Bookmark Website  | Free Registration  | The Team
The Lounge  | Champions  | The Wire |  Schedule |  Audio  |  Arcade  |  The Top Ten  |  Historical  |  Email  |  Video

Changing Your Eating Habits


We are bombarded with advertisements pushing delicious looking, fat filled, and obesity producing food in our faces every single day. We hear it on the radio; see it on TV and on billboards and even in newspapers. We go on a diet and try to totally turn our eating habits around. We go from eating hamburgers, French fries, pizza, hot dogs, and other junk to eating lettuce and drinking water. If we are really disciplined we make it a week or so. But like most people, we are back to our old habits within days. The change is just too drastic and makes it next to impossible for us to stick to our diets.

I have slowly improved my eating habits over the years. I have done this in a way that has been painless to me and has replaced bad diet choices with good eating habits. Of course, before any diet changes you should consult your physician. I was not in any immediate health danger and therefore did not need to immediately change my habits. What follows is not a "how to" article but more of an article on how I changed my eating habits over time.

There was a time in my life when I received my daily intake from fast food restaurants. I was in a sales position and on the road most of the time. I would have the burger, fries and coke combo from a different fast food joint every day. I was much younger then and blessed with a decent metabolism so I did not see much negative effect from all of the unhealthy eating. It was upon my taking a physical for another job that I discovered my cholesterol was not in a good range. I was way too young for something like this to happen and I knew that I must change my ways. I attempted to totally overhaul my eating habits in one day. I would do well for awhile and then go back to my old ways. I had made improvements but they were not ingrained good habits like I was hoping for.

Upon much reflection I decided to go a little easier on myself. I decided to start substituting food choices one by one until they became habit. My first substitution was with my beverage choice. Instead of having the cola I would order water. It was kind of a mental reward system for me. I would eat the burger and fries guilt free as long as I drank water instead of cola. I know that you are probably thinking "how can you eat a burger and fries guilt free?". I could do this guilt free because I knew that it was just a stage in my long term diet plan. I chose water as my first diet choice because it came easy for me. It required very little discipline on my part. After a month or so drinking water with a meal became second nature to me. It was no longer a sacrifice; it was a habit.

After that came the French fries. I substituted the French fries with a plain baked potato. Burger diet now consisted of a burger, plain baked potato and water. I actually started enjoying the baked potato rather quickly. They are much tastier than grease drowned fries. You can see where I am going with this. If you have been trying to lose weight for any time now, you know what a good food is and what a bad food is. You will know where and what to substitute. I continued these substitutions and still do to this day.

Now I am more aware of an unhealthy habit starting. I am very conscious of what I eat. Some of the great things about these diet choices are that they became habits; the desire for the unhealthy foods was replaced with a desire for healthy foods. Nowadays I rarely eat out. I have lost my taste for such foods.

Some of my diet substitutions:

Water for Cola, Baked potato for Fries, Whole Wheat for white bread, Soy Milk for cow's milk, pretzels for chips, salads for desserts, Meal replacement shake for cereal, and the list goes on and on.

Habits are built by doing something over and over. I have read it takes around 30 days to establish a habit. Do not stop your substitutions with the foods you eat?.carry it over to other parts of your life. For example, substitute the elevator with the stairs, substitute the car with a bicycle, give up the evening news and replace it with a walk.

Yours in health,

Bill Herren

Discouragement comes when we feel overwhelmed and want results yesterday. Take your time, develop habits, and enjoy a leaner healthier body!

Bill Herren is the webmaster for http://www.weightloss-articles.com.

Everything weight loss related! Weight loss success stories, product reviews, exercise articles, weight loss recipes, and diet articles. All free and all designed to help you lose weight!


MORE RESOURCES:

Houston Weight Loss Surgeons Discuss How to Choose the Right Bariatric Practice
San Francisco Chronicle (press release)
Drs. Yu and Scarborough discuss key aspects to look for in a practice before undergoing a weight loss procedure such as gastric plication to help improve results and get patients back on track towards leading a healthier life.

and more »


USA TODAY

Weight loss: Clinics halt Lap-Band surgeries amid controversy | MassDevice.com ...
Mass Device
MASSDEVICE ON CALL — A pair of outpatient clinics in Los Angeles stopped offering weight-loss surgeries using the Lap-Band gastrointestinal device amid ongoing controversy over a marketing campaign. The FDA late last year issued warning letters to 8 ...
Clinics halt Lap-Band surgeriesLos Angeles Times
Lap-Band surgeries halted at 2 LA clinicsmsnbc.com
Allergan stops selling Lap-Band to 1-800-GET-THIN doctorsInjuryBoard.com
California Healthline -French Tribune
all 55 news articles »


Dallas Weight Loss Surgeon Adds Bariatrician
Sacramento Bee
As a Board Certified Bariatrician, Dr. Obi will head up the Bariatric Solutions AfterCare program as well as assisting patients during their pre surgery diet requirement for the weight loss surgeries performed at Bariatric Solutions: Lap Band, ...

and more »


Drugs with modified lifestyle help weight loss
Times of India
A study led by the University of Leicester looks at the effectiveness of anti -obesity drugs and a modified lifestyle on weight loss and BMI. The review was based on 94 studies including over 24000 individuals and assessed how effective the drugs were ...

and more »


Weight-loss methods tested
The Bay of Plenty Times
The indulge team and readers test old and new weight-loss methods and Bay dietitian Rachel Scrivin adds her expert opinion. A high protein, low-carbohydrate diet devised by French nutritionist Pierre Dukan. It has grown in popularity over the last year ...



Weight-loss couple urge others to take up challenge
This is Plymouth
A COUPLE from Devonport embracing the loveLIFE campaign have lost five of their 15 stone weight loss target. Chris Searle, aged 30, and Charlotte Telling, aged 25, who are both unemployed, signed up to The Herald's loveLIFE campaign to help improve the ...

and more »


Sunderland Echo

Weight loss no holiday
Sunderland Echo
Last night's episode of The Biggest Loser UK saw the contestants, including Kevin, of Seaburn Dene, jet off to America as part of their massive weight loss challenge. Kevin, 38, managed to win through another gruelling week to keep his place in the ...



eMaxHealth

The 'fit but fat' debate: Weight loss should still be the goal, experts say
Chicago Tribune
WEIGHT LOSS STILL THE GOAL Though these findings appear to support the idea that you can be fit but fat, scientists note that the rate of MNBO is very rare within the obese population, and the risk for mortality is still high among the obese, ...
The No-Gimmick Secret to Losing Weight for FreeeMaxHealth

all 2 news articles »


KTVU San Francisco

FDA warns against quick weight-loss programs using hormone
KTVU San Francisco
Proponents of a hormone-based diet claim you can lose 10 pounds in three weeks with no exercise, but this unusual weight-loss program some swear by comes with serious government warnings. For Sanjay Mohindra, tennis comes easy.



Politico

Weight Loss: Rick Warren's New Purpose
Huffington Post
By Lilly Fowler LAKE FOREST, Calif. (RNS) Megachurch pastor Rick Warren has become an outsized evangelical superstar: best-selling author of "The Purpose Driven Life" series, pastoral mentor and even political referee. Now Warren is finding a new ...
Rick Warren finds a new purpose: weight lossThe Christian Century
Rick Warren gets rid of excess weight using the Saddleback "Daniel Plan ...God Discussion

all 6 news articles »

Google News


Advertisement



Section Site Map - Submit News - Feedback - Comments - Advertise with Us

Copyright © 2006 Luminati Inc. All rights reserved.