Make 1 SIMPLE Change and Lose Weight
We all know that losing weight requires some changes in our eating habits. But many of us avoid making those changes for one obvious reason: It seems too darned hard.
"Small changes can make a big difference," says Melanie Polk, M.S., R.D., director of nutrition education at the American Institute for Cancer Research. For instance, if you drink 3 cups of milk a day for a month, the switch from reduced-fat to nonfat will save you 3,000 calories -- nearly enough to lose 1 pound!
What's more, changing one habit at a time gives you a sense of success: You'll see results and be able to stick to your plan. Soon, the habit will be second nature. Then you'll be inspired to add another change, and another. This works far better than a drastic dietary overhaul, which leads to feelings of failure and deprivation. "People end up regaining all the weight they've lost, often even more," says Jonelle Rowe, M.D., a physician with the Office on Women's Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
When you make dietary changes step by step, you lose weight at a sensible pace and develop habits you can keep. "Dieting for weight loss shouldn't be an event," says Seattle nutritionist Susan Kleiner, Ph.D., R.D. "It's not something you gear up for, do for an intense period of time and then you're done. You need to make lifestyle changes that will be yours for the rest of your life."
Here are two simple dietary changes with big payoffs, both for weight control and good health. Start with the one that seems most feasible to you.
