Things you can do right now to have a healthy weight.
Shift your focus from weight to health.
Weight is just one number. Shift your attention inward. Think of food as supplying vital nutrients for your body instead of being “good or bad.” For example:
- Colorful plant foods are beautiful, and they have phytonutrients with antioxidant properties to support immune systems.
- Whole grains have fiber that support digestive health.
Focus your attention on how you can feed your body the nutrients it needs, and you’ll likely start eating healthier automatically.
Consider HOW you eat.
Do you scarf down food in your car? Eat in front of the TV? These behaviors may be jeopardizing your weight and health. It can take 10 minutes or more before our stomach tells our brain we are full. Being distracted may cause us to overeat.
Pay attention to your eating experience:
- Slow down, savor each bite, and enjoy your food!
- Pause while eating and check with your stomach – are you halfway full? Completely full?
- How hungry are you really?
Focus on the actual eating experience instead of your phone, tv, or computer, and you might find that food is more enjoyable.
Ditch the food rules.
Do you classify food as good or bad? Consider how you think about food. Food is supposed to be pleasurable while sustaining the life of all of your cells.
There is a spectrum of nutrients in most foods, and thus no food is completely “good or bad.” Enjoy your food, but be nice to your body by eating more foods with lots of vitamins and minerals, and less foods with few of these life-giving nutrients.
Recognize emotions do not need to be fed.
It’s common for people to eat when they are bored, stressed, sad, happy, and celebrating. Food is pleasurable and lights up reward centers in our brains.
Be aware when you are eating because you are feeling an emotion. Ask yourself, are you really hungry, or are your emotions hungry? There are healthier ways to feel less bored/anxious/sad/lonely/stressed, and they don’t involve food. (see coping skills below)
So the next time you are standing with the fridge door open or reaching for (fill in the blank), check your stomach and then your mood to determine what’s really your reason for eating.
Learn coping skills for stress, anxiety, and other feelings.
Eating will not make your circumstances change.
When you feel overwhelmed, stressed out, and having other unpleasant thoughts or feelings, there are many non-food related actions you can take:
- Get outside. Get some sunshine, fresh air, or go for a walk.
- Take a mental break. Focus on nature, your breath, or objects around you instead of focusing on anything negative for a little while.
- Talk to a friend, partner, or someone you trust.
- Do something nice for yourself. Go to a movie, get your hair done, get a massage.
- Use mental imagery and locate where the feeling resides physically in the body. Don’t try to fix the feeling; just locate it. Allow the feeling to just BE without analyzing it. Take a deep breath in and let go for a few minutes.
See, you didn’t need food to do these! Practice other ways to cope with feelings and emotions without using food.
Don’t starve yourself.
Although eating very little sounds like it leads to weight loss, it will backfire, because in, response your body will slow its metabolism.
Starving yourself is NOT a long-term healthy option; it is not likely to be followed for very long, may increase the risk of eating disorders, and the weight will likely come back when you resume eating.
Restricting your diet can also lead to serious nutritional deficiencies. Your body needs energy, and more importantly, vitamins and minerals to function properly.
Eating regular meals containing a sensible balance of nutrients, while considering how much energy you are eating, may help stabilize appetite and prevent overeating.
Instead of punishing yourself with starvation, which won’t work long-term, learn better behaviors shown to be more effective (hint, presented here!).
Have support.
Enlist a friend, lover, colleague, health coach, trainer, or join a group to support your healthy changes.
Having someone to support and lean on can provide you with the motivation and empathy you need to make lasting changes. It’s often more fun, too!
Find your weak spot and work on it.
Is your diet full of soda or sugary drinks? Find yourself getting dessert late at night?
Find out what behaviors are sabotaging your nutrition and waistline. Then find a healthier substitute. Examples:
- Swap frozen berries for ice cream or other desserts
- Use rice paper, lettuce, of low-cal wraps instead of bready foods (see food fight)
- Swap out high-fat/salt flour tortillas and use corn
- Drink iced coffee (careful on sugar/cream) or tea instead of soda for a caffeine boost
- Substitute half sparkling water/half fruit juice (100% juice) for soda or sugar-sweetened drinks
- Swap out the chips for crunchy apples with peanut butter, whole-grain crackers, carrots… (we love these Hippeas snacks)
Make yourself accountable.
