Move Those Feet!

Never Say Die(t)

In the ongoing struggle to reach and/or maintain a healthy weight, there is a phrase that we’ve all heard and know by heart: “Diets don’t work; if you want to lose weight and keep it off, you have to make a lifestyle change.”  The main truth to gain from this lifestyle change idea is that weight loss or maintenance has to be something that happens while you’re still getting on with your life. It’s not about deprivation; it’s about choices. Here are 5 principles established by weight control specialist Dr. Howard Shapiro as essential components of successful weight loss:

• Any reason for eating is okay.  Research has shown that there’s no clear line between physiological and emotional reasons for eating. The idea of only eating when you are actually physically hungry may very well be impossible, because that is not something easily determined. So if you feel the need to eat, go ahead and do so…but choose the healthiest and lowest-calorie foods that you find satisfying.
• There are no bad foods. Any kind of food is okay; nothing should be completely off-limits. When you eat a high-fat or high-calorie food you’re not cheating, but you are making choices.
• There are no “correct” portions. Hunger varies from person to person, and from one situation to the next. If you eat more than you feel you should in one sitting, you haven’t blown the diet…you were simply hungrier than normal.
• An eating plan needs to suit your tastes and lifestyle. You can’t change your whole life to lose weight. If you’re at home all day near the kitchen, you can’t necessarily change those circumstances. You can, however, change the choices that you make, either by entering that kitchen less often or choosing better foods while you’re there.
• You’re never on a diet. You are participating in an ongoing process of learning to make satisfying food choices. There will be no need for ravenous binge eating when the “diet” ends. This is no diet…this is your new life.

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