One of my recent articles discussed the bottom line to achieving
a weight loss goal. The article focused on the importance of
keeping within your caloric budget and eating a sensible diet.
One of my recent articles discussed the bottom line to achieving a weight loss goal. The article focused on the importance of keeping within your caloric budget and eating a sensible diet.
I talked about eating habits as a lifestyle, and the means to achieving weight loss is to make “lifestyle changes,” not just to “diet.” Remember, a diet is just temporary, and doesn’t teach you “how” to achieve your goal. A lifestyle change is just that; a change in the way you do things permanently. A lifestyle change is typically healthier that a diet as well.
In most cases, a lifestyle change requires learning new skills, such as reading food labels, and understanding the caloric values. And as with most new skills, time, commitment, and practice are needed to learn them. It may also mean acquiring new tastes. For example, in order to eat a healthier diet, you may substitute whole grain bread for white bread. Although this might take some getting used to, you may find, as I do, that you prefer it.
As a wise person once said, “practice makes perfect.” Initially, as you are honing these new skills, you will have to pay close attention to what you are doing. For example, when you pick up a package of “low carb” cookies in the grocery store, you will want to take notice of things like serving size (is it the whole package or just one cookie?), calories per serving (again, note what the serving size is), how many grams of carbohydrates, fat, protein, and fiber are in the serving? Is the fat content saturated, unsaturated or trans fats? You get the idea.
Behavioral changes are not always easy. You might have heard the saying “old habits die hard.” It is human nature to revert to patterns in which we feel comfortable. This includes eating habits.
On the upside, the more you practice new behaviors, the easier they are. They become part of your daily routine, and consequently, second nature, to the point that you no longer have to think about them. You just do them. Using the label reading example, the more you do it, the more you will understand what you are looking at, and get more proficient at making healthy choices.
Karen Frost is the Wellness Director for Gold’s Gym of Morgan Hill. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Physical Education from New York University, and is certified by the American Council on Exercise as a Personal Trainer and a Lifestyle and Weight Management Consultant.