Make a pledge to yourself to make one small change over a specific time (such as 1-2 weeks) and stick to it. Examples:
- Write yourself a contract and post it on the fridge or your phone.
- Tell a friend or partner your plan and have them help you stay accountable.
- Put the actions you will take on your calendar and stick with it.
Try a new strategy each week.
Practice new behaviors to make them stick. Examples:
- Add a veggie to one meal each night for a week.
- Try a healthy potluck at work.
- Walk at lunch with a co-worker or friend.
- Plan meals with your family and have them help.
Not every strategy will work for you, but you won’t know until you try. Finding new healthy behaviors you can stick with will take some practice.
Finding out what didn’t work and modifying it can also help you to personalize it.
Get the good stuff in first.
Just like you would feed a baby, start with the healthy foods first before giving dessert.
Aim to get your nutrients from quality whole foods, and you likely will feel full very quickly. Have dessert if you like, but only AFTER you give your body what it really needs.
Change your environment, change your behavior.
Did you know? People eat more healthy foods if they are presented first in the cafeteria line. Having fruit out on the counter tends to encourage higher fruit consumption. Conversely, chips in view are usually gobbled down quickly.
Checkout lines typically have crappy cheap food to encourage purchases. Late-night commercials are full of unhealthy food ads, especially carryout and for delivery foods.
Our environment influences us to eat. To combat this:
- Place the good foods front and center in your fridge, cabinets, and on counters.
- At a buffet or cafeteria, check the line before piling food on your plate; fill up on good stuff first.
- Face away from the buffet or put the food platter or container out of view.
- Notice how menus are designed to encourage consumption of unhealthy (and often pricey) items. Don’t get lured in!
- Turn commercials on mute or off entirely by using a commercial-free service.
- Be aware of how advertisers and businesses place items on shelves and in ads to encourage you to eat. Don’t fall for it!
Don’t make it a goal for the future, DO something NOW.
It’s good to have a goal, but it must be very specific, with an action plan for achievement, and monitoring and accountability in place to ensure success.
But, just like most unfulfilled New Year’s resolutions, you are less likely to achieve a large future goal than when you pay attention to the present moment, aka your behavior right now.
You have opportunities to make good decisions throughout the day, every day. Pay attention to not only what you are eating, but HOW.
Honor your body with good behaviors like doing less sitting and eating more good wholesome foods. Stop waiting until tomorrow or next week to do something about your health. Start now. Remember, good intentions are not enough!
Each minute you have a choice.
Determine what is preventing you from turning good intentions into action.
Challenge: Are there other people in your household that encourage poor eating and low activity? Suggestions for change:
- Plan and prepare meals together so that you encourage each other to eat better.
- Opt for meals that each person can personalize, like fajitas, where you can mix, match, and substitute healthier items.
- Ask for their support.
- Find a buddy or group to support you if you can’t get your partner/kids on board.
Challenge: Do you wait until the last minute to decide what you’re going to eat, then eat just about anything convenient? Solutions are throughout this article.
Challenge: You can’t seem to make time to be healthy. Use your time more efficiently. Keep reading.
The point is, figure out how you can make actions align with your intentions then include them into your daily routine.
Ditch the “all-or-nothing” mentality.
So you had a big piece of cake or large fries. This doesn’t mean you should just give up healthy behaviors.
No need to keep track of when you fail, but do notice where your weak spots may be. Focus instead on all the good you are doing. You have a choice every minute of every day. Choose to make your next action a healthy one.
You can have it, just not all at once!
Food is and should be pleasurable. Enjoy your food; just don’t eat so much of it at once.
A bit of dessert, a glass of beer, or a fried appetizer is okay once in a while.
Reduce some calories at your next meal to balance it out, and focus on getting in the healthy stuff most of the time.
Stop caring what strangers think about your body.
Worried you will look ridiculous or be embarrassed about your body at the gym or outside getting exercise?
Why let what others think of you stop you from giving your body the love it needs? Most people are so concerned about their appearance to really care about yours, anyway. Suggestions:
- Find times where the gym/park is not very busy (skip the 4-6 pm rush)
- Have someone accompany you
- Stream online videos in the privacy of your own home
- Do it anyway and feel great after!
