Let’s talk about weight loss again. My last post explained why something as simple as listening to the signs your body gives could help with losing weight. Hopefully, that tip alone is helping some (if not many) either lose weight or maintain their current weight. For today’s post, the quick tip to help you maintain a healthier weight or even lose a couple pounds is substitute half of your meals with healthier options.
For many people, changing their diet “cold turkey” is either very challenging or not sustainable. While there are some who can make that change, most find it very difficult. A plan or strategy that is more likely to last and be effective is simply substituting half or part of your meal with healthier alternatives. Here’s an example. If your typical meal is a bacon cheeseburger, fries and large soda, making a small change like including mixed vegetables instead of the fries can make losing weight much more achievable. Why is this effective? A serving of small fries can be 300-400 calories (or even more) and a serving of mixed vegetables can be 100-150 calories. That is a difference of up to 300 calories. Many don’t burn that many calories during a workout! What is accomplished by doing this in one or two of your daily meals? 1) An improved (though not perfect) diet, 2) less daily calories consumed which leads to healthier weight or even weight loss, and 3) most importantly, a plan that is more achievable and sustainable beyond the first month of the year as you are still eating some of your favorites. The goal is to get you healthier over the course of a long period and not just for a few weeks out of every year. If it means starting off slow, that is actually ok!
Join me next week, December 2nd, as I continue to provide tips on fitness and weight loss.