Big Dietary Changes One Small Step At A Time.

by

This post is all about you.

The collective you.

The greater you who fill my in-box (which I adore) with your questions about health, fitness, tattoos and more.

Recently Ive been receiving variations on this question a *bunch*:

I’m ready to change my eating habits and don’t want to do a diet (I’ve done ww before and jenny craig and south beach).  I want to try and eat intuitively which I know you do. What can I do starting now?  Please don’t tell me to read a book 🙂 Im so busy.  What’s the first step in your opinion?

(I chose this email because it said “in your opinion.” My apologies to the rest of the emailers but it saved me the dizclaimer yammer.)

Another reason I chose this email is because of the ‘what can I do starting now’ piece.

We all know how easy it is to do the “starting Monday I shall” or “on the first of the month I will…” & yet we all know (in our hearts. where it counts.) that it really is all about starting right.this.moment.

So I give you what I did.

What I DO.

When I finally decided the time had come to shed my freshwoman forty I followed about six steps & they’re the same kind of thing I still do on a daily basis.

When I finally decided the time had come to shed my freshwoman forty I had no acronym with which to remember it all.

I give you an acronym good lord I love me some acronyms.

To use.

STARTING TODAY.

Mini-meals. Im a believer in spreading the calories through out the day. For the most part none of my meals are bigger than any other ( I do often eat more at breakfast out of hunger. Intuitively.)  Beyond the fact I think this helps me stay lean—-it definitely helps my blood sugar levels stay even & I have far more energy.

Intuitive eating. Start this one today. Slowly. Listen to what your body is saying. Pay attention to how you feel after eating certain foods.  JOURNAL.  For me this isnt journaling *caloric intake* but feelings.  Noting how, when I crave sweets, it’s mainly AFTER Ive had a high processed carbohydrate meal.

That sort of thing.  Perhaps you begin by not even CHANGING your foods—just logging your body’s reaction to them.

Zero HARD & FAST RULES.    Again, this is just what has always work for me. Im a rebel. Make a rule that I can not have or do something & it is immediately the ONLY THING I THINK ABOUT.

Fiber, Fiber, Fiber. At this point I think we all know why (want more info? still unclear? desire a list of fiberfoods? please to let me know in the comments.)—be sure you both KNOW and are acting on it.

Invest in YOU.  For me this takes the form of spending lots of money on quality foods & less money on (quality) clothing.  I love me some sushi grade tuna. Im happy with clothing from Goodwill type places.

For some this may be an investment in a personal trainer.  For others in a gym membership. I have more than a few non-wealthy friends who invested in cooking lessons in their homes so that they could learn a handful of easy healthy meals.

Which leads me to…

Tried & trues. Always have a few meals which you know you enjoy, which are healthy, &  which are easily prepared in your arsenal. I tend to have the T & T’s already prepared and waiting in the fridge for those moments Im too tired to cook. Other people prefer just to have ingredients on hand.

Whatever *you* decide Im a firm believer in the fact that these T & T’s help to set us up for food success.

That’s me, People.

What I did starting out (sadly sans-acronym. I love me some acronyms) and what I do today.

When Im feeling completely scattered, out of my element and CRAZED I figure if I can stick to these six things Ill re-find my groove in no time.

Now you.

What would you tell the emailers who ask:

What’s the one thing I can do, starting today, to clean up/change my eating habits?

please to hit us all up in the comments.

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Comments

  2. Great post! I am a fan of the step-by-step approach.

    My first step is not about taking anything out of the diet, but adding more FRESH produce – fruit and vegetables. Go beyond the 5 serving suggestion, which is the bare minimum. Eating lots of produce – fresh, whole and definitely some raw – will leave less room for unhealthier stuff and will give your body the tools to change. The easiest way to do this is to make green smoothies a daily ritual and starting dinner with a fresh salad the way the French do.

    The next step would be to replace some beverages with water.

    Then I would advise starting the switch to more whole foods, instead of processed foods.

    After that comes the fine tuning.

    Each new step should only be attempted once the previous step has become a habit.

