Changing to a healthy lifestyle

[ninemiler]

Hi all! I don't know if the Cooking Light editors ever peruse these boards, but in case they do - I have a suggestion for an article.

I love Cooking Light...the recipes, articles and the encouragement to lead a healthy lifestyle. After literally years of KNOWING that I should change my eating habits....years of THINKING about changing my eating habits...years of WANTING to change my eating habits -- I finally did so. And other healthy lifestyle changes followed until I know feel almost evangelical about encouraging others to stop talking about change and just do it!

I think it would be fascinating to hear how real people actually made the change. What steps did they take to finally adopt the healthy lifestyle they'd been yearning for?

I know what worked for me and I think readers would love to hear real success stories from real people.

Just a thought.... A great day to everyone!

[Angela]

ninemiller---that is a great idea! I would like to hear how you changed to a healthy life style. It is a very hard thing and I'm sure a bit time consuming (at least at the beginning). I tend to think I lead a semi-healthy life style, but am always looking for ways to make it even better.
Congratulations on your success!

[lindrusso]

My lifestyle change is ongoing - I don't think you can do it all at once without being completely overwhelmed. I also believe that there's almost always room for improvement!

The first step, I think is to educate yourself - read all you can about different foods and their nutritional value. It's amazing how eye-opening it can be!

I've come to believe that the best way is to take one step at a time. For instance, one of my first steps was to cut down on fat. Once you educate yourself and get that down, then it's easier to move on to the next step. The next step for me was to make exercise a regular routine. Now that I've got the low-fat and exercise thing down pretty well, I'm concentrating on adding more servings of vegetables and fruits to my diet.

I think you also need to keep an open mind and be ready for an adventure! You can make the change fun by trying new things - adding new foods makes your diet much more exciting. I do this by surfing the internet and leafing through cookbooks for yummy-sounding recipes. On this week's "new-things-to-try" menu are sweet potatoes and quinoa! I have high hopes! The same goes for exercise. I try not to let things get too routine and keep my mind open for trying new things so that I don't get bored and so that my body is challenged.

This might sound stupidly simple, but another absolute key for me is to cook. If I don't cook from scratch, it's almost always not as healthy. I can't imagine not cooking and still eating as nutritiously.

Anyone else?

[hka]

Hi ninemiler!

First of all, that's a great idea! I love to hear people's success stories. It's always so encouraging! I'm also one of those that has been making changes to adopt a more healthy lifestyle. I feel a lot better than I used to. I grew up in a meat and potatoes family and though, there is nothing wrong with that, it was pretty heavy food. I like how I eat now even though I'm not perfect. :) As lindrusso said, there's always room for improvement! :p

As to whether the CL Editors check out this board, they do! :) They responded to a post that I had written a while back asking if they could quote me so don't be surprised if you get an email sometime if they end up liking your idea.

[AndreaU]

lindrusso- Well put! I couldn't have said it better myself. I agree with cooking meals yourself- you have ultimate control over what goes in and somehow it just FEELS better. As for the excercise part- do something you like. Also, think positively. Imagine how good you'll feel and look- use that as a motivation to get you started and to keep you going!

[BevP]

Ninemiler, a great idea. Success stories of real people are so encouraging.

Oh, yeah, lindrusso. I agree completely with you. There's one more thing I do that you didn't mention and that's to keep educating myself. If I don't, I find I slip back into old habits. Every once in a while, I'll grab a new book from the library or try a new form of exercise. And my food motto is "I don't care how healthy it is, if it doesn't taste good I'm not eating it."

Also, like when I quit smoking, I keep trying different methods until I find what works for me.

[lindrusso]

Originally posted by BevP
And my food motto is "I don't care how healthy it is, if it doesn't taste good I'm not eating it.

I agree BevP, this is my motto as well! I cut out low-fat cheeses (among other things) for that very reason. If being on a low-fat diet meant using that stuff, I would not be successful because I don't enjoy eating it (so I use the real stuff, but less of it)! That's why I like to hunt exhaustively for new recipes because there are great ones out there - you just have to find the ones you like! The more low-fat/healthy recipes you have in your arsenal that you truly enjoy, the less likely you are to fall back on some fattening, "old reliable". One key to success is to eat it because you like it, not just because it's good for you.

[ninemiler]

Thanks for the terrific replies to my "maiden" post!

Sounds like there are some common themes running through these msgs. Adopting a lifestyle change is extremely difficult and I believe this is why people balk at even making the attempt. For me, taking baby steps, planning ahead and accumulating small victories helped to establish new habits.

The first thing I did was "challenge" myself to eat 5 fruits/vegies a day for an entire month. That's it - didn't try to eliminate anything, or exercise more or adopt a special diet. I simply focused on the 5-a-day concept.

I convinced my husband to try it, too. Doing this took some planning so we'd always have the right foods in the fridge. Thus, a new habit: we always shop with a grocery list (if it's not on the list, we don't buy it -- no more impulse purchases). Somedays we had to eat a vegie/fruit before collapsing into bed - and we did to maintain our streak and meet the challenge!

Gradually, we found that eating the good stuff meant our bellies didn't really have room for the bad stuff. So we needed new, healthy recipes to replace our old standards -- and thus began our love affair with Cooking Light!

Anyhow, that was the first baby step -- the 5-a-day-for-a-month challenge. After ~3 months, we were hooked. New ways of cooking, pounds gradually slipping off, no more fast-food, healthy grub always in the fridge....

That was five years ago. Now we're adventurous cooks, lean-and mean, in great shape - and neither of us can imagine ever reverting to the days of old!

