Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Baby Steps . . .


After our scare with my husbands health, I talked to our family doctor about dieting.  He said, you just need to take baby steps.  He said he didn't even want me to say the word diet, because it makes you think . . . deprivation.  He told me that we just needed to make better choices, but not all at once...baby steps!  I am on a quest to eat healthier, and I would hope that losing a few pounds would be an added bonus!

So, here are a few of the things that we have been doing, and it's working so much better for us than dieting, I think we have both lost a few pounds, and we feel so much better:

1.     Rather than cutting out all the food that we love, I have tried to just add something good to our diet, like more fruit, more veggies and better dairy options.  Fruit, fresh veggies and dairy are your best options to have on hand to keep you away from processed foods.  I try to stock up on apples, as they are our go-to choice of fruit.  I keep salad in the fridge and try to have it with each meal.  My husband isn't a salad eater, so I make sure I have some good things to put on his salad, like mushrooms, red peppers, pickles, and blue cheese crumbles.  There are so many ways to make a salad better.  We both love cheese, so cheese sticks are always in the fridge too.  A cheese stick with an apple is a great snack.  That doesn't  mean that we don't have chocolate in the house, and a few chocolate chips mixed with raisins or nuts is a pretty good snack when you need something sweet. . .  ;0) 

2.     I have cut out fried or overly processed foods.  For instance, we still have hash browns once in a while for breakfast, but instead of butter, I use a very small amount of coconut oil or olive oil to cook them in.  I bake, broil or boil, instead of fry.  We also use our George Foreman grill  a lot, and I am always surprised how much I like what we cook on it.  We had a crazy day yesterday, so we bought pizza for supper.  I chose the "Delite" pizza from our local take- and-bake shop, it was just as satisfying as a regular pizza, but with half the calories . . . small changes make a big difference.  I love peanut butter, so I bought the natural, tastes just as good, maybe even better, and way healthier for you, and it's good with apples and veggies!

3.     I have also switched to whole grain and high-fiber breads, and have cut back on the amount of bread we eat.   I have a wheat grinder, so I can grind my own wheat, but there are really good whole grain and whole wheat breads in the grocery stores.  Whole grain pasta is also really good, so much better than a few years ago when it first came out.  I also use brown rice instead of white, and have cut back on potatoes - we still love a good baked potato, we just split one, after all we do live in Idaho!

These baby steps have worked for us, but I think we all have to decide what works for your own individual life-styles.

Have a wonderful day!

Hugs,

 

11 comments:

Marge said...

You are such a clever lady! Your baby steps plan sounds absolutely perfect. Losing some poundies will be an added benefit. Hugz!

LeAnn said...

Oh my we are on the same trek. Since Roger has a kidney stone that hasn't passed yet; he looked up how he should be eating. Your post was perfect for it all. I think we eat good but still not enough fruits and vegetables. When he looked the diet up he asked me what I thought it would be and I said "The Word of Wisdom". Go figure on the one. You can't seem to ever improve on that wisdom. At least we are on the same plan. Blessings and love to your both!

Patty Sumner said...

That all sounds great Barb! My hubby had a heart attack a few years back.. He has always been naturally slim.. exercise regularly.. great blood pressure and bloodwork.. just that nasty family history stuff.. it got him.. I am trying to be more aware of eating healthier and more satisfying foods lately.. Blessings!

Shug said...

I like your Dr's way of thinking.....baby steps indeed. So proud of both of you...this is totally awesome!!
Fruits and veggies are very good, so why is it that we neglect eating them the way we are suppose to, until we get a wake up call. Idk. I think I'll try doing this and perhaps it will change our way of eating...
Keep up the good eating!!
shug

Kimmie said...

My diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes came as a total shock to both myself and my Dr in January of last year. I do not fit the stereotype. I am tall (five foot ten) and slender, have a perfect BMI (if I lost weight I would be underweight), I don't drink or smoke, I exercise daily, and I have a VERY healthy diet. For me there is a genetic link. For me there was nothing I could change that would make a difference. I felt most despondent. However my Dr so wisely pointed out that I would most likely have developed this disease in my teens/twenties or thirties if I had not lived the healthy lifestyle I had to date.

I think you are off to a wonderful start. I strongly believe diets set you up to fail. Ones mindset should instead focus on healthy eating along with exercise. When it comes to exercise a daily decent brisk walk is better than pushing yourself to extremes.

Cheering you on all the way from Aus!


Hugs


Kimmie
x

Saimi said...

Congratulations you're on your way!!! I'm proud of you, sounds like you're doing it right, Keep up the good work Barb!!

High fivin' ya!
Saimi

Cheryl @ TFD said...

Sounds like you've made a great start! We need to eat healthier, too. We do eat a lot of healthy foods, but also way too many sweets and fried foods. Walking will be easier to keep up once the weather turns nice. I'm just not into walking when it's very cold outside. Best wishes as you go about healthy living! You will be an inspiration for the rest of us.

Anonymous said...

Sweet Barb, those are GREAT baby steps! I've been trying to eat healthier as well. Pepperidge Farms has a really good Light Wheat/Whole grain bread that is only 45 calories a slice. Hooray for you and your husband!!

Welcome to the Garden of Egan said...

I had to re-read through your last posts (life has been crazy lately) and catch up. So glad that his tests came back ok. Sounds like a good eye opener. Baby steps are perfect.
We too are making some changes and it makes a big difference. I just wish I didn't love to cook.

Just Ramblin' said...

I am a believer in baby steps. It reminds me of that old adage of "how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time." What you two are doing is great. When I decided to make a life style change, I through out the word "diet" because diets never worked for me. Oh, they did while I was on it, but then I would get off and gain everything back and then some. I found that "myfitnesspal.com" was a lifesaver for me. I could record everything I ate and it would let me know calories, carbs, proteins, sugars, etc. I could also enter my own recipes and get a breakdown. It also helped me keep a record of my physical activity and the amount of water I drank each day. I still refer to it, but not as frequently since I've reached my goal weight. But, when I feel I may be slipping a little, I'm right back at it. Sounds like you've got a great plan going. I'll be cheering for you both! This is going to make a big difference in your life! Nola

Vee said...

I like your doctor's approach. Glad that you have begun to employ these things. I need to do so as well and baby steps sounds better than doing something I can't live with. I read recently that proper nutrition will curb a lot of cravings.

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