I’m going to give you a few suggestions that will hopefully help you to transition into making more healthy choices in both your eating & level of activity. Hopefully, some of these will help you in your weight management goals!

1. Phase in Behavior Change. You don’t have to immediately go from “fat” to “thin”. Your health can be greatly impacted by making simple small changes. Total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol (the bad kind of cholesterol) and triglycerides significantly drop – and HDL (the “good” kind) cholesterol significantly rises – every time you drop 5 pounds. In one study, 60% of people with high blood pressure were able to discontinue their blood pressure medication after losing 10 pounds. And, overweight diabetics who lost at least 15 pounds over a year lowered their blood sugar levels by 15%, without medication. Those who lost 30 pounds reduced their blood sugar by more than 40%, even though they remained overweight (reported in Nutrition Action Health Letter, May 1995).

2. Transition to Healthy Food Choices. Evolving to healthier eating is very rewarding. An example of a good transition would be to replace high-fat dairy products with low-fat options before proceeding to nonfat sources.

3. Increase Formal Exercise and/or Activity Habits. The best-kept secret regarding weight loss is regular activity, of any kind. Also, research indicates that people who exercise regularly usually start eating more healthfully. … the bottom line of weight loss is to consume fewer calories than you use. Specifically, to burn 1 pound of fat, you need to consume 3,500 fewer calories than what you use. Therefore, it makes good sense to find ways to be more active in the course of a day (using the stairs instead of the elevator, for example).

4. Find ways to integrate healthy foods into your meals. You need to eat lots of veggies, legumes, grains, and some fruit. Instead of eating fat-free (or even the trendy “low carb” snacks (which are often loaded with “fake fat”, sugar, and preservatives), try to eat more whole-grain products and natural sweeteners instead. Reduce the intake of refined carbs that include white flour, white sugar, and white rice (to name a few). Reduce the amount of red meat you eat. Eat more chicken (without the fat & skin) and fish. Gradually reduce the amount of butter and margarine you use. (Did you know that 1 tbsp. of butter has 100 calories?)

Living a healthy lifestyle is a process that evolves over the course of your life. We all go through times when we eat more healthy or exercise more often than other times. The trick is to regularly integrate healthy habits into your lifestyle for wherever you are in life. As your life changes, you should regularly seek to change your eating/exercise habits to accommodate those changes. Just don't stop! You're worth the effort.