    The beauty of this is that it works for the whole family. Within a year you’ll have transformed your life – losing weight steadily and eating healthier.

  4. Miz,

    LOVE THIS POST! I think that your ideas are totally awesome. However, I think..for myself..the first thing and that thing which I tell myself is

    I forgive ME!

    I have lived in a guild laden world where food has been the enemy..something to avoid and cave into. Never to fuel and/or enjoy and/or know how to moderate. With this, for me, comes a whole wagon/truck/dumptruck full of guilt. ‘Why can’t you bake without eating?’ ‘Why did you eat that chocolate cake?’ ‘I knew that you’d overeat that the party, you can never say no’ ‘Why, did you gain that 30lbs back, you’ll never get it off!’ ‘You’re ugly’

    These are the things which I’ve recently learned to forgive myself for. Forgiveness of my eating habits, weight gain, etc. It is a slow process whereby you have to give yourself patience. For some it’s those small steps because there’s nothing emotionally wrapped up. However, many times we, emtional eaters, ‘know’ what is right…however understanding how to get there is the struggle.

    Thanks for bringing this up. Hope this makes sense.

    ~Michelle

  5. First step is to figure out why I am awake at 248AM…?

    Nope… My first step is to understand the difference between hunger and emotional hunger (ie: anxiety, boredom, loneliness, etc). I may need a nap, or a relaxation session more than I need something salty or sweet. NOT in a diet way, but a way that spotlights hunger for hunger… and allows for me to connect with the extremes of emotion without the cloud of food. There have been so many years (decades) of mixing the two that eating is about emotions and emotions are about hunger and they are so intertwined- there needs to be a separate acknowledgment and respect for both!

    This was a wonderful topic. I think that Karen at *FITCETERA* has been really hitting this on the head lately too. Love her, love YOU!!

    Off to bed!

  6. I love the Z (and crack the hell up you made an acronym out of mizfit)!

    I am a rebel too who is coming off a no sugar diet.

    ALL I THOUGHT ABOUT WAS SUGAR 🙂

    I am printing this out.

  7. Nothing to add but YES YES!

    For me the realization that I am worth investing in (for me it was far less money than time) has changed my life path entirely.

    When I didn’t see myself as worthy of investment neither did anyone else.

  8. I would need to add in a J for JOURNAL.

    Even if I were trying to eat intuitively I need to record (or add an R :)) everything I put in my mouth.

  10. I think these are great, and really, things I did as I lost all my weight just by feeling my way through. Excellent as usual!

    And because yours are life sustainable, once you get to goal, you can STAY there!

  11. Interesting that you included fiber in your initial steps.

    Was that to keep you full or regular (and yes I’m serious)?

    My girlfriend joined the gym yesterday which is big news around here!!

  12. Good tips- agree so much with the mini meals! Thats how I roll too.

    To clean up your eating- aim to have a fruit or veggie with every meal. When going for a snack, eat a piece of fruit first (perhaps an apple with a few teaspoons of nut butter) with a glass of water, wait a while…if you still want something “less clean” THEN go for it.

  13. All gret tips. Thanks for sharing. My biggest tip would be to accept where I am at right now, don’t punish myself for the past and remember to let the past go.

  14. Great list, and I love the acronym!

    I think the gradual shifting from processed foods to whole foods, without totally denying myself junk food treats, seemed to be the key to shifting. And within the processed world, finding the healthiest alternatives.

    Generally, I have to be HUNGRY to want a meal with lots of vegetables and lean protein, whereas I don’t have to be hungry to want a cookie. If I’m wanting a cookie but not a meal, I have to take a look at how “hungry” I really am. I’m usually just looking for distraction and if I can find a different one I can make a healthier choice later when I really actually am hungry.

  15. fast thought:

    Cranky? You are so right about the hunger.

    I used to say to Ren Man I looooved my clean healthy foods.

    Enjoyed them.

    Liked the taste etc.

    He thought I was crazy.

    And then he decided he wanted to lose weight & shifted to the mini-meal Zone way of eating.

