About 3 weeks ago, I decided to make one small change and start eating salads for dinner. I didn't do salad every night, but I kept dinners small: soups, sandwiches, when we did order takeout, I ate half as much as I would have. A couple of weeks later, this has snowballed into my joining Weight Watchers again, with a fridge full of veggies and fruit, and the desire to stop eating out all the time.
Not all small changes turn into something bigger, but many of them can and do stick. Splurgie posted about some of the small changes she made years ago that have stayed changed. I loved that post, and decided to do one of my own; it's a good reminder that every diet I have been on has permanently changed my eating habits in unexpected ways.
1. I made the switch from diet soda all day long to water. My skin cleared up, my headaches vanished, and my anxiety dropped to almost none. Now I can't have any caffeine after my morning coffee or I am up for hours. I also almost never had any soda at all anymore, caffeine-free or not. This switch is going strong 17 years after it began, courtesy of WW#1.
2. The daily cup of skim milk that used to be poured into my morning coffees were replaced by two ice cubes to cool it down. 2 years and counting, courtesy of Medifast#1.
3. I must have breakfast or I eat way too much all day long trying to eliminate the hunger. 2 years, Medifast #1.
4. That breakfast must contain protein, or I need a mid-morning snack (and I never make good choices when I do). My mom also just got me in the habit of adding a few pieces of fruit along with my breakfast; today's is a whole-wheat waffle with peanut butter and a slice of canteloupe. Current diet, 2011.
5. When I am eating light at a restaurant, it is often better to pick small appetizers or from the fish section than to get a salad. The salads now have more fats and calories than the actual entrees, in many cases. 5 years, courtesy of WW Core.
I have others that I know instinctively to turn on when I am eating right, but when I am not in that mindset I ignore them. Those are permanent changes like these are. Someday, though!
What small changes have you kept over the years?
Thanks for the shout out. I'm thrilled that you follow my blog. I love your idea about having an appetizer instead of a restaurant salad. And it's true about the instinctive mindset. It's like a light switch.
ReplyDeleteI am with you about the Diet Coke. I'm a caffeine addict so I switch to iced tea, un-sweetened please, but the difference in my complexion is striking.
ReplyDeleteSome authors, and I don't necessarily believe them, say that the acidity in sodas overwhelms your body and causes junk to spill into your blood and subsequently your complexion.
Good point about the appetizers.
One of my biggest changes was 16 years ago when I gave up Half & Half or Light Cream in my several cups of coffee and weaned myself through various stages to milk to where I finally drank black coffee. That's courtesy of WW.
ReplyDeleteAfter years of not having eggs and eating lots of carbs for breakfast then finding myself starving by 10 am, I am immensely enjoying eggs again. I have also introduced more proteins and good fats into snacks and salads. Courtesy of eating low-glycemic.