You DO have time to be nice to your body.
Think you don’t have time? Yes, you do! If you have time to watch television, chat on your phone, search and post on Instagram/ Twitter/ Facebook, or shop online, then you have time to take care of your body.
It’s about MAKING the time you do have work for you, not against you. The trick is to find when you are most motivated to prepare food, stretch/ move that body, and include it in your day.
Start small. Don’t try to change your life all at once. For example:
- If you feel motivated to cook on the weekends, take advantage of it and divvy out portions to freeze/dethaw for several days’ meals.
- Have lots of energy in the mornings but drag-ass by mid-afternoon? Get in a morning walk, stretch session, bike ride; don’t wait until the afternoon when you know you will be tired.
Don’t rely on motivation. Find the times that are more likely to encourage action, then make a plan. The more you do, the more reward you will get (more energy, look better with healthier cells), and the more it becomes a habit.
Don’t get so hungry you become “hangry.”
Get too hungry, and you’re likely to choose unhealthy foods, eat too fast, and too much. Suggestions:
- Check out menus at restaurants for nutrition info before you go to make wiser choices before arriving.
- Bring a light snack with you to avoid intense hunger.
- Shop around the perimeter of grocery stores where there are whole foods and less junk.
- Go shopping with a list when you are NOT hungry.
- Plan ahead (see below) to offset this situation by having healthier food available before you’re ravenous.
- Slow down while eating when you notice you are really hungry; your brain needs time to catch up to your stomach.
Plan ahead! You know you’re going to need to eat at some point, so plan for it!
Hit the drive-thru often? What about the vending machine? These are not the best choices when it comes to nutrition or healthy weights.
We know we will need to eat while at work/ school/ outside of our house, so why is it so hard to plan for it? Figure out a system that you can stick to:
- Shop on the weekend and prepare a few day’s meals in advance.
- Have a slow cooker or Instant pot? Cook and freeze entrees in single-serving containers to thaw the night before you eat them.
- Make larger dinners and divide them up for lunches the next day.
- Find quick and easy recipes such as overnight oats that can help you get the day on the right track with little effort.
- Cut up veggies and fruit and place them into individual containers to add to your to-go meals.
- Buy healthier snacks like fat-free yogurt, string cheese, wholegrain crackers.
- Enlist help from your housemates, kids, family members to help shop and prepare meals.
- Buy an insulated lunchbox, cute bento boxes, a small fridge for work, or whatever you might need to help you plan better.
- Make a date with a co-worker or friend at a healthier restaurant or share lunch with healthier items. The more support you have from people around you, the more likely you will make healthier choices!
- Perimeters of grocery stores can provide a quick meal. For example, string cheese, yogurt, fruit, deli-baked chicken, salads, sushi, whole grain bakery items, and fruit smoothie are simple and healthy.
Remember, don’t just wing it! Plan to eat healthily.
Don’t eat out of the bag/carton/box.
How many times have you eaten too much popcorn or pizza just because it was in front of you? This is because we tend to eat everything that is on our plates.
- Serve yourself a reasonable portion and leave the container or out of sight before you sit and eat.
- Avoid the “family style” dinner table – that is, keep the platters of food out of view. Divvy out portions onto plates, and then eat in a different room. That way, you are not tempted to get seconds and thirds just because the food is within view.
Out of sight, out of your stomach.
The reward center of our brain lights up when we see or smell delicious food. Memories of these foods’ flavor and satisfaction often entice us to eat, even if we are not hungry.
- Know that you are a sucker for doughnuts, cakes, and pastries? Steer clear of the bakery section and donut shop.
- Halloween candy around the office or on your desk? You are likely to eat it. Get rid of it, hide it in a drawer, or bring in something healthier to share.
- Cabinets at home full of junk food? Hide it in the back, on higher shelves, or better yet, don’t buy it.
- Check to make sure it’s your stomach that is really hungry, not your eyes, before eating!
Controlling what you see can help you manage temptations. Place healthy choices within view to make them the easy choice.
Ditch the clean plate rule.
