Seven Steps to Improve Your Diet & Lose Weight

The typical American diet is high in fat and protein and low in fiber and nutritional quality. This combination is a major contributing factor in obesity, diabetes, atherosclerosis, strokes, high blood pressure and colon cancer. Perhaps you already suffer from one of these conditions or your doctor has advised you to lose weight – but the question everyone is asking is how?

My experience has been that the greatest results are achieved by making relatively small changes that you can sustain – creating new habits. Any dietary change that is too extreme, inflexible or depriving will be dropped and you will yoyo right back to your old bad habits. The first step involves assessing your current eating choices and lifestyle habits. Consider where and when you eat your main meals and honestly ask yourself if these are ideal conditions. Eating in a hurry, eating at odd hours or while working or watching tv can lead to poor digestion and over eating.

Step One: Choose 3 regular meal times with occasional variance of up to one hour for best results.

It is generally believed to be healthier to eat 3 moderate meals a day and, if needed, 2 small snacks, but there can be a fair amount of flexibility in choosing the best time to eat those meals. This is a big deal to decide because how we  burn calories depends a lot on whether our body trusts that we are going to be fed regularly or not. Regular meals are more fully metabolized compared to erratic meals where the body decides to store more of the calories consumed as fat.

Studies done on rats showed that given the same diet, one group that fed irregularly, gained fat while the group fed at regular times maintained a healthy weight – both on the same number of calories. One of my clients never ate breakfast and survived on coffee until late in the day. Then she began to eat her whole days caloric allowance, often nibbling late into the night. When she switched to eating 3 regularly scheduled meals, the pounds began to melt.

Step 2. Drink 6 glasses of filtered water throughout the day – more if you consume caffeine and alcohol or work out.

Step Two is pretty simple. Most of us misread our bodies cues for hunger when we are thirsty. When rating hunger, drinking a single glass of water will drop our perception of hunger from acute to moderate or even mild. Also, most of us are chronically dehydrated and this puts an extra stress on every system and organ in our body. Stress signals often get interpreted by our brain as a signal to eat because eating redirects energy to digestion and eases our experience of stress. By drinking at least 6 glasses of water throughout the day, we are better able to interpret the bodies signals of real hunger.

Drinking caffeinated drinks is the exact opposite of drinking water because caffeine acts as a diuretic which depletes the body of water and vitamins. One glass of coffee depletes the body of approximately 2 glasses of water and vitamin C. Working out, high intensity sports, drinking alcohol or being in the sun, also depletes water and vitamin C. Caffeine also triggers adrenaline production which gives us that boost of energy, but also gives us the crash and the cravings. Now, you may not be ready to eliminate caffeine and alcohol this year, but by drinking twice the water for each such drink, you can reduce their negative effects.

Step 3: Reduce simple carbohydrates, sugars and artificial sweeteners.

Step three is a bit harder. It has been estimated that the average American consumes over 150 pounds a sugar per year. The increased use of artificial sweeteners has not decreased that statistic but has only added another equally serious health risk. We all know that sugar contains calories but no nutritional value and is a major factor in the obesity epidemic.

Daily consumption of refined sugars sends our blood sugar on a roller coaster ride of peaks and valleys. This metabolic stress has been shown to lead to diabetes, a disorder that affects about 25 million Americans and is increasing exponentially. Sugar is highly addictive and it’s in almost all processed food and drinks. The only way to break the cycle of craving sugar is to consume complex carbohydrates at each meal which act as a slow burning fuel for the body’s energy needs.

The American Diabetic Association and World Health Organization recommend that about 60% of the calories of our diet should come from complex carbohydrates, 12 – 20% from proteins and 20 – 30% of our daily calories from healthy fats. Eliminate products that have cane syrup, sugar or white flour as the first ingredients. Consume more whole grains such as oatmeal, brown rice, quinoa, barley, buckwheat, millet and try a glass of fresh carrot juice or vegetable juice to prevent the energy slump of mid-afternoon, and infuse your body with cancer fighting antioxidants and vitamins.

