Being someone who writes about weight loss and healthy eating for a living, I cringe when I feel the need to use the word “lifestyle.” It’s fast becoming an over-used, over-marketed term to describe how to successfully lose weight.
I know this. Yet, every time I need to describe the changes that must happen for one to successfully lose, I can’t fight it. The word somehow finds it way to the paper. And as I proofread my own articles I visualize all of eye rolling that will happen when it gets read.
Don’t deny it. You’ve done the pre-mentioned (eye roll). Thinking to yourself, ugh here’s that lifestyle thing again.” But you don’t want to change. You like to go out with friends, order pizza for the family on a Friday nights, and enjoy popcorn with butter at the movies. You also loathe the gym and have no time to exercise anyway. You like your lifestyle. It fits you ... probably better then your jeans.
If that’s the case yet you’d still like to drop a few pounds, I’m here to say “lifestyle” is NOT a dirty word. It is possible to make small changes that will soon become good habits. That’s really what the whole “change your lifestyle” thing is all about.
Let’s use a few of the examples I gave above.
You like to go out with friends
This isn’t going to change. You want to go out. You need to go out. Some people may approach this problem while trying to lose weight by NOT going out. They remove themselves from the situation. Bad idea! The “lifestyle” approach is to continue to go out but make it work with you goals. For example, ease up on the mudslides and replace them a light beer or vodka and diet. Split an entrée with friends. Stick with brothy soups and ease up on the bar food. It’s possible to go out and have a good time just be mindful and conscious of the decisions you are making. That’s a lifestyle change.
Pizza on Friday Night
Nothing is wrong with pizza. Again some people trying to lose will skip it all together. Then when they return to Friday Pizza night they wonder why the weight starts to creep back. The lifestyle approach would be to continue with pizza night but make it work for you. Go thin crust, ease up on the meats, or try your hand at making your own. There’s easy whole wheat dough recipes. You can even have fun and make pizza on fun things like tortillas or English muffins! Pizza night may become even more fun for your family.
Popcorn at the movies
This is an easy one. Simply skip the butter. Seriously, you won’t miss it and you’ll save yourself tons of fat and calories while still getting a popcorn fix!
No time to exercise
This is my favorite as I was also an exercise hater with no time to hit the gym. Then I realized a walk after dinner to replace half hour of TV was really not that hard. You don’t have to commit to a whole new routine or running 10 miles a week. Simple make an effort to move a little more. That’s a lifestyle change you won’t regret. And you never know that walk may be the first step towards a new exercise addiction like it was for me.
So next time you read that “lifestyle” word. Don’t look at it like a death threat against the things you enjoy most in life. Think of it as learning how to find a compromise between what you like to do and your new commitment to living just a little bit healthier. It really is the only way to find permanent weight loss success.
Originally published on Roni