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Mission 4: Choose Smart Diet Actions
I’m not going to give you a diet. I don’t believe for a moment that you would stick to it. Not because of any moral failing, but because your body and mind would rebel.
Physically, your body can react to calorie restriction by becoming more efficient with fewer calories. That’s not what a person with a weight-loss goal wants – we want our bodies to use more calories, not less.
But as anyone who’s ever been on a diet knows, the real saboteur is that grey thing in your head.
Psychologically, your mind reacts to deprivation by wanting what it can’t have. And we know where that leads: binge city. Deprive yourself consistently and congratulations – you’re the mayor.
As Geneen Roth says, the fourth law of the universe is that for every diet there’s an equal and opposite binge.
So instead of a prescribed eating plan or list of things you can and can’t eat, I’m going to ask you to choose some specific diet actions.
To lose weight, we need to eat less and move more. Over the coming missions we’re going to get very strategic and smart in how we approach each of these prongs, but for now we’re starting simple.
In terms of eating less, we’ll achieve that goal by taking actions in two broad categories: eating less, and eating differently. But they both involve being smart about what we eat.
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Use the Eatwell Plate highlights the different types of food that make up our diet, and shows the proportions we should eat them to have a well balanced and healthy diet. eatwell.gov.uk
Thanks for the link Terry, that will be really helpful to people unsure of portions.
The following is our group decisions: The majority of us do not eat 1,000 calories a day.
Keep track of the calories you eat per day for a week in order to see how many calories you eat per day.
Fruits and Vegetables
– 5 portions Bread, rice, potatoes, pasta and other starchy foods – 5 portions
Meat, fish, eggs, beans and other non-dairy sources of protein – 2 portions Milk and dairy foods – 3 portions
Foods and drinks high in fats and/or sugars limited amount of this food group for your health
Fats on the other hand are more complex:
Saturated fats (meat, butter, dairy) and
particularly Trans fats (found in many cakes, biscuits and other fatty
processed foods) can increase cholesterol levels and are the
worst types of fats for health.
Unsaturated fats include monosaturates (olive oil, avocados, and nuts) and polyunsaturates (omega 6: vegetable/corn oils and omega3: oily fish/rapeseed/flax). The unsaturated fats can actually help to lower blood cholesterol levels and are much healthier than saturates. However, fats are all equally high in calories so moderation is key.
I will cut down on my snacking. When I do snack, I will grab a healthier choice!
Eat a fruit in place of dessert sugar snack in place of manufactured foods.
I will only eat sweets made fresh by restaurant or special occasion. Fast food and packaged manufactured I ‘ll pass. Neither will I bring homr.
will only eat sweets made fresh by restaurant or special occasion. Fast food and packaged manufactured I ‘ll pass.
Healthier snacks (fruit and veggies) and more water.
Getting rid of my sweet tooth. It is putting up a fight, but I’m hanging in there. One Day at a time.
More water, less wine 🙂
Less alcohol – wine while I work is a good start.
fewer snacks, swap out white carbs.
alternating with water and putting more vegetables on the plate.
The majority of us do not eat 1,000 calories a day.
Keep track of the calories you eat per day for a week in order to see how many calories you eat per day.
One person keeps track of their food per day.
For the most part, I just need to cut out sweets and fried food. Absolutely no more eating out! I already eat a lot of whole grains, so fibers not an issue and I’ve already cut out soda. It’s been six months since I’ve had it, so drinking waters not an issue, either. I just need to exercise more. That’ll be my main focus.
Replace lunchtime combo meals with smaller value options or just have the sandwich and not the fries.
I could definitely eat a little less! Does anyone else have a “one for you, one for me” approach when it comes to handing out treats or snacks to your children? No more for me!
I have some smaller plates that I have been using more frequently. I will continue to work on making that a habit. Also I won’t put the serving bowls on the table where it is easy to take seconds.
More exercise, smaller plate and drink more water. The more I exercise the less I want to eat.
Dessie and I go out to dinner together sometimes and we find it to be just as satisfying to order 1 meal and share it. We like most the same things and that makes it easy. And it saves money.
My husband and I have been having soup and sandwich a lot lately. I take a can of soup and add 2 cups mixed vegetables (I keep a large bag of frozen). I cut the sandwich in half and add some fruit to the plate.
I bought a sock loom to keep my hands busy in order to help curb my late night snacking, lol!