Be prepared for those low sugar blues by carrying alternative, high-energy foods, like nuts, or a hard boiled egg, to get you past the pastries to your next balanced meal. Avoid all artificial sweeteners which have serious health risks and actually increase sugar cravings and weight gain.

There is one natural sugar substitute which has no known negative side effects that has been used for years in other countries but has not been welcomed into our food industry. That is stevia root, a very sweet plant that actually helps decrease hypoglycemia in the body and can be used to sweeten foods and drinks safely. Whole fresh fruits can be eaten, preferably between meals, but beware of canned fruit in syrups or fruit juices which are mostly empty calories.

Step 4: Reduce saturated fats  and increase fiber.

Step 4 is harder for some people than others. At present, the average American consumes almost 50% of their calories in saturated fats, mostly from meats and dairy products. These fats clog arteries and are the main culprit (along with cigarettes) in the increasingly high incidence of heart disease. Many people mistakenly believe that meat and dairy are the only sources of protein but protein is abundant in many vegetables, beans and whole grains which also provide other nutrients and fiber. Meat and dairy have no fiber and without fiber bowels become sluggish and toxic wastes accumulate causing fatigue, muscle and joint pain and contributing to degenerative conditions.

Most of us would benefit from taking a fiber supplement, such as psyllium seed powder or agave powder. Doing so one hour before regular meals with 2 glasses of water will dramatically reduce your appetite and make eating smaller portions more satisfying.

Step 5. Eat moderately at each meal.

The one truth about all dieting that can’t be disguised – you have to eat less. How much less depends on many factors but generally, it’s best to not go below 1,500 calories for a woman or 2,000 calories for a man. For a pregnant woman or anyone with a medical condition, please consult with your doctor. In general, reducing calories by a modest amount is more easily sustained. If that is coupled with increasing activity, the results will be noticeable and steady.

One trick that helps with portion control is to divide your dinner plate into quarters. Two quarters should be filled with low calorie steamed or raw vegetables. One quarter should be a high protein food, such as fish, lean meat, beans, soy protein or egg. The last quarter should be complex carbohydrate in the form of whole grain, winter squash or potato.  Breakfast and lunch should both fit in a bowl, such as a bowl of oatmeal or a bowl of soup. Weight watchers has excellent guidelines for helping with this process, but the more you concentrate on choosing high quality, high fiber foods, the easier it will be to eat less and reach your goals.

Step 6. Organize for success

Organize for success. It is nearly impossible to break old habits when the evidence of the old habit is all around you. It would be like a smoker seeing ashtrays and packages of cigarettes all around the house when they are trying to quit. For you, this means, clearing out the cupboards of the cookies, brownie mix, high fat cheeses, chips and frozen bagels pizzas. They’re just temptations that you don’t need. The other part of this is mentally preparing yourself to shop for just the items that are now on your list of healthy things to eat.  This means never going into a grocery store hungry and always shopping from a list. Your list is based on meal plans that you have organized, at least in your mind, beforehand. You may have been accustomed to thinking a lot about food and when you’re going to eat and what you’re going to eat, but now you have to think with a purpose. If you know that at 4 pm everyday you are likely to have an energy slump that will send you to get a coffee and doughnut, then you have to plan and be prepared for something healthier to change that pattern. I keep a bag of almonds in my purse at all times because a few almonds and a liter of water will get me though a hypoglycemia attack and help me get to my next, well planned meal.

Step 7. Enlist Support

The final step is to enlist support. I think the research on the  success of both Weight Watchers and Alcoholics Anonymous amply testify to the benefits of the buddy system. Sharing your journey makes the miles slip by more quickly. Having at least one friend that is equally motivated can make all the difference. Sit down at least once a week and talk about the things that are working and the places where you are still falling off. It’s always easier for someone else to see the answer to our problems than it is for us. If you have no friend to share this journey with than I strongly suggest weight watchers as a place where you will find support and a simple system to relearn how to nourish yourself, enjoy your meals and still lose weight.

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