Maybe you grew up with the “clean your plate” rule. Although it is important not to waste food, this behavior can encourage you to eat more than you might need.
Remember, you can always save it for later – that is why Tupperware, aluminum foil, to-go containers, and plastic wrap were invented.
Serve less on your plate, use smaller dishes, ask for a to-go container, or share your food, but no need to eat everything in front of you.
Stop fearing you will have to give up your favorite foods.
Remember, you can have it, not just all at once. Restriction of foods will only make you want it even more.
So go ahead and have some, just not so much it pushes out the healthier foods (lowering vitamin and mineral intake) and causes you to eat too many calories.
If your favorite food has lots of calories and has few nutrients, then find ways to lower your total calories to enjoy it still while substituting healthier things. Examples:
- Love ice cream? Serve yourself a smaller portion, add fresh fruit, or opt for lower-calorie versions.
- Eat a lot of meat? Use half the meat and add beans or lentils; this will increase fiber, iron, protein, and lower fat and calories.
- Are tacos your passion? Substitute part of the meat and cheese with beans, lentils, grilled onions, bell peppers, zucchini, or other veggies to increase nutrients and lower calories; skip the flour tortilla and fried shells and use corn tortillas or wrap them in lettuce for lower calories. (see our comparison)
- Love French fries? Share them, order a small, skip the cheese on your burger or the soda to lower your total calories, opt for a healthier item some of the time, or get the fries and a salad and split it with a friend.
Realize that healthy food can taste good.
I used to think healthy food wasn’t as tasty as junk food until I had a few people show me how to prepare foods to taste delicious.
- Start slowly by mixing healthier items into foods you already enjoy. For example, add dark leafy greens, mushrooms, or sliced sweet potatoes in lasagna.
- Try new products that are healthier, plant-based, or lower saturated fat/salt/calories. We review products and love these!
- Swap out items that make recipes healthier.
- Try a new way of cooking food. Grilling veggies may taste better to you than steaming; baking fish may turn out just as delicious as that high-fat fried fish and chips dish without the added calories.
Remember, not every food will taste good to you, but it may be that it just needs to be cooked a different way or needs to be blended with other foods (e.g., mix bitter with sweet, spicy, or savory).
Skip the trendy diets that focus on fat, carbs, or specific foods.
People lose weight on diets, regardless of what kind. The problem is that they tend to gain it back over time. Why is this? Three reasons:
1. We start paying attention to what we eat when on a diet.
2. We monitor and restrict foods (aka calories), which leads to weight loss.
3. Returning to our typical diet typically causes weight gain (and sometimes more than was lost!)
Regardless of what rules the diet follows, paying attention and reducing energy intake by lowering total calories is key.
Trends in dieting come and go. To make weight loss sustainable, however, lifestyle changes are necessary. So skip worrying about high vs. low – fat or sugar diets as research has shown these diets to be less influential in the overall big picture of weight.
Health and weight are about diet QUALITY (vitamin and mineral content) and QUANTITY (calories), not one specific nutrient.
Figure out how many calories you REALLY need.
Most people have no idea how many calories their bodies need. If you eat too many calories than you use, you will store this energy as fat, regardless of what food you are eating. Find your calorie needs:
Then, get good at estimating how many calories are in a food. Knowing how many calories are in your meals can help you not to overeat. You can’t expect to lose weight if you are consuming too much energy! Example:
Most combo meals at fast food joints (small fries and soda) will run you 800-1100 calories. So, if your calorie needs are 1800 calories per day, you just ate about HALF of your ENTIRE day’s needs in one meal!
You don’t have to do complex math, here are quick ways to estimate calories in food.
Beware of visual bias.
Unless you bake a lot or work in a lab, most of us misjudge the amount of food and drink we serve ourselves. For example:
A tall skinny glass might make it look like there is more liquid than a short wide glass. A smaller plate might look like there is more food than a larger plate.
While you might not feel fuller using smaller dishes, it may help you serve smaller portions and stay within calorie needs. Suggestions:
- Check nutrition labels for serving size and corresponding calories.
- Measure out stuff in your own dishware to see how much you are serving into these dishes (e.g., is your portion larger than the serving size on the label?).