    His Ah Ha was the realization when he truly was HUNGRY how great clean food tasted.

    Not sure I’m conveying what an ah ha!moment it was up in herre well….but it was.

  16. Awesome! The mini-meals and intuitive eating habit are what I believe has gotten me through an end of summer slack period of exercise. I’m recomitting this week but the little things added up to not a lot (actually no) weight gain when I fell off the wagon a bit for the past month. Being mindful makes an amazing difference.

    Thank you for this – I’ll be passing it on.

  17. I need the TRIED AND TRUES.

    When I start a new diet I always throw everything out and end up with nothing in the house which ends up with Tamika at a drive thru.

    It sounds crazy when I type it out LOL

    I am commiting to finding some tried and trues this week, Miz.

    Check with me on friday.

  19. Love the tips Miz. Write a book. Seriously.

    What’s the one thing I can do, starting today, to clean up/change my eating habits?

    Sit down to eat. Don’t eat in the car or standing up.

  20. I cut out sodas. Making the move entirely back to water and unsweetened tea/coffee made a tremendous difference. I think the sugar in the drinks helped keep me on a sugar/snack rollercoaster during the day, because within a couple of weeks after dropping my 2-a-day habit, there was a lot less junk food passing my lips.

    Other thing that I did when starting the changes in eating habits was something mentioned by losing waist – questioning my hunger. I’d wait and do something else for 10-15 minutes before grabbing food when I was “hungry”. If it was real hunger, I’d still be hungry after that time. If it was nerves, boredom, etc., then I forgot all about it.

  21. When I finally got totally disgusted with myself several years ago, the two things I did as my first steps were:

    1. Gave up my fattening coffee drinks habit. (I still drink brewed coffee.)

    2. Took a brisk walk around the block after every meal.

  22. Love all your tips!! Especially the first one, eating “mini-meals” (or for me, three small meals, three big snacks) was sort of the last piece of the puzzle for me in figuring out the whole nutrition aspect of it. I think I’d add to always be prepared!!! I always keep an apple, nuts, cheese, bars, etc. in my purse. That way, if I’m out and find myself starving, I don’t stop at the closest vending machine or fast food joint.

  25. Wonderful post!

    My bit of advice would be this: DO WHAT WORKS FOR YOU. Different things work for different people. What works for me might not work for you, what works for Miz clearly works well for her gorgeous self, but is the opposite of what works for me (I eat once a day, cuz I’m only hungry once a day and I DON’T eat when I’m not hungry. I *GASP* never eat breakfast, for example)

    Find the healthy lifestyle that rawks YOUR world. 😀

    What I did that really helped me? Whole foods! I cut out all the processed crap frankenfoods. Shakes, bars, crisps, ‘diet’food, frozen food, fast food, etc.

    I eat REAL food now (and feed it to my family) meat, eggs, poultry, fish, fresh veg, fresh fruit, nuts, etc and cook all our food.

    Obviously, it’s not all I did, lol, but it really turned things around for me. At age 45, I’m 150 lbs lighter, have tons of energy, my arthritis, rosacia, and asthma are all but gone, and my cholesterol is the lowest it’s been in my life.

    Thx, Miz, for this post. Everyone deserves a chance to be healthier! 🙂

  26. Paying attention to hunger is key for me. If I’m not hungry and I eat anyway, then something’s up. It’s important to me to figure out what those somethings are.

  27. Mizfit, as always, great post. I love the acronym. You speak a lot of truth here. I often tell people not to worry about what I am doing to lose weight. Instead, build your own program on solid principles and it will work.

  28. I agree that what works for one will NOT necessarily work for another.

    For me the first step is reading!

    Posts like this one Miz and tweaking to fit my lifestyle.

    LOVE the acronym.

  29. Could you be any cuter with your MizFit acronym? That is some great advice. I think one thing we don’t think of doing is listening to our bodies. They know when we’re hungry and if we feed them the right food (you know, peaches vs. M&Ms) they’ll do what we want them to do… shed weight!

  30. question:

    DID YOU START INTUITIVE EATING JUST BY EATING WHAT YOU WANTED??

