Seven simple choices for permanent weight loss

by Jill Fleming, MS, RD/LD
 
The key to permanent weight loss is to adopt healthy lifestyle choices that, with consistent repetition, become habits.  Most of us would love to lose our excess body fat quickly, but our real goal needs to permanent weight loss.  When you go on a restrictive diet, you will not be able to follow it for very long. Any weight you lose while feeling deprived will quickly return once you go off of the diet.
You should never go on a diet that you cannot follow for the rest of your life. Focus on making healthy choices most of the time, while still enjoying occasional guilt-free treats. Here are seven simple lifestyle choices you can add to your life today to help you reach your goal of permanent weight loss:
1) Drink a green smoothie everyday for breakfast.  Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, as it breaks the fast from the night before to speed up your metabolism. This is also the easiest way to increase your intake of both fruit and vegetables.  Your green smoothie will provide five to six servings of fruit or vegetables.  Here is a simple starter recipe (just blend):
1 cup liquid of choice (water, milk, juice, tea)
2 cups of fresh spinach
½ of a medium, frozen banana (freeze w/o the peeling)
1 cup frozen berries or melon of choice
½ of a medium cucumber
2) Make water your beverage of choice. You should drink at least eight cups of water daily. You will know you are drinking enough when your urine is pale yellow and non-cloudy. Water is needed to break down body fat to be used for energy.  Limit your intake of other beverages, such as sweetened or “diet” beverages. Liquid calories are always extra calories.
3) Eat “real food” 75% of the time. Real foods are meat, poultry or fish, dairy, fruit, vegetables, beans and nuts. They either won’t have an ingredient list or will have only one or two ingredients.  When ¾ of your plate contains real food, you will be eating healthy 75% of the time. Your body craves what you feed it. Once you stop fueling your body with junk and processed foods, you will find your cravings for these foods will go away.
4) Eat when you are truly hungry and stop eating when you are no longer hungry. True hunger means your body is ready for fuel.  True hunger typically occurs 3-4 hours after your last meal. Avoid eating to the point of full or uncomfortable. Excess calories will be stored as body fat. You may find it helpful to carry snacks with you, such as almonds or apples to prevent yourself from getting over hungry.
5) Move your body for at least 30 minutes daily. The best exercise for you is one that you will do. Think about what you loved to do for exercise as a child. Maybe it was biking, swimming, jumping rope or dancing. Walking or marching-in-place is the easiest form of exercise for most of us, as it only requires a pair of tennis shoes.
6) Get 6 ½ - 7 hours of sleep per night. Research shows that when you are sleep-deprived, your appetite will be stimulated and you will have increased cravings for sugar and processed foods. Doing some form of exercise daily will also help you sleep better at night and decrease cravings for junk food.
7) Deep breathe for 5-10 minutes/day. This is one of the best ways to control stress. Many people shallow-breathe when they experience stress. Since oxygen is needed to mobilize fat to be burned for energy, you will want to be sure to take that walk and do some deep breathing.  
Whether you add one or all of these simple lifestyle choices to your life, you will find that improving your health and losing weight is an attainable goal. If you would like help with accountability during your weight loss process, consider joining the Healthy Lifestyle Weight Loss Program at Veterans Memorial Hospital. The next class begins in May. If you prefer a private setting, you may want to meet individually with one of the hospital’s Registered Dietitians. For more information, call the dietitians at 563-568-3411, Ext. 567.