E AT S M A RT !
Eating Smart ?
Making a Plan and Sticking With It
Eating Smart ? ow often do I find myself in a
Hsocial setting where the cake is getting passed , and the host says , " You don ' t eat this ," and walks right by me ? Although the frosting looks creamy and the extra flower looks delicious , I agree and allow the cake to pass . A key to healthy living is being accountable for your decisions both on your good days and your bad days . January is a month of resolutions , a list of ' I will always ,' I will always eat healthy , I will always go to the gym , and then an equally long list of ' I will never ,' I will never drink again , I will never eat that dessert again . Those absolute decisions lead to the feeling of failure shortly after they are made . It is the ability to compromise and budget for food treats that leads to long-term success . A weight loss plan only works if you can stay on it . And as any successful dieter will tell you , it is much easier to lose weight when you follow a realistic plan while soliciting help from the people around you . It is much easier to stay on course once you verbalize your goals to husbands , wives , coworkers , friends , fellow gym goers or anyone equally as determined as you .
Perhaps you could plan , shop , cook , and eat together with someone holding you accountable . You will have a better chance of being successful . The strategy is simple ; make a plan for healthy eating and have the people around you hold you accountable for it .
First , make a plan be proactive and be prepared . Make a list and shop so
10 by Rachel Ezelius , RD
you have the right foods around and are " armed and ready " for whatever might come your way . It is important to feel satiated and satisfied by what you are eating . You can eat large amounts of calories with a small but very calorically dense food and not feel full , or you can have a small amount of calories in a large plateful of vegetables and be very satisfied . Look at your weekly schedule so you are realistic with your time , and only
A New England Journal of Medicine a study of 12,000 people over 32 years found that people with close friends who were obese had a much higher chance of becoming obese .
plan something that you have time to execute . Think ahead about those ' bad days ' ( holidays , social events , dinners out ) and figure out how you can make them better , or food budget for the things you really want . Figure out what you don ' t really need . As we have heard and experienced time and time again ‘ Failing to plan is planning to fail .’
Second , ask friends to join you ! Sharing sample meals and grocery lists , recipes and tips on nutrition takes a lot of the hard work out of dieting . Eating healthy can be monotonous if you don ' t look for new recipes . Share ideas with friends and be willing to try something new . Also , a diet surrounded by other likeminded people makes it harder to create excuses and fall off the weight-loss-wagon . Not surprisingly , the opposite influence is also said to be true . In the New England Journal of Medicine a study of 12,000 people over 32 years found that people with
Spring 2017 FIT to Print
close friends who were obese had a much higher chance of becoming obese as well . The theory states that , if you are with your friends who are overeating , you probably will overeat too . Sometimes you will find yourself in what seems like a hopeless situation . One strategy is to vocalize your goals by saying something like , " Hey guys don ' t let me eat any of that delicious dip over there !" That way , even though you might be alone in your journey , you will have the support of others to keep you on track !
Third , be accountable . Don ' t hide your scale , talk to others about your plan and follow through with your plan . Regularly weighing yourself is one way of being accountable for your actions . Several studies have shown those who weigh themselves regularly weigh less . A study from the University of Minnesota monitored 1,800 dieting adults . They found that those who weighed themselves regularly lost an average of 12 pounds over two years , while those who weighed less often only lost 6 pounds . The planning can be challenging , but there are many tools now available to us . One example is online journals , which provide an easy way to plan and track your food so that you stay on course to your weight loss and fitness goals . If you don ' t know where to start , Eat Smart can be in your corner , and help develop and modify an eating plan- one that will work for you .
Editor ’ s Note : Rachel Ezelius ’ s Eat Smart program was recently voted the Best of Long Island , Dietitian / Nutritionist , for the fifth consecutive year ! Rachel and Fitness Incentive wish to thank you for your continued support .
Rachel Ezelius is a Registered Dietitian who manages Fitness Incentive ’ s Eat Smart program . Questions ? Contact her by email : eatsmart @ fitnessincentive . com