Stop Diets! Diets promise quick weight loss and unfortunately the loss includes more than just fat, they also causes water and muscle loss, which slows metabolism. If you are losing weight and your shape and strength, then you are losing muscle (lean body mass) too. When the weight is regained, which is usually the case for 98% of people, it is mostly fat. Therefore, diets just make us fat, or fatter.
Many diets claim carbohydrates make us fat and lead us to believe all carbs are bad, when carbs are the body’s preferred energy source, essential for gut health, and the very nutrient that helps spare lean body mass while losing weight with regular exercise.
Below is a step by step plan to start a sustainable health plan that will lead to lasting weight loss results and improve health with the possibility of a longer, happier, fuller life.
- January: Start eating 3 fruits a day for cold and flu fighting antioxidants.
- February: Add 3-4 ½ cup servings of vegetables each day to increase fiber for gut health and provide phytochemicals (nutrients to lower risks of developing chronic disease).
- March: Reduce portions by 20 to 50%. Leave the table feeling satisfied not stuffed! Do this by using smaller plates, cups and bowls. Overeating is linked to premature
DNA death resulting in shorter lifespans. - April: Reduce sugary snacks and beverages keeping added sugar to 25 grams a day. Even artificial sugar can harm gut health. Too much sugar and artificial sweeteners is linked to unhealthy weight gain and obesity. Instead switch to brewing green tea and using a pinch of Monk fruit (a natural dehydrated juice 250 times sweeter than sugar.)
- May: Increase activity throughout the month to 30 to 60 minutes 5-6 days a week. Break it into 10-minute segments throughout the day if necessary. Exercise improves mood, immunity, and lowers disease risks.
- June: Switch from refined, enriched starches such as breads and pasta to gut healthy whole grains. Whole grains are linked to lower risks of gastrointestinal cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
- July: Increase intake of fatty fish, such as salmon or tuna up to 2 times a week, a source of healthy essential omega 3 fatty acids to reduce cardiovascular risks and improve brain function.
- August: Reduce red meat and pork to 1 time a week, and replace it with either chicken, turkey, fish, or meatless vegetarian dishes. This is another way to decrease harmful saturated and trans fats which increases inflammation.
- September: Switch saturated fats to healthier fats such as using olive oil instead of butter, snacking on hummus instead of cheese, and nuts and seeds instead of chips. Cut out creamer or coconut oil by drinking your coffee or tea black. Saturated fats increase plague in the blood increasing risks for a heart attack or stroke. Saturated fat is also correlated to increased dementia.
- October: Add a ½ to 1 cup of beans or legumes to your day. Perfect time of year to make some lentil or split pea soup, adding chickpeas to your
salad, and increasing beans in your chili. Beans promote gut health and are linked to longevity. Increase slowly to allow your body time to adjust. - November: Begin modifying old recipes for healthier meals. This month is a perfect time to prepare a healthier Thanksgiving meal and continue the lifestyle you have been building throughout the year.
- December: Celebrate success buy treating yourself to a non-food Holiday gift for yourself. Maybe a new wardrobe is in order since you probably lost significant weight with all these great changes. This will certainly confirm all the changes were worth it!
This is just an example on how to divide a big goal into smaller objectives for greater success. Technically, this is how all life change happens for most. It takes years of failure to learn what works and little by little making small changes along the way. Eventually, in hindsight, life is very different than what it was years earlier. Getting started is all it takes to be on the journey of change.
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