By John P. Foreyt, Ph.D.
You can achieve a healthier dietary lifestyle by taking small, but effective steps to help reach your goals. Whether you want to lose weight, prevent weight gain, eat more fruits and vegetables, lower your blood pressure or cholesterol, or just make better choices, you need a strategy to ensure lasting results. Luckily, research shows that there are simple steps that you can take to help achieve a healthier dietary lifestyle. Over the coming weeks, we will share those steps with you.
The first step is raising awareness of your current eating habits. This step is crucial, but it's also fun. Think about it – you can't alter your eating habits unless you know what they are. Recording daily food intake in a notebook or diary makes you aware of when, where, and how much you are eating. Once you understand your habits, it will be so much easier to make some changes, and really stick to them.
The daily diary is a simple tool. Research shows that it is the most effective way to change your eating behavior. You can use a food and activity diary or you can buy yourself a small notebook and divide each page into three columns. In the first column, labeled TIME & PLACE, record the time when you consume any food or beverage, and where you were at that time. In the second column, FOOD & AMOUNT, list the amount and type of all foods and beverages consumed. The best time to record your intake is just before or just after you eat, rather than relying on your memory. It is also helpful to be aware of your feelings just prior to eating, so in the third column, HOW DID I FEEL, jot down your mood, if you're aware of one. Examples might include happy, stressed, bored, tired, or hungry. Also record WHAT WAS I DOING in the last column. For example, were you watching TV, reading the newspaper or working on your computer while eating? This will be important to know when we get to Step Two next week. When you've completed the columns, go to the bottom of your daily diary and record your physical activity. Fill out your diary for one week.
After one week, look over your daily diary and see where you'd like to make some changes. Although many of us would like to become perfect eaters overnight, such dreams are unrealistic and not sustainable. So instead, select a small, achievable dietary goal for yourself. Examples might include eating more vegetables or eating less calories and fat.
At the beginning of week two, write down your goal in your daily diary and work at achieving it. For example, if your daily diary during week one shows that you have been eating an average of two vegetables a day, you might want to work at adding a third. If your goal is to cut your calories, examine your daily diary carefully and look for ways to shave off some calories. You might reduce how much you eat at meals, or work to eliminate that late-night snack. Paying attention to portion sizes and looking for lower-calorie substitutions will help.
Chances are that you'll find keeping a daily diary is really valuable and kind of fun. So keep at it for the next five weeks, adding another simple, achievable goal each week. It's not hard to do if your goals are realistic. Plus, you'll find that you feel terrific.
Look here next week, where we'll reveal the second step that will help you achieve and maintain a healthier dietary lifestyle. It's a great time to get started!
Go to Step Two: Confronting Barriers
Dr. Foreyt, a Professor at the Baylor College of Medicine, is a leading authority on obesity, dieting and behavior. He has published extensively in the areas of diet modification, cardiovascular risk reduction, eating disorders, and obesity. He has authored 17 books and more than 290 articles in these areas.
Dr. Foreyt knows we can make small changes in our daily behaviors that can have maximum impact on our health and weight. He's now ready to use his expertise to help us get on track to a healthier dietary lifestyle!