Pinnacle Fitness

Better Nutrition:  Raising Awareness and Changing Habits

By Phyllis Roberts, MS

I have been a health professional for over 20 years.  Early on I discovered that the way to help people with food was NOT to put them on a diet, but to teach them the art of living lean and healthy.  We live in a world where we are constantly bombarded with cues to eat.  From kid’s commercials on television to the 2 for 1 special, we are cajoled to purchase and consume.  Not only do our social activities revolve around food, most of us were taught in childhood to eat for reasons that have nothing to do with hunger. Learning how to eat healthy is a conscious decision, which requires planning and organization.  If this plan is well thought out and appropriate guidance is given, the emotional eating is less appealing and we can become more cognizant.  The art of living lean and healthy is a meticulous choice that requires changing habits and raising an overall state of awareness.

Did you know the leanest people eat about 6 times per day?  I don’t mean they eat spaghetti and meatballs 6 times a day, I just mean they spread their calories out over 6 small meals.  When a person doesn’t eat often enough, their metabolism slows down to compensate for the lack of fuel.  When they finally do eat, the body overstores what they consume.  In effect, the body is stocking up for the next famine.

Time of day is also an issue.  Lean people always eat breakfast.  This breakfast is colorful with fiber, protein and a healthy fat.  Most overweight people take in most calories at night, when the body needs less energy.  These calories consumed at night are more apt to be stored as fat.

Altering your routine is comprised of adopting new habits.  A habit becomes part of a plan when we practice adapting to new skills.  Changing old habits and learning new skills is the first step in living a healthier lifestyle.  Many studies have shown that a new habit becomes part of an consistent routine after 20 days.

Changing Habits and Learning New Skills:

(a 20 day challenge)

1. Eat the right breakfast; eat at regular intervals.
2. Eat foods in as close to their natural state as possible, (rolled oats vs. corn flakes)
3. Don’t get too hungry.  As a general rule, don’t go 4 hours during the day without eating some protein.
4. When you are served large portions – give yourself permission not to finish what’s on your plate.  Allow yourself to stop eating when the hunger goes away.
5. Just for practice at home, eat off a salad plate instead of a dinner plate; (if what you’re eating won’t fit on a salad plate, it’s most likely to be too much food.
6. Visualize yourself as a lean person who makes healthy and moderate choices.