not been through the Sonic drive thru in 2012! Now I realize we are only on day 10 and it takes every ounce of will power I have! LOL. But I am determined!!! I can do this! Thanks for the inspiration!
ReplyDelete