    DID YOU GO NUTS??

    sorry for the caps I just don’t want my question to get lost in all your comments 🙂

  31. LOVE this post and will be coming back again later today to re-read

    I love the Start today! I am such a procrastinator so I have to start immediately! It helps!

    I am still confused about fiber can you share that list!

    thanks, jen

  32. I didn’t read all the comments so this may be a repeat but get rid of, throw away, toss, do not buy processed foods that are tempting late at night, early in the day, between 3p & 6p or whenever. Throw the garbage food away, get it out of the house and set your self up for success by not leaving foods around that might lead you to fail in a weaker moment and lord knows we all have weaker moments.

  33. Great post & great suggestions for your readers! I do most of them! I do make rules BUT I don’t call them rules.. they are just things that I live by because I have learned how to work treats & bread & bread & bread, 🙂 & other things I like into my mini meals.

    I would also suggest getting enough quality, lean protein because many women don’t eat enough protein AND healthy fats. I used to really limit my fat intake & when I upped it to anywhere from 20 to 30 % of healthy fats, I looked better felt leaner & looked leaner.

    I also have found things that help me if I am on a path to derail.. like walking away, insisting on 15 minutes when I talk to myself about why I want to derail & what will it do for me. Usually, after that talk to myself, I don’t derail!

    Great post Carla AND I so agree with start now, NOT tomorrow or Monday!

  34. Megan: totally a post in and of itself.
    short version? yes and yes.

    and then I realized there were pop tarts enough to keep refilling my cabinets over and over and over & there was no need to eat them by the box.

    on tart at a time (ooh there’s a mantra :)) became fine.

    until I realized I TRULY craved em (and I still do. it’s the processed way I roll) only every week or so.

    and eat them.

    mindfully and intuitively.

    help at all?

  36. Miz, another great post, but do I expect anything less at this point? OfCourseNot. The acronym was classic MizFit.

    I take my own little B3 approach with a few details left out (this is your blog, not mine!).

    Believe I AM what I want, whether that be thin, muscular, HEALTHY…

    Behave as if I AM what I want by eating and exercising as if I were thin, muscular, HEALTHY…

    Become what I want. As if my miracle!

    You probably have heard the version I used to hear growing up… “Fake it until you make it.” 🙂

  37. Fantastic work on the acronym. Well done! Brilliant stuff on the starting now business and I’m so glad you threw in how there’s no absolute. No matter what it is, if there’s a hard and fast rule humans either want to break it or feel terrible guilt when they do. You’ve taken that away and it’s good.

  38. what an excellent post- i’ll definitely be checking back later to read through all of the comments
    i think another important thing to think about is focusing on fruits and veggies– fresh food over packaged food
    have a great day, miz

  39. Great tips! They are ones I’ve heard before with emotinal eating, but it’s nice to hear it from someone I KNOW uses them. And, the acronym should make it a little easier to remember 🙂 I think I’m going to take them and past them on my wall, fridge, etc. Thanks!

  40. This is why I love you.

    The balance between the uber personal friday & the get to it today! of this post.

    I’m printing and echo Just_kelly write a book.

  41. First people need to find what works for THEM. What works for me may or may not work for other people.

    Also, start ADDING good things IN, instead of taking ‘bad’ things out. By ADDING GOOD THINGS IN to your diet (more fresh fruits & veggies, more water, etc) you’ll start to feel better and the un-healthy foods will slowly show up less & less in your diet.

  44. Acronyms are so handy!

    I would add that taking the time to think about WHY you want to be healthier is a good step to take as well. If you understand your own motives a little better, then that can sometimes fuel them.

    Also, whenever I find myself falling off the wagon, I like to make sure that I’m eating whole real foods. Only after that do I pay attention to portion sizing. One step at a time. Some people might want to do it the other way around. That’s what works for me.

  45. I like the openness of your T.

    All of us have different go to meals (didn’t Ren Man say yours is hot tuna? ICK) but they work FOR US!

