The temptation at the beginning of every year is to try and change all of your habits at once. That’s a recipe for failure. Take it easy, make just a few healthy changes, like drinking more water and getting up and moving at least 10 minutes a day. Even 10 minutes can seem like a long time when you haven’t been doing anything. That’s the first step, and every step adds up.
TODAY: CUT BACK ON HOW MUCH YOU EAT AND GET MOVING.
The holidays are winding down. The resolutions have been made. But this is NOT the day to go on a hard core diet. You’ll fail and give up entirely by mid week. Sure you rip of the Band Aid and dive into the cold pool, but you need to make a lifestyle change or one year from today you’ll be reading this and starting over again. (Like you have before.) I’m not giving you justification to eat as much of whatever you want. Today you start reducing your food intake and purging your house of bad stuff.
Here’s today’s plan: Use up the snacks, cookies, candy and high calorie foods. If you have guests around, send them home with a goodie bag. If you have unopened snack foods, return them to the store. (Yes they take returns too.) Don’t binge on the stuff! Just don’t replenish the pantry.
Oh… GET OFF YOUR BUTT AND TAKE A WALK!
TODAY: WEIGH YOURSELF AND MEASURE YOUR WAIST. IT WILL GIVE YOU A BENCHMARK STARTING POINT FOR THE YEAR TO COME.
We’re half way through the first month of the year. So this week we’re going to revisit the “Half Week” diet and go “halfsies”. Eat half as much at half of your meals. Don’t make up the difference at those FULL meals though! If you can reduce portions at those meals as well, you’ll be that far ahead. It should be a lot easier than denying yourself anything. Remember that you should eat several small meals a day. Not full size, high calorie, large order of fries meals. These should have protein and veggies. You can have the carbs you crave if you have a small amount. Just cut back on your portions, drink plenty of water and eat slower. By the end of the week, those smaller portions will start to look normal. Keep it up and your waistline will too.
TODAY: EAT HALF, EXERCISE THE FULL AMOUNT.
A little parody of the old Ernie Ford song “16 Tons” works well to remind you to drink eight glasses of water a day. Don’t feel intimidated by how much “8 glasses of water” is. Those are 8 ounce glasses, a cup. A 16 ounce glass is two cups. (Gee, now I’m a math wizzard.) Get a pint glass, it holds sixteen ounces (that’s a pint). Just drink two of those glasses of water in the morning and two in the afternoon. But don’t ignore this! You DEFINITELY need this water to help curb your appetite and flush the proteins out of your system to keep your kidneys healthy.
Sure Ernie Ford was known as the “Ole’ Pea Picker”. Until your body adjusts to it you may be just an “Ole’ Pee er”.
TODAY: FIND A 16 OUNCE GLASS TO USE WHEN DRINKING YOUR NO CALORIE WATER.
Remember that “deal a meal” diet plan? Well I’m going to make it even more simple. You don’t need a deck of cards, you just need to remember how big a deck of cards is. For the most part you can use that as a gauge for how large a portion you serve yourself. You don’t have to deny yourself the food you like, just eat a reasonable amount. Keep the portions of protein and starches the size of a deck of cards and savor what you eat. Of course salads and veggies can be larger. Half the plate of salad paired with your protein will give you a full house … er… stomach and keep your weight in check without a raise.
Of course after you eat make sure you shuffle… out the door for a walk. (I know, I’m a joker.)
TODAY: CUT YOUR HIGH CALORIE PORTIONS DOWN TO A DECK OF CARDS.
Spring cleaning should not be limited to the closets. Hit the pantry and get rid of the high calorie winter snacks that you’ve been storing like a squirrel. You can’t eat ’em if you don’t have ’em. Grab a few bags, go to the park and… feed the squirrels.
TODAY: GET RID OF THOSE BAGS OF SNACKS.
Just saying the word “diet” can sound daunting. It may be what’s holding you back from changing your bad eating habits. So don’t go on a “diet”. Change just one little thing at a time so you can feel like you’re accomplishing something. What you will find is that you will actually accomplish something. Just use the tips I send you each day as a starting point. Each of those little goals will work a little. That’s the idea. They aren’t meant to be the single think you do to improve your health. Give it a try. Hey… even deciding to do that is reaching a small goal.
TODAY: DRINK MORE WATER.
Daily Nag, Exercise, Food Choices | Diet Nag | 
January 3, 2019 6:32 am | 
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