Events can sabotage your weight and health
Birthdays, weddings, funerals, and holidays all tend to have food (and alcohol) involved. In fact, food is often the main attraction.
Be aware of what and how much you eat at events (especially Thanksgiving) as it can be easy to eat mindlessly. Try these tips:
- Try eating a small meal or snack before you go so that you’re not so hungry you overindulge.
- Use smaller plates, or be mindful of the portions you are taking/being served.
- Start with the healthy foods first.
- Tell your aunt/mom/grandma that you do not want big or second helpings, or ask to take it home to enjoy later.
- Skip the alcohol, know the calorie content of drinks (see below), alternate alcoholic beverages with water, and monitor how many drinks you have had (good for your health and reputation).
Remind yourself a holiday or celebration is not for eating poorly. You can take part in festivities without treating your body poorly.
Alcohol can have A LOT of calories.
Alcohol has more calories than carbohydrates or protein, and almost as much as fat. Not only does alcohol increase your risk for many types of cancer, it can bulge your waistline pretty fast.
- A 12 oz beer can be 150-200 calories.
- A shot (1.25oz) of liquor is about 80-100 calories by itself. Add it to 8 oz of soda or juice, and it increases to 200 to 250 calories.
- 6 oz of wine is around 150 calories.
Mixed drink example: Margaritas can be 150-600 calories or more (yikes!) depending on the ingredients and size. Have a margarita (~300 calories) with your chicken parmesan (~1380 cal), Ceasar salad (~220), and 2 breadsticks (~380), and you’ll scarf down 2280 calories in ONE sitting!
If you choose to drink, consider what else might be in the beverage – red wine has beneficial plant compounds linked to healthy arteries; a mixed drink with OJ provides you with vitamin C, potassium, and folate.
However, limit the alcohol as it is a known toxin and raises cancer risk!
Don’t add unnecessary calories from drinks when you can eat delicious and (hopefully) nutritious food instead.
Be aware that restaurants are notorious for serving HUGE portions.
If you add up the calories you eat at a restaurant, you most likely will be shocked. One meal can be your ENTIRE day’s calories! Here are some tips to not overeat at restaurants:
- Skip the bread and skip/go easy on the chips and salsa.
- Share your food with your company.
- Ask for a to-go box with your meal and take half home.
- Anything fried, breaded, or covered in cheese or has cream will have way more calories than grilled, baked, and vegetable-based (e.g., tomato sauce) foods.
- Alcoholic beverages can be loaded with calories (especially sweet/fruity drinks).
- Look at menus for calories (if available). Consider your day’s need and how much you have already eaten before splurging on a meal.
- Ask for dressing, butter, sour cream, syrup, and other sauces on the side.
Remember, if you need 2000 calories for the ENTIRE day, one meal shouldn’t be more than about one-third of this.
Eating out at restaurants is not for rewarding yourself or for stuffing your face.
When I was young, my parents would encourage us to eat as much as we could at restaurants to get the most for our money. Not only did this feel like a huge reward to be so stuffed afterward, but it also taught us that overeating (often unhealthy foods) was good behavior.
You do not need to reward yourself every time you eat out. You can have it, just not all at once.
Track yourself
Monitor your weight.
People who weigh themselves often are more likely to keep weight off, according to decades of research. This is because they are monitoring themselves and adjusting their food intake and physical activity.
Don’t wait till the weight has piled on that you can’t button your pants. Monitor yourself for weight changes, and adjust food intake accordingly!
But don’t get crazy; once a week is sufficient. Water and muscle weigh more than fat and can drastically influence your daily weight. (Weight is just one number, though. Your scale doesn’t say how healthy you are on the inside.)
Monitor calories.
How do you know you are eating the correct amount of calories if you aren’t monitoring your intake?
Take a week or more and really pay attention to your caloric intake to get an idea of how many calories you truly eat. Check labels! (see calories here).
Don’t cheat by changing up what you would normally eat while tracking. You can’t make changes without knowing your usual intake!
Monitor your other “numbers.”
You might not see the scale drop dramatically right away, but other health indicators like blood pressure and cholesterol may change quickly. Keep your body mass index in the healthy range. (find your BMI here)
The number of vegetables you eat daily should be about 3 cups (adults).
