to what degree do I pick a healthy ...

to what degree do I pick a healthy eating plan I can stick with?

Start easy, with a viands diary. Use a chart or a journal to write down everything you eat or drink each day. Write down the date, the time of day, and about in what manner much of every food or beverage you ate and drank. Be clean and honest. Stick with the provisions diary. This is the greatest in quantity important thing you can do to make your eating habits better.

Weigh yourself each week on the same scale. Use a tape measure to measure your waist. hold track of your weight and your waistline, because improvements in weight or waist measurement can contract your risk of getting diabetes.

appoint goals that you can continue track of. For example, "Lose 15 pounds" or "Lose 3 inches not on my waist" in the nearest six months. There is no diet program that works for everyone individual approach is to start with what you like and make small changes to behold the effect on your goals.

You might await over your food records for the past week or brace Write down the fat and calorie calculates of all foods and drinks. Use this list to plan a not many diet changes. You can risk goals for what you plan to change in the nearest week. For example, "Keep my daily calories below 1500" or "Find healthier substitutes for five regimens with the highest fat or calorie counts"

What can I do to help me stick with this healthier eating program?

move slowly. If you are moving toward your goals by means of making just a few changes, that is great. restrain it up. If you are not moving toward your goals, make a bond more changes and see what happens.

Review your progres with your doctor. Bring your provender diary to each office visit. Ask for tips and answers to your questions. allow the doctor know what vexed questions you are having.

Don't stop eating all of the viandss you like. That isn't a upright plan for a long-term change. Eat smaller servings of the high-fat, high-calorie sustenances you love, or eat them les frequently or try healthier substitutes.

Avoid too-large servings by way of measuring your food portions. If you do this each day at home, you will gain a good idea what a half cupful of mashed potatoes looks like. This will help you when you eat at restaurants.

Plan carefully for eating revealed Plan ahead, be the first bodily substance to order, and be assertive about getting just what you want. You might lease the other people you are with know that you are trying to eat healthy viandss and would appreciate their support.

prove to notice and change commons and eating cues at residence and work. Eat only in the same room in your home. Pay attention to your food--don't eat while you are watching TV or reading.

in what way do I keep from getting bored?

examine different foods. Check some cookbook without of the library for recent recipe ideas. Once in awhile, obstruction yourself have a week when your sole goal is to maintain your weight. a certain quantity of people change their calorie or fat limits from one side of to the other the week. For example, they might eat solitary 1,500 calories Monday through Saturday and give permission to themselves have 2,000 calories forward Sunday. Take an exotic cooking class with a friend to pick up interesting rations ideas.

What happens if I slip?

Everyone slips opposite their plan from time to time. Figure not at home what triggered your slip, and plan to what extent to avoid that trigger the nearest time. Don't just make excuses although Get back to your plan at the nearest meal.

Where can I master more information?

* Your doctor.

* American Diabetes Association Telephone: 1-800-342-2383 Web site address: http://www.diabetes.org

* American Dietetic Association (to locate a dietitian and obtain diet information) Telephone: 1-800-366-1655 Web site address: http://www.eatright.org

* American Association of Diabetes Educators (to locate a diabetes educator) Telephone: 1-800-832-6874 Web site address: http://www.diabetes educators.org

* National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (pamphlets)

Telephone: 1-800-860-8747

Diabetes Web site address: http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health/diabetes/ diabetes.htm

Nutrition Web site address: http://www.niddk. nih.gov/health/nutrit/nutrit.htm

COPYRIGHT 2004 American Academy of Family Physicians

COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group