  46. I started out with two things: First, eat as much whole and organic that you can. I found I felt fuller and ate less (as well as eating healthier) when I bought those foods. My condition immediately started to improve.

    The second thing I did was adopt what I called the weight one day (or wait one day) philosophy towards food I craved. I never said never to things like chocolate, popcorn, doritos, and all those foods that I could hardly imagine living life without. What I did say was when I had a craving, I’d wait 24 hours and buy a single serving … IF THAT WAS WHAT I WAS STILL CRAVING. Usually it wasn’t. I was on to some other craving, which I’d wait 24 hours again for. Now there was a time or two when I’d end up with a snack, but that’s ok, because an OCCASIONAL snack isn’t going to kill anyone. And it didn’t make me crazy thinking I could never want those foods again.

  47. I think it helps to move at least a little bit every day. It gives you some time to focus on how your body feels – sluggish, strong, etc. That in turn can influence the choices you make food-wise.

  48. This was really helpful. I am all about the fiber. My husband laughs at me because if I find out something has a lot of fiber in it, I am super excited!

  49. Long time lurker Miz.

    Are you in my head??
    Today is yet another start to my diet and I will give your tips a shot as lord knows none of my other attempts have stuck.

  51. Great post. I like your acronym… 😉

    I think small changes at a time were key for me. I have found if I try to change too much at once, I get overwhelmed and stressed out. Not a helpful emotional state when you are trying to live healthier… Also, once I decided that no food was off limit and that I could have a little of pretty much anything if I really wanted it, my relationship with food really changed and my cravings decreased a lot.

    I have always liked vegetables and salads and have always eaten them with every meal, but when I really looked at what I was eating, I realized that they were not the biggest part of my meals. I now eat my veggies first and eat a lot more veggies than I used to.

    Planning meals (and buying lots of healthy and easy to prepare foods for lunches and snacks) has also really helped. Before planning meals, it was just way too easy to find an excuse to get some not so good for you food…

    Finally, I love going to as many Farmers’ Markets as I can throughout the week. there, I get new inspirations for meals all the time…

  52. Baby steps are definitely the way to go. Don’t try to do a complete diet overhaul in one day, or you’ll be tired, frustrated, and more likely to give up. Make a couple of small changes every week and before you know it, you’ll be eating healthier and feeling better.

    Planning out the weekly menu of meals and having the T & Ts on hand really helps keep me from pigging out on junk food. Those days when the T&Ts aren’t on hand and I don’t feel like cooking can often turn into a gorge fest.

  53. OMG … Exactly!!!
    I hope people copy and paste this … it’s a super summarization of Success Strategies … that’s for the “alliterate” amongst us 😉

    Love you, Miz!

  54. This is great stuff, thank you. I really love fresh veggies and really want to put more effort into getting them into my daily routine.

  55. These are some really great comments to a great post! I totally agree that what works for some may not work for others. Personally, I find journaling to be a big, big help – tracking my calories and my moods and noting how the two are related really pinpointed areas where I needed extra reinforcement. I do my best to limit bringing trigger foods (potato chips, I’m talking to you) into the house. Slowly adding things into my diet helped displace a lot of the crap I was eating.

    I still struggle a little with portion control, but working out really reinforces my desire to eat well, because as a naturally lazy person, I don’t want to waste all of my hard work! I’m also a big proponent of traveling with healthy snacks at all time, and brown-bagging lunch. Cooking at home, even if it’s just really simple stuff, is the best gift you can give your body.

    Slow and steady is the way to go. Small changes really do add up and consistency is key. Also, realizing there will be times when you’ll succumb to the lure of crap food is important too – just pick yourself up and get back into your groove instead of beating yourself up.

    And thus endeth my preaching. 🙂

  56. Eating intuitively…this is something I really need to work on. I am going to start journaling TODAY! Maybe this will help me out.

    “What’s the one thing I can do, starting today, to clean up/change my eating habits?”

    I would say, learn to substitute. I love love love eggs, but I know I eat too many of them. So, for the past year or so I have been using egg substitute, rather than whole eggs. So, not only am I getting that egg flavor I love, I am getting less calories and less cholesterol, without cutting out eggs all together.

