Live Healthy Live Well

The new year is upon us which means everyone has made their New Year’s Resolution. Did you make yours about weight loss? Every year mine revolves around weight loss. Weight loss and I have a love-hate relationship. Some years are good and other years not so much.  I would like to share with you my personal struggles and how we can work together to lead healthier lives.

A few years ago I worked really hard at following a weight loss program and lost 40 pounds. I felt amazing! I had more energy and my self-confidence really improved. However, the next year, work became very stressful. Over the following years, I’ve gained all of it back, plus a little more, through emotional eating and other life changes. I self-sabotage my efforts. I don’t just fall off the “diet” band wagon; I fall off and set it on FIRE! It’s a vicious cycle that I’m putting an end to now.

Maybe you’re like me and have made decisions in the past to crash diet, and you’ve messed up your metabolism. You weigh yourself every week and when the weight isn’t coming off fast enough you feel a sense of failure and give up.

As a professional, I know and have read all the right things to do. There are blog posts on Healthy Habits and articles on how to Start Losing Weight.  But, old habits are hard to break. Personally, I have a major sweet tooth and sugar is very addicting.

Today, I’m asking you to join me in taking baby-steps to a healthier you. It may take longer, but the tortoise beat the hare, remember?

My plan of action is to make small changes over a certain period of time. I want to give myself time to take action and evaluate my success. I also want to identify my unhealthy eating triggers. Therefore, I’m allowing myself two weeks to make each change. This way I can make a small change the first week and then brainstorm ways to avoid unhealthy triggers the second week. I will start by changing my breakfast foods, then I will move onto snacks, dinner, lunch, and finally, beverages.

Since I’m starting with breakfast, I’ve identified a couple of go-to recipes I plan to use to give myself a kick start:

1. For mornings on the run, I’ll grab a low-fat Greek Yogurt, a small piece of fruit, and a piece of Sprouted toast with a small smear of all-fruit jam. Personally, I have found that sprouted bread is more gentle on my blood sugar. However, you could substitute your favorite whole grain bread.

2. For Saturday morning breakfast with my family, I love to make Cinnamon-French Toast. I’ll again use sprouted bread, and I’ll replace the whole eggs with egg whites. A little light syrup and some fresh berries will make this feel like such a treat!

3. Some days I’m way ahead of the game and have Overnight Oatmeal in the refrigerator ready to go.

What are your favorite go-to breakfasts?

Author: Amanda Bohlen, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Washington County, bohlen.19@osu.edu

Reviewer: Jenny Lobb, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension,  Franklin County, lobb.3@osu.edu

Sources:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2015). Losing Weight: Getting Started. https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/losing_weight/getting_started.html

Godman, H. (2017). Are Sprouted Grains More Nutritious than Regular Whole Grains? Harvard Health Publishing. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/sprouted-grains-nutritious-regular-whole-grains-2017110612692

Spires, C. (2016). Diets or Healthy Habits? Live Healthy, Live Well. https://livehealthyosu.com/2016/10/24/diets-or-healthy-habits/