HEY FOLKS: HERE I AM AGAIN THOUGH THIS TIME HAVE TAKEN HELP FROM WEB MD
Healthy Eating: Starting a Plan for Change: Ref: Web MD
If you have decided to start a healthy eating plan, congratulations! Making that decision is an important step in becoming a healthier person.
Keep these key points in mind:
- When you're trying to develop new habits-whether it's healthy eating, or getting more exercise -you have a better chance of success if you make a plan ahead of time.
- Knowing why you want to eat healthier can help you make changes in your eating habits. And writing down your reasons will be a good reminder later on if you get discouraged.
- Start with small, short-term goals that you can reach pretty easily. It's easier to stay with something new when you have early, frequent successes.
- Support from family and friends can go a long way toward helping you find success in eating healthier. Don't be afraid to let them know what you're trying to do-and ask for their help.
What is involved in starting a healthy eating plan?
Eating one healthy meal isn't hard. It may not even be hard to eat three healthy meals in a single day. The hard part is making changes in your daily life so that you start eating healthy every day-and keep eating healthy every day.
It's all about changing your habits. And changing your habits is easier if you make a plan first.
Starting a life of healthy eating-or making any kind of change in the way you live your daily life-is like being on a path. The path leads to success. There are three steps that can help you get started:
- Have your own reasons for wanting to change.
- Set goals.
- Think about what might get in your way, and prepare for slip-ups.
Why do you want to start eating healthier foods?
Your reason for wanting this is really important. Don't do it because someone else wants you to. What makes you want to start eating healthier foods?
- You have a specific health concern
- You want to feel better and have more energy.
- You want to lose weight.
- You have another reason for wanting to do this.
Write down your reasons for wanting to make this change. Put the list where you can see it easily. It will be a daily reminder of why you want to make a change.
It’s not easy to make changes. But taking the time now to really think about what will motivate or inspire you will help you stay with it.
How do you start a healthy eating plan?
- It's important not to jump in too far too fast. Slow, steady, baby steps will set you up for success
What are the short-term goals that will help you get there?
Short-term goals are things that you want to do tomorrow and the day after. For example, you might decide to:
- Switch to low-fat or fat-free milk or soy milk instead of whole milk on your cereal to reduce the amount of fat you take in.
- Cut back on eating fast food to once a week, or eat red meat only 3 times a week.
How do you get started on healthy eating?
Healthy eating starts with learning new ways to eat, such as adding more fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and cutting back on foods that have a lot of fat, salt, and sugar.
A change to healthier eating also includes learning about balance, variety, and moderation.
- Aim for balance. Most days, eat from each food group-vegetables and fruit, grain products, milk and alternatives, and meat and alternatives. Listen to your body. Eat when you're hungry. Stop when you feel satisfied.
- Look for variety. Be adventurous. Choose different foods in each food group. For example, don't reach for an apple every time you choose a fruit. Eating a variety of foods each day will help you get all the nutrients you need.
- Practice moderation. Don't have too much or too little of one thing. All foods, if eaten in moderation, can be part of healthy eating. Even sweets can be okay.
Is healthy eating the same as going on a diet?
Healthy eating is not a diet. It means making changes you can live with and enjoy for the rest of your life.
Diets are temporary. Because you give up so much when you diet, you may be hungry and think about food all the time. And after you stop dieting, you also may overeat to make up for what you missed.
Eating a healthy, balanced variety of foods is far more satisfying. And if you match that with more physical activity, you are more likely to get to a healthy weight-and stay there-than if you diet.
Weight Management - Overview
What is a healthy weight?
A healthy weight is a weight that lowers your risk for health problems. For most people, body mass index (BMI) and waist size are good ways to tell if they are at a healthy weight.
But reaching a healthy weight isn't just about reaching a certain number on the scale or a certain BMI. Having healthy eating and exercise habits is even more important. When you're active and eating well, your body will settle into a weight that is healthy for you.
If you want to get to a healthy weight and stay there, healthy lifestyle changes will work better than dieting.
Reaching a certain number on the scale is not as important as having a healthy lifestyle.
Why pay attention to your weight?
Staying at a healthy weight is one of the best things you can do for your health. It can help prevent serious health problems.
- .But weight is only one part of your health. Even if you carry some extra weight, eating healthy foods and being more active can help you feel better, have more energy, and lower your risk for disease.
- Diets don't work.
- Diets are temporary. When you diet, you're usually not eating the way you will need to eat over the long term. So when you quit dieting, the extra weight comes back.
- Dieting usually means not letting yourself have many of the foods you love to eat. So when you quit dieting, you return to eating those foods as much as you used to-or more. And the extra weight comes back.
- Dieting often means eating so little food that you're hungry all the time and don't have enough energy. So when you quit dieting, you return to eating as much as you did before-or more. And the extra weight comes back.
- Most diet programs don't include an increase in activity, which is vital to staying at a healthy weight. So when you quit dieting, the weight comes back.
The biggest key to success is knowing that this is a process. It's not 'all or nothing at all.' It's a matter of making choices every day.
One day you might decide to eat more than another day, and that's okay, as long as you are paying attention. You will finally realize it isn’t a time-limited thing. It will become much more of a lifestyle change than a temporary diet.
The idea that somehow you could go back to your old ways is just not there anymore. How many of us have punished ourselves for putting on a few pounds by going into a state of denial? We deny ourselves sweets, fats, and just about every food that makes us happy.
Cutting out your favorite foods only sets you up for failure. When you feel hungry all the time, you're more likely to binge
Don't give up your favorite foods. Just eat them in moderation.
It's all about small splurges without being overindulgent when it comes to very calorie-dense foods.". Combine sweets with healthy foods, like drizzling melted chocolate over strawberries, or adding a few chocolate chips into your granola.
HAPPY EATING!! :)
