All diets work…if you can stay on them. For me, the thought of dieting creates so much pressure, a wild, sugar-craving monster escapes. Let’s face it, dieting creates too many immediate changes. Focusing on eating healthy makes more sense. So, if you don’t have health conditions requiring specific diets, then you don’t need to diet, but rather, eat right.
American’s lifestyles have changed, making the piling on of pounds easier than ever. We’re less active, live in the land of plenty, and we overeat 140 lbs. annually per person than in 1990. We’re clueless as to balanced meals and serving sizes.
The current generation is growing up with a hamburger/hot dog-french fry diet, or chicken nuggets/strips. Want to super size? If it’s not fast food, families chow at bountiful buffets. Can’t forget convenient store soda pops and Starbucks specials either. Unhealthy habits…unhealthy foods and quantities.
Oh no! These pounds are here to stay. The lack of exercise and increased time in front of video games will ensure that. What is that I see them putting in their mouth while playing their games? Potato chips? Popcorn? Sweets? Right before bed, too.
One more thing. This generation’s tolerance to stress has decreased as well. Eating solves all our problems and makes us feel good, right? Just talking about it makes me want chocolate.
We see these problems in our feeding ministry. Poor eating habits are the norm, few skills exist to plan meals, shop, or cook. Education on helthier living would do wonders.
Besides education, we can replace poor eating habits with healthy ones…one change at a time. In my thirties, I cut back on pop, ate fewer greasy foods, began using spray and olive oil, and decreased my bread intake for starters. I also ate more salads and fewer chips.
Eating healthy became more difficult with shopping challenges from blindness, and our busy lifestyle. Counting calories was impossible. My first solution was to remember the acronym g-bombs.
G – greens
B – beans
O – onion
M – mushrooms
B – berries
S – seeds
Having this mental checklist to pay attention to when shopping and eating, helped. Even if I ate the same amount of calories every day, more of them were healthy calories than before, right? Next, I needed to learn correct portions so I was ecstatic when I discovered the book, “Change One: The Breakthrough Twelve-Week Eating Plan” by John Hastings availible as a talking book for my special player. My goal is to make one change at a time until it’s a habit, no matter how large or small.
Here is a free printable portion guide from this book. Other tips and strategies coming next week.
Eat healthy – cut out, change a brand, or add in healthier foods. Does this sound easier? Do you think this method will last longer than dieting? What change will you make first? Please tellus in the comments below.
Please share to encourage others, then read other posts to encourage yourself. Thanks for stopping in.
© 2016, Jena Fellers. All rights reserved.
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