Cups of water needed for most adults is 8 to 13, depending on gender, age, and life stage (breastfeeding, pregnant).
Half of your plate at each meal should be fruits and veggies.
Half of your grains and cereals should be from whole grains.
Limit your salt intake to 2300 mg (1 tsp of table salt from ALL foods, check labels).
Limit saturated fat and ADDED sugar to less than 10% of your total calories.
Increase fiber intake.
Fiber can make you feel fuller. It slows digestion and helps gradually release energy from food. Most people don’t eat enough fiber. Fiber is found in high amounts in whole fruits and vegetables and whole grains.
Include a little protein at each meal.
Protein can make you feel fuller and more satisfied, which may help you eat less. Protein is in soy and other legumes (peas, lentils, peanuts), seeds and nuts, meats, poultry, dairy, and eggs.
Little changes can make a meal healthier.
Swapping out certain foods for healthier items can improve your health as well as lower your calorie intake.
Examples: switch to fat-free versions, use margarine instead of butter, use herbs instead of salt, use sliced fruit instead of sugar in your oatmeal or tea.
Remember, even if you swap out just half of the high-fat/ sugar/ calorie items with something healthier, you will be lowering total calories while increasing nutrients!
Learn to prepare veggies so that they taste good.
Cooking methods make a huge difference. Overcook veggies, and they will taste terrible. For example:
- Thick, chunky, and hard plants need more cooking time than delicate leafy greens like kale.
- Cut bitter veggies smaller than other foods to lessen the overall flavor of a dish; blend bitter with sweet or savory.
- Try flash boiling or lightly steaming veggies; they should turn bright in color (not change color or fade/ dull)
- Timing is everything. Plan to cook the veggies so they come out at the same time as the rest of the meal (e.g., cook last if delicate).
Try different prep methods, and you might find you like a veggie that you used to hate. Just like feeding a baby, it takes multiple trial-and-error experiences to find what you like.
Don’t sit so much!
You don’t have to go to a gym to be healthy. Every minute you get up and move counts.
Try taking stairs, parking further away, carrying groceries instead of a cart, standing at work, walking the dog, playing with your kids, taking a sunset bike ride with a friend, whatever you can do to stop sitting so much.
Get up and move!
About 30 minutes a day of getting your heart rate up is all that it takes to get yourself healthy.
This doesn’t need to be all at once – 5 minutes taking the stairs, a 20-minute bike ride, and 5 minutes of playing with your kids/pets, and you’re done!
Walk within 15 minutes of meals. Several research studies support the increase in blood glucose usage by cells when walking after eating. So don’t just sit on the couch or at your desk. Get up and move!
This is only 2% of your day! No excuses. You only get one body, be nice to it.
Expect your weight loss progress to plateau over time, but know ways to boost your metabolism.
- Build muscle. Muscle uses more energy than other tissues. Gaining muscle will increase your basal metabolic rate (fancy words for the energy you spend just being alive).
- Change up your workout. Your body is very good at becoming efficient at doing repetitive movements. This is to conserve energy.
Usually bike? Try swimming. Aerobics classes are your go-to; try weight lifting or boxing. Try interval training if you haven’t done it before.
The more you move, the more your body will use calories. Try different activities to force your muscles to work differently for a boost.
Other effective behaviors people have reported:
The National Weight Control Registry tracks over 10,000 individuals who have lost significant amounts of weight and kept it off for long periods of time.
Many strategies are reported, but there is NO one-size-fits-all approach to weight loss or maintenance. Here are some of the findings. Participants report:
- 78% eat breakfast every day.
- 75% weigh themselves at least once a week.
- 62% watch less than 10 hours of TV per week.
- 90% exercise, on average, about 1 hour per day.
You can read their success stories here.
Summary
Stop dieting already! Shift your focus towards health and away from weight. Practice these and other skills to make lasting changes and be healthy over the long-term, not temporarily.
Start now in the present and stop waiting for change. Remember you have choices every day, every meal. You only get one body; be nice to it!
Content presented here, although created by US Registered Dietitians and PhD-level Nutritional Biologists, is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be medical advice. Consult your health care provider before using any supplements or making dietary changes.
