Put Your Best Fork Forward with National Nutrition Month!

National Nutrition Month

It’s time to “Put Your Best Fork Forward” to celebrate National Nutrition Month! Every March is a reminder to commit to healthy eating and physical activity.

Tips to Try -

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• What can you do to change or improve your habits? Small changes add up over time. Change one habit at a time for long-lasting results.
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• Would you like to lose weight? It’s not a diet. It’s a lifestyle. For motivation, check out Day 1 Motivation, Motivation, Motivation in The Food Is My Friend Diet.
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• Would you like to include more fruits and vegetables in your diet? Add a fruit with breakfast. Add more veggies to a sandwich at lunch. Eat a fruit for an afternoon snack. Make half the plate a big salad for dinner.
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• Would you like to be more active? What do you like to do? Walk? Go to the gym? Jog by yourself? Join a running group? Clean house? Dance? There’s something for everyone.

It’s All About Prevention -

A healthy lifestyle prevents health problems before they start. Who wants to take a lot of medications or spend time in the hospital?

More Tips –

Do you spend a lot of money on coffee drinks and snacks? Go grocery shopping on the weekend to buy healthy snacks, such as popcorn, bags of nuts, string cheese, yogurt or fruit.

Try cooking more at home. Begin with a meal plan for the week. When you have a plan, you will be less tempted to grab something quick on your way home from work. Besides, eating at restaurants can load on the calories, as well as extra amounts of sodium to your meals.

It’s Your Live -

Your goal is to create a create a healthy lifestyle that you are willing to do over your lifetime.   For science-based experts that you can trust, find a registered dietitian nutritionist in your area. Check out www.eatright.org and be the best that you can be.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day

Roses are red;

Violets are blue.

Sugar is sweet;

Watch how much you eat.

When I think of Valentine’s Day, I think of chocolate. Maybe because I am a fan of it. As a professional loser, a person who helps people lose weight, I say that no foods should be excluded from the diet.

For many people, when you tell them that they can’t eat chocolate or pizza or pasta, it’s all they want. And feeling deprived often leads to overeating, even bingeing. This leads to frustration and a reason to quit a "diet".

So how much is just right?  - Not too little and not too much.

The new USDA Dietary Guidelines take out the guesswork. They recommend limiting calories from added sugars to 10% of the total calories. The average person consumes 2,000 calories a day. Therefore, a sugary treat of 200 calories is reasonable. It’s enough to be satisfying. The festive mini cupcake in the picture is about 200 calories. Let's just say, the picture below is sugar on steroids.

Limit calories from Added Sugars to 200 calories a day

Tip: If a serving of food contains 5 grams of "added sugars", multiply 5x4. There are 20 calories from sugar.

It‘s very easy to eat too much, especially when there’s lots of temptations on holidays. For help, check out Day 22 - Rethinking Special Occasions in The Food Is My Friend Diet.

Healthy New Year!

Happy New Year

Is January your favorite month? The start of a new year is always a great time forget the past and to begin fresh.

Remember what it was like to embark on a new relationship? There’s so much potential to build a long and happy future with the person you love.

If your "fresh start" is to lose weight, follow this tips!

• To meet your weight loss goals, act like you are building a positive and trustworthy relationship with another person. Become your best friend. Allow yourself to love and comfort yourself as well as having the willpower to set limits and say no.
• Set goals. Life is a process. Don’t expect to lose 10 pounds in a week and keep it off. Set reasonable goals. Perhaps decide to completely give up sweets. For many people, it’s all or nothing. This one change will allow you to save a lot of calories and begin your weight loss journey. 
• No excuses. Just do it. Walk a mile a day. You don’t have to be perfect. If it's cold and rainy, get back on track as soon as possible. The more calories that you burn, the quicker you will lose weight.

Change is necessary. Otherwise, everything will stay the same. Right? Things will be different but also better.

Best of luck to make it happen. You got this!

Have the Happiest, Healthiest New Year yet!