Being overweight and obese has become a serious problem in our country. When the CDC last checked in 2018, over 42% of us were obese, and that number doesn't even include just being overweight. Obesity can lead to chronic health conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and even some cancers, according to the CDC. On top of that, being overweight can make other diseases and health conditions worse and is harmful to your joints as you age.
A big concern now is that obesity worsens outcomes from COVID-19 because obesity is linked to things like impaired immune function and decreased lunch capacity. Even just being overweight can put you more at risk. So perhaps one of the most important things we can do for ourselves, even without COVID-19 since heart disease still kills more people, is get healthier.
The first place you have to look is your diet. What we feed our bodies affects every part. I've had to make changes in my diet in recent years. I've gotten into bad habits and have often been lazy about it. There are a lot of simple changes I have learned to make to my diet that have added up. It's all about turning them into habits. Fad diets or eliminating food groups have not helped me, especially since I don't have any food allergies or sensitivities. What's worked for me is realizing just exercising will not make up for a bad diet, and making good habits I can live with and stick with can make a huge difference.
I've learned a lot in my 40-plus years from health and fitness experts, doctors and just from my own mistakes. Here's what I do now with my own diet that's working for me.
I do better when I watch what I eat. I know that this is not ground-shaking advice, but I keep a better handle on my weight when I am very conscious of what I eat. What works for me is using a phone app like Fitness Pal where I enter everything I eat each day, and the app counts the calories. It also keeps up with my steps and allows me to add extra exercises that I do. I see all the nutrients I'm eating, or lack thereof, and it makes me think twice about eating a couple of chocolate chip cookies because I have to physically credit those calories to my day. It also helps me be mindful of what a serving of a particular food item is. There are many similar apps like that available.
I try to eat mostly real food. What I mean by that is that I eat as little processed food as I can. I try to eat more things as they are found in nature - meats, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds, fruits, vegetables, etc., and without a bunch of junk on them. Things that come in a box are typically not good for you - like Cheez-its, crackers, cereal, chips, etc. I loves those things and still eat them sometimes, but I try to avoid them. And making your own food and not eating out as much helps too. I don't even eat the prepared frozen meals anymore for lunch, even the healthy ones, because when I consistently make my own lunches, I tend to eat healthier and more easily lose weight. I find lots of ideas for simple, healthy, fresh food on Pinterest.
I snack during the day between meals and try to eat smaller portions at meal times. Healthy snacking keeps me from eating junk in the middle of the day or partake in mindless snacking when I get home and I'm fixing supper. For snacks, I eat things like fruit, nuts, protein shakes/smoothies, Greek yogurt with honey, pickles, veggies and cottage cheese. I bring these things to work with me so I'm not tempted to eat from the vending machine or donuts someone brought.
Meal planning helps too. I make lists of what I"m going to cook for me and my family each week, along with the few healthy snacks that we eat, and stick to that when I shop.
I try to eat lots of protein. I have heard from a number of fitness/health experts that one should eat their weight in grams in protein. This is something my husband has been trying to get me to do for years. So if you weigh 150 pounds, eat 150 grams of protein. It's hard to do when you're trying to cut calories, but even when you're trying to lose weight, eating protein will make your body look better as you lose weight because your body needs the muscle mass. You'll also feel fuller. Protein powder helps fill in the gaps too.
I try not to deprive myself of entire food groups. I have cut back on drinking milk, but I still eat dairy products. I eat a little cheese here and there and Greek yogurt, which is low-fat and has lots of protein. Although I have cut my bread intake by quite a lot, I still eat it on occasion. I also eat sugar some. I just try to cut it down a lot when I'm trying to lose weight. I know a fitness trainer that eats sugar every day. She just eats a very small portion, like a small piece of candy. My husband has done this for years. I have started doing it as well. Allowing those small, guilty pleasures keeps me from feeling like I'm dieting all the time and just makes me happier. It also keeps me from overdoing it, most of the time. One thing I still need to work on is not getting an entire dessert plate at family or church functions.
I drink more water. Drinking water is good for the digestive system and makes you feel fuller during the day. Plus, it's a lot healthier than diet soda, which I have cut significantly. I have learned to replace diet soda with flavored carbonated water for the most part. I still drink tea at dinner, but I sweeten with Steiva, and I drink coffee every morning with half-and-half and Stevia.
Again, I am certainly not expert. I do read a lot and listen to smart and fit people, which I think everyone should do, but these are just my opinions and what has worked for me.I'll share more overall healthy changes I've made in the past few years in my next post.
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