Walking to Lose Weight-Day 22
Food Habits
When following the Walking to Lose Weight program food is not a major focus. Generally sensible changes to your diet combined with daily walking results in weight loss. The reason for this is that often we are already too focussed on food. In line with this generally positive and feel-good approach to weight loss it is preferred to add something wonderful to daily life, rather than take it away. However, there may be medical reasons which make diet more central to your unique version of walking for weight loss.
Mostly it is necessary though to adjust the food quantity and quality taken in. How much and how painful this is depends upon your habits.
Some common misunderstandings and suggestions for correction:
Soft and fruit drinks are highly sugared. Change to diet or diluted versions; cut down and better still, drink water.
Fried foods are much much higher in calories- instead oven roast, grill and experiment with seasonings, BBQ or steam in foil.
A meal replacement product is not additional but instead of the meal i.e. lunch etc.
Never order the large size of anything when out.
What is this power food has over you?
Certain ‘cravings’ are in fact a habit. Your taste buds have adjusted to and expect a certain level of sweetness or saltiness etc. This can be changed. By working through one change at a time. E.g. Learn to like coffee unsweetened.
Any habit can be changed. For example, it doesn’t deny your cultural heritage or your distinct personality to change a lifelong addiction to butter. It is easy if you throw yourself totally into the change. Pretend it is a happy one for you. Look for alternatives. It is hard if you think or even say every time you ‘deny’ yourself, how much you love or dream of whipped cream or chocolate croissants, etc. Be willing to go with the change instead of fighting it or feeling upset.
Chips, fries, sauces, salad dressings, chocolate bars, donuts, beer, soda, sweets, cake, cookies are best taken out of your normal day, as a general rule, if you are walking to lose weight.
If you eat when you are bored, find interesting ways to fill in this time. Change relationships which are food based, to another reason for getting together. You can go to the wine bar and drink diet coke; go to the mall and walk instead of sitting and eating.
Often what seems like a sacrifice can disappear with changed circumstances. For instance, try to go out to a restaurant with new and interesting people where the focus is on the conversation and not the food. If you do enough talking the plates will be cleared before you’ve eaten more than half.
Try a new approach to walking to lose weight by eating for weight loss.
