As seen on BCTV Noon News

Week 8 - KEEP IT UP

Look back at your progress.  By now you should be eating regularly, eating more vegetables and fruit and less refined grain products.  You have likely reduced your fat intake and your portion size and may even be getting more calcium.  Now it is time to tackle those bad habits that may start creeping back in. 

-Set yourself up for success.  Don’t buy ice cream if you know that when you feel depressed or lonely you will go to the freezer seeking comfort.  Keep chocolate and cookies out of the house if you know these are tempting snacks when feeding the kids after school.

-Don’t eat on your feet.  Try to sit down and savour your food.  Enjoy eating and take time to recognize how much you are eating.  Don’t eat in front of the computer either.

-Don’t nibble while you are cooking.  If you are hungry, serve yourself a small snack on a plate so you can take inventory of how much you are eating.

-Know yourself.  Have a list of activities you can do instead of snacking on “extra” foods like having a bath, going for a walk, calling a friend or knitting.

-Sweet Tooth?  Try brushing your teeth, drinking peppermint tea or chewing sugar free gum instead of have a sweet.  The fewer sweets you eat the less you will crave them.

-Don’t feel you need to finish everything on your plate.  This is not the last time you will eat and you are not saving any starving people by finishing everything. 

Take a break from writing your food diary and just try to practice the 8 weeks of tips.  In a month or two take inventory again.  Eventually all of these steps will become second nature if you keep at them.  There is no calorie counting, it is all about lifestyle change, awareness and finding things you can stick with in the long-term.

Good luck!

Watch for the Eating for Energy segment every Tuesday on BCTV's Noon News Hour!

  Go Back