    Also, just try new things. I have tried soybean curd in Parmesan, stir fry, and pasta. I really hate it! But I at least tried it a few times. You may find that when you try new things, you may fall in love with healthier alternatives to what you have been eating.

    BTW Miz…seared Ahi Tuna is absolutely delicious!!!

  57. Great post! I`m trying to get into more fiber filled food and more mini-meals, it’s been going well so far. One diet change that I definitely recommend is getting rid of soda and extremely sugar-filled items. I`ve noticed a definite change in how I feel since cutting out soda. Instead of feeling sluggish without my Dr. Peppers throughout the day, now I`m content with a glass of water to boost my mood.

  58. confession of a hypocrite here – after my earlier talk of healthier choices I’ve made. just opened my trunk bag to grab my “fuel” for today’s ride.

    String cheese, cookies & red bull cola.

    Oops.

    Only thing I can say for myself is that with 30 mile ride, it is real hunger. And the cookies are fig newtons.

  59. First, I think a clean diet is more important than a weight-loss diet. Sometimes eating clean will result in weight loss, but there is so much craving-causing crap in processed food that I’m skeptical any truly lasting weight loss (or maintenance) can occur without eating clean.

    I have two main dietary rules: I don’t drink my calories (no juices, no sugar in coffee, and no sodas), and I don’t eat anything my great-grandma wouldn’t have recognized as food.

    What this amounts to in actual practice is that I can certainly have cookies, pizza, etc, but they can contain no HFCS, MSG, trans-fats, etc. I make most of my food myself so I know exactly what’s in it. I’ve banned toxic ingredients from my diet, but I’ve banned no actual foods.

    My big surprise in cleaning up my diet was finding that my cravings went away. Two homemade cookies satisfy me, whereas conventional store-bought cookies (like Chips Ahoy or Oreos) taste far worse and yet make me so hungry that I eat half the package.

    Once you’ve cleared your body of processed toxins, you won’t want to go back to unhealthy eating because you’ll be able to taste the preservatives and other chemicals. You’ll wonder how anyone can eat that crap. You’ll no longer enjoy office parties (they call that cake???) but you’ll be healthier. And if you’re still not happy about your weight, you can adjust your carb/fat/protein ratios then, in a healthy way.

  60. as always you guys have some GREAT COMMENTS TIPS AND MADE ME LAUGH (there’s something wrong with redbull and cookies? and after a 30 mile ride I fear Id be leaning more toward something which rhymes with SCHMOREO and not the fruit and cake).

    book? coming.

    workbook style.

    either eformat or regular traditional venue.

    all depends on what the publishing G-ds see fit to bestow upon me.

  61. I’m a “tweaker” too. I am constantly reworking my diet and exercise regimen to find ways to improve my well being.
    I think that your (and everyone else’s) advice is GREAT!

    In my opinion, the easiest things to do right away are:
    Switching water for other drinks. If you must have some flavor, try a flavored seltzer or add in some lemon or lime wedges to your water. Back when I was logging my food everyday, I was surprised at how many liquid calories I consumed. (Alcohol, too. But I’m still working on that part…)

    Get moving! As far as exercise goes, try the 30 Day Shred. I am of the firm belief that everyone has 20 minutes to workout.
    Many people I know who aren’t in great shape and who don’t regularly work out have said that this DVD really helped get them into gear.
    Or instead of driving to run an errand, try walking there. I do this a lot. I’ll say to myself, I have to go anyway, so I might as well make it a productive outing. If I can combine any physical activity with something that I already have to do, its a great feeling of accomplishment.

    Investing in yourself is key (I’m glad you mentioned it. It gets left out a lot). I think its important to put your money where your mouth is. It has really helped me stay accountable to myself. A few months ago I got a trainer and that only kicked my commitment up a notch, because I HAD to be at the gym at scheduled times, even on days when I totally would have bailed.

