Your Health Matters
By Claudia Parks, R.N.

We're all guilty at sometime in our life of going on a diet to lose weight and/or purchasing some type of exercise equipment- both of which we were serious about for one or two months. Now we just look at the equipment in hopes that its presence will make us a healthier person. Eventually we will put an ad in the paper to sell or take it down to the thrift shop! Diets and exercise are big business in America. We spend billions for diet pills, plans, patches, exercise/fitness equipment and club memberships.

The fact is, it's not easy to change habits, unless you've just had a traumatic event, such as a heart attack. You may know what you should eat, how often you should exercise, and when you should see a doctor for which tests. But the gap between knowing and doing isn't always easy to bridge. Temporary fixes won't work to achieve long-term success at a healthier lifestyle.

Branda Polk is a certified Fitness Instructor, personal trainer, and wellness coach in Memphis, Tennessee, and she makes the following suggestions: Instead of going on yet another diet, look for ways to alter how you eat what you enjoy while omitting a few extra calories a day. The simple truth is, eating just 150 fewer calories per day (the average amount of calories in 1 one-ounce serving of chips or one regular cola drink) over the course of a year would lead to about 15 pounds of weight loss in that year.

Replace whole or 2% milk with skimmed (fat free) milk.

Use spray butter or butter substitutes instead of margarine or butter.

Bake, broil, grill, steam or poach foods instead of frying.

Order salad dressings and gravy toppings on the side instead of on the salad or main dish. Then, dip your fork into the dressing or gravy before taking a bite.

Split a restaurant meal with a friend or take half home for lunch the next day.

Measure out proper portions of foods and put the rest away instead of eating from the bag, can, or serving dish.

Replace full sugar/calorie cola drinks with the diet version or water.

Dilute juices with club soda or sparkling water for a fruity, fizzy drink.

Eat fruit and/or vegetables with every meal.

Skip second helpings of any food. If it's really that good, prepare a "takeout" type plate and have the leftovers for another meal.

Purchase fresh or frozen fruit and vegetables instead of canned or processed versions.

Use the low-fat or fat free versions of cottage cheese, yogurt, or cream cheese in recipes.

Choose meat portions that are 3-4 ounces instead of the normal 6-10 ounces.

Use non-stick cooking spray instead of oil or butter in cookware.

Use low-fat or fat free mayonnaise on sandwiches and in dips. At the deli, if the lower fat mayonnaise is not available, replace it with mustard on a sandwich.

Reduce the amount of cheese by half in recipes that call for it.

Reduce your favorite specialty coffee drink by one size. Also, request skimmed milk and omit the whipped cream.

Replace sweetened beverages (tea, lemonade, Kool-Aid, etc.) with unsweetened version or, better yet, water.

Eat meals from a smaller plate.

Avoid "up-sizing" orders at fast food restaurants even if the price value seems better. Remember, biggie fries equal biggie thighs.

So get started today by implementing several of these suggestions on eating fewer calories without missing the favorite, flavorful foods you already enjoy.

Remember to drink plenty of water and treat yourself to a brisk twenty-minute walk each day.

Claudia Parks, RN is a former doctor's office and emergency room nurse and retired as an educator from Fulton County Schools. She writes Your Health Matters as a public service; the information here is designed to help you make informed choices about your health. It is not intended as a substitute for the advice of your physician. Claudia and her husband make their home in the beautiful north Georgia Mountains. Claudia can be reached at yhm@windstream.net.