[GayeC]

This thought just came to me today and this seems like a good place to "run it up the flag pole" (so to speak!). I started thinking that it is very hard to make positive changes (healthier eating, more exercise, weight loss) when you are really stressed and/or really tired. I was thinking back over the past year and realized that when I was exhausted, highly stressed, or sick (probably from being exhausted and stressed!) I made little or no progress in my efforts to have a healthy life. Whereas in the past few months, when I have been less tired and stressed, I have made good progress in keeping up with regular exercise and some progress in losing weight.

So I am wondering if the first step toward a healthier lifestyle sometimes needs to be getting your life under better control in terms of stress, committments, amount of sleep, etc. I am not suggesting seeking a stress-free life -- I know that most of us are extremely busy and have a lot of responsibility, whether at work, caring for children, going to school, or whatever. But, there is stress and there is chaos -- and I am wondering if adopting or maintaining a healthy lifestyle is too difficult when one's life is moving into the chaos zone. Just some food for thought.
Gaye

[aggie94]

Gaye,

I absolutely agree with you. For the past week and a half, I've been coming home exhausted from work everyday, not getting a night of uninterrupted sleep, and getting up tired every morning. On top of that, I have nothing terribly exciting at work, so dragging myself through the day is a challenge. The last thing I really want to do at night is go to the gym, so I don't. Of course, that just perpetuates the cycle. I keep saying, "I'll get back on track tomorrow," but tomorrow comes and I still feel crappy. The same goes when I'm really swamped at work and stressed to get a big project done.

[SusanMac]

I agree with the theory, but it's a catch-22. If you're stressed and eating *unhealthy* foods (like fast food, chips for lunch, skipping meals -- that is so easy to do during a stressed workday), then it makes you feel even worse and more stressed.

I find that when I'm really stressed, I still try to focus on having a good breakfast. That way, if I mess up my meals for the rest of the day, at least I've had some grains and fruit to start.

[cola]

Ninemiler...thank you for your input on what has worked for you and your husband. It has inspired me to try and get my 5 a day. I am the first to admit I do not get enough fruit and vegies and am going to strive to do the same. I think your idea of peoples success stories is a great idea and will help to inspire others who are in the same boat!! I know the key to better health is exercise and eating properly, its just a matter of putting both into practice. I also feel the same as some of the other posts above. If my life seems out of balance I tend to falter on what is best for my body. I can't wait to hear what has worked for others and their "success stories."

[GayeC]

Originally posted by SusanMac
I agree with the theory, but it's a catch-22. If you're stressed and eating *unhealthy* foods (like fast food, chips for lunch, skipping meals -- that is so easy to do during a stressed workday), then it makes you feel even worse and more stressed.

I find that when I'm really stressed, I still try to focus on having a good breakfast. That way, if I mess up my meals for the rest of the day, at least I've had some grains and fruit to start.

I agree that it is a Catch-22. Another example is that if you are stressed, exercise certainly makes you feel better. But I am just wondering if, in a sort of global sense, you have to get your stress and fatigue under control before you can really make consistent, healthy changes in your life. I don't know. The whole theory may be bunk. It is just something I started thinking about today based on the past year in my own life.

This whole thread is very interesting and inspiring.
Gaye

[RobinC]

After turning 30 last year, I think my not so healthy lifestyle caught and genetics caught up with me. When I went to my Dr. for my annual physical I got a double whammy - high blood pressure and high cholesterol. This in addition to being a good 50 pounds overweight. My Dr. advised me to see a nutrionist.

I spent a great deal of time talking to my mentor at work. She has sustained a 200 pound weight loss. Her approach to the weight loss seemed pretty logical to me - it is much more of lifestyle and behavioral change. Based off her experience, I decided to write down everything that I eat, weigh myself once a week, and get some sort of excercise once a day. This is pretty much how she lost 200 pounds. I then made an appointment to see the nutritionist. She looked over my food journal, we discussed the food pyramid, and together we refined my goals.
1 - Watch the liquid calories (I was drinking a lot of smoothies and full sugar sodas)
2 - Balance out my daily diet by watching/limiting the heavy carbs in the AM (getting heavy on the bagels and muffins in the am)
3 - Make better snack choices - try getting in more fruits and veggies
4 - Make healthy choices 75% of the time
5 - Be honest with myself when writing down what I eat. My journal is only for myself, nobody else

Well, I've had a few false starts and fallen "off the wagon" a few times. I am finally done travelling for work (was out of town for 4 days a week for 11 months) and am getting into a healthy routine at home. By writing everything down, I have become much more aware of what I am eating. It has been very educational! My darling BF and I used to eat out A LOT, now I cook dinner for us almost every night. I am also finally getting onto a good exercise routine. I've been making a lot of small changes that have had a big affect on my life.

Since making these small changes, I feel great. Will I "fall of the wagon"? Maybe. But I know that I can get right back on it.

[SusanMac]

Robin -- your strategy and goals sound right on! I have to cringe every time a friend goes on some fad diet to quickly lose weight by eating weird things. The lifestyle change is definitely the way to go. it's probably harder at first, but will make you feel and look great over the long haul.

I especially like the goal of making healthy food choices 75% of the time. it's realistic. And, hey, let's face it, you're going to need some ice cream somewhere along the way and shouldn't beat yourself up for it. :-)

gayeC -- I think your theory sounds right. It's so tough to get the stress under control. I've done it recently, but made some major life changes (like moving across the country and leaving a stressful location!) to do it. I've still got stress, but it's different and not overwhelming my life. I just started reading Weil's 8 Weeks to Optimum Health, and so far it seems that reducing stress is part of his approach.