    I think overall its important to be creative and try lots of things until you find something that sticks. Following someone else’s plan isn’t sustainable; you have to find what works with your life.
    And, like others have said, forgive yourself. No one is perfect 100% of the time. You will eat too much and feel full, you will skip workouts, you will eat cake. Go easy on yourself and try not to obsess. I just read an article that suggested that people who are relaxed and don’t obsess about weight loss actually lose more.
    What we resist, persists. Just some “food” for thought

    Miz, you really should write a book. Seriously.

  62. Love the acronym. Might have to steal that idea. 🙂 I need to figure out what’s in my head and why I’m stuck halfway between wanting to finish out these last 20 lbs and not caring so much about them.

    I think that the thing that got me started was commit to something (sane) for a whole month. If it’s south beach, do south beach. If its eating in a calorie range, do that. If you screw up, immediately get back on track, and do it without guilt. After a month, you should see results if you’re committed, and be more inclined to continue on.

    Also, start small with exercise. I started with 20 mins 3 times a week + some weights and already thought at that level of involvement “how can I keep this up the rest of my life”. Now, I’m way, way beyond that and couldn’t imagine NOT doing it after 2 years.

  63. I will read any book you publish! I just wanted to add that here. Your tips are better than any I have to offer. I am still learning how many carbs I can eat in my daily diet.

    I used to eat a lot of Lean Cuisines when I exercised more. However, I injured both knees five months ago and have had to severely limit my exercise–which makes me very unhappy. In order to make sure I didn’t gain a lot of weight (because I was exercising way too much before–and I now am a convert to your theory of exercise in that we need to do what is sustainable over the long haul), I try to eat as clean as I can. No more processed food for me. I stick with lots and lots of veggies, fruit, some carbs (like cereal for breakfast) and protein. But I am not a cook in the least so I would rather buy tuna, eggs, and salmon already cooked. Plus I have developed less of a taste for meat these days.

    Okay this was long!

  65. I would also say “start small”. Make one-two changes at a time. if you go all-out, you’re likely to get overwhelmed & chuck the whole thing.

    Add food before subtracting. Concentrate on getting the good stuff, but don’t concentrate on eliminating the less good stuff. Before you know it, you’ll be eating healthier! 🙂

  66. I have no great ideas…I love Hanlie’s suggestions..agree with her to a T

    this post couln’t have come at a better time for me

    big THANKS to you!

  67. Loved this. And loved your acronym. i agree with each and every step.

    There are two things I could say were fun and helped me.

    1. Start your grocery shopping in the produce department. Very fun, and if you fill up there, you might find you need less elsewhere in the grocery store.

    2. Don’t eliminate all fat. Use a few nuts or avocado, or a bit of good olive oil. I went a little too low fat, and I think it backfired on me.

  68. The list is great!! It took me years to finally get all these things alligned and now that I have them, I feel like I can finally conquer the weight once and for all without any gimmicks!

    Cant wait to print this out so I that I can remember it everyday!

  69. Great post Miz!! To help myself shed these first 50lbs, I have tried to live in reality. No quick fixes, no denying of foods. Healthy diet and exercise have been key for me. I think a lot of it has to do with what works for you, your lifestyle and ability for longevity.

    Thanks for the tips! I will take them to heart! You’re the best lady!

  70. Great post! I’m working on getting drinking plenty of water, adding more fruits, veggies and fish to our diet. And really watching my portion control. That’s been a major problem for me.

  71. You know I’m all over the small changes. 🙂 I’m still small changing.

    I started out by changing just my snacks. I could have anything I wanted but my snacks had to be fruit or the 100 (or so) “junk” calories I’d allotted myself each day. That took surprisingly little time to adjust to, so I added in a healthy breakfast. Lunch &dinner could be whatever, but breakfast and snacks had to be healthy. Then I changed lunch…then dinner. I’ll be damned. I’m eating healthier. I’ll be double damned, I lost 100 pounds and it didn’t even hurt (much.) 🙂

  72. Love this list – and I think you hit the most important point, which is to start small and work from there. Changes can be overwhelming and a good ‘excuse’ to throw in the towel.

