Lifestyle Changes

Of course, with every diet success, there have to be changes in lifestyle to help maintain the ground gained during the diet. Several people have asked what I am planning — how I’m going to keep the weight off and keep healthy, happy, and energetic.

Step one will be a permanent change in eating habits. Naturally. I can’t go back to eating  large portions or having seconds of dessert and maintain the weight loss. I will have to be extremely mindful of what I eat. No more meals on the run, either. I’ve been reading French Women Don’t Get Fat and I love the approach it suggests. I’m going to try it. I’m also going to stay with a lower-carb approach, eating mostly meat and vegetables, with judicious portions of high-end cheeses, and some fruit. I won’t completely avoid desserts and snacks, but I’ll be careful that they are reasonable in portion and full of nutritional value. I’ll avoid bread, potatoes, and pasta, as I have been doing. Especially white breads and potatoes. Brown breads and rye breads don’t seem to affect my blood sugar or my weight, but if I eat white bread or potatoes, I can tell the difference in weight and energy-levels within just  few hours. It’s not pleasant.

Step two will be to be faithful to my Callanetics, and to get more active in my gardening. With those two forms of exercise, I’ll be sure to maintain fitness and toning.

Step three will be to take it easy. Not say “yes” so often, but to choose my activities (and the children’s) so that we are not doing too much and shorting ourselves in the sleep, nutrition, and recreation areas. I’ll make it a priority to get myself to bed by 9 and be up by 5. I’ll make family meals, sitting down at the table to home-made from-scratch food, another priority. I’ll take more time to take the kids to the playground and the zoo.

If I can make those three goals a reality, I have no doubt that I will never have a weight problem again.

Tags: Callanetics, Diet, exercise, food, menus, weight-loss