Della and I have been on many diets. At one time, we thought that losing weight was the end goal. We tried many different types of diets and had some short term success. But over time, we fell back into old habits and the weight came back, and then some.
But a couple of years ago our doctor recommended we take a year long Health Basics course from the Red Deer Primary Network. We learned that health is not about simply loosing weight but about changing our lifestyle. I now have a mantra “Food is just fuel.” That does help with emotional eating.
Other lessons learned are:
- We use small plates rather than large ones. It tricks the mind but it does work.
- We serve from the stove rather than from the table. You’re less likely to have seconds if the food is not in front of you.
- We have a glass of water 30 minutes before each meal. This helps to sway the feeling of hunger. It also reduces my joint pain.
- We exercise every other day.
- We get at least 7, preferably 8 hours of sleep a night.
- We go on regular shreds or the longer Transform programs when we have functions to attend.
- We’ve both become entrepreneurs and become marketing arms of the Juice Plus+ company. We believe in “living the mission”.
- We’ve become aeroponic gardeners so that we have fresh vegetables all year long for smoothies, salads and snacks.
- We’ve become more involved in our community
- We visit friends and family far more often. We’ve expanded our friendships to include more people with a positive, health conscious, entrepreneurial lifestyle.
- Lastly, we’ve learned to go easy on ourselves. We know we’re not perfect and on days we don’t eat right, it’s Ok we will do better tomorrow. Follow the 80 – 20 rule. Our goal is to live healthier the rest of our lives, not just the next 30 days.
We’ve learned that the road to better health and subesequent weight loss is accomplished by changing your lifestyle one simple change at a time. It’s not short term but it can be done.
Watch this video where several Doctors and medical professionals expand on one simple change.
One Small Change