    Slow and steady wins the race!

  73. Heh…is it a clue as to how tired I am that I totally missed the whole acronym thing? 🙂

    My biggest thing for being more healthy food wise and not going crazy with a food diary or restrictions was to start to plan my meals out and to try and get away from processed and premade meals as much as possible. It takes a bit more time to do this, but in the end the food tastes better and I make more healthy choices.
    I also refuse to trick out a treat…what I mean is if I’m going to have a piece of pie or something else yummy, I have a small piece of pie and enjoy it thoroughly…and try to stick to treats just once or twice a week.. I don’t have 5 pieces or try and make a super low fat pie…I just have some pie. Then I find I endulge less but enjoy my endulgences more …:)

  75. Great post as always, Miz.

    I’ve noticed the biggest difference between me and my normal sized friends is how quickly we eat. They take their time and chew slowly whereas I’m a graduate of the Evelyn Wood Speed Eating course. Am trying to slow it down.

  76. Great suggestions. As a dietitian, I have seen that different things work for everyone. But it’s important to take one step at a time and NEVER look at it as a diet. Otherwise you are setting yourself up for failure.

  77. 1. Eat breakfast!
    2. Don’t skip meals
    3. Don’t try to be perfect, start by doing ‘better’.

    As your palate, etc … adjusts, better will change.

  79. for me, when “hunger” strikes, I must ask if it is “emotional hunger” or “stress hunger” or “boredom hunger”. it’s not easy either because emotional and stress hunger want to be fed RIGHT NOW. I try to remind myself that I do not need to self medicate with food. toughy. I’m still working on that one but continue to work on it I will. because I am my own superhero!

  80. I love acronym hath grown to something approximating M.I.Z.F.I.TF.D.S.J.H.F.K.S.D.H.H.K.S.F. 🙂

    Love…

  81. Such a great post – I have found that if you do everything that you said, the weight will come off. Without a lot of struggle or crankiness. Thanks for putting all of your tips together – love the acronym!

  83. Personally I think the most important thing is to commit to start cooking your own food. And not just insta-meals from the freezer or pantry, but REAL FOOD.

    This involves shopping regularly, preferable for the best ingredients at farmers markets. It also means trying new things.

    I spend a lot of time thinking and writing about this topic and I believe it is critical for those looking to achieve fitness goals of all shapes and sizes.

  84. my first step today was making an appointment to see my doctor and talk about healthy weight for myself. second was talk to the nutritionist at my job and asked her advice. third was followed my craving and made a delicious greek salad for myself. fourth will be doing some form of exercise tonight.

    i am always afraid to formally ask other people for help, because i *should* know…

  86. Wow – best dietary advice I’ve read this month (this year?). Hands down. Now what I need you to do is to teach me how to be sensible like you:)

  87. T&Ts — so right on (as are all of the other tips but this one really struck a chord).

    When I lost the first forty pounds, I relied on my tried and true meals every day. I could depend on them to be: tasty, within the right calories and quick & easy.

    My advice? Hmmm … Shoot for consistency NOT perfection when it comes to your nutrition. Consistency gets you places. Perfection will end up biting you in the as$!

  89. Excellent advice, for sure. I know that for me, one thing I did initially was to swap one food I found unhealthy, or made me feel icky, for an alternative that did the opposite. Just one, or one snack in my day, I made it an apple instead of a kitkat.

  91. fabulous post! very good advice. all things i am implementing. too bad you didn’t have a P for Protein. I find that i feel much better when I am eating more protein and less carbs.

    i too find that i crave crap after eating a meal high in carbs! interesting.

  92. I like that you said zero hard and fast rules, because I have a huge problem with those too. I read the Eat-Clean Diet and have been trying to follow it, but she says you HAVE to eat a protein AND a complex carb at every meal, and sometimes I just want an apple! Sometimes I just want yogurt! And it makes it hard and a lot more complicated because it’s like well, I can’t just have an apple or a yogurt, I have to have an apple AND a yogurt if I’m going to follow this book. And then I just give up. Thanks for easing my guilt!

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