10 Steps to Eating Right Forever

You've tried every diet there is, and nothing seems to be working. Get off the diet treadmill and get real with these 10 steps to eating right for the long haul.

1. Diet when you're really ready to make a healthy change. Ask yourself why you want to lose weight and if this is the right time for you to do it. If there are problem areas in your life, weight loss alone is not likely to resolve them. What's more, changing your eating style is difficult and can contribute to stress. Losing weight requires a commitment. Do it because you're ready to make a change that is healthier for you.

2. Do a reality check. Do you really need to lose weight? See the body mass index (BMI) chart canadianliving.com to determine if your weight is in the healthy range. Then check your waist-to-hip ratio to find out if your body shape puts you more at risk. Research suggests that it's not just our total body fat, but also the distribution of fat that determines health risks. Specifically, abdominal fat (measured by waist-to-hip ratio) may put you at greater risk for developing heart disease.

To find your waist-to-hip ratio:
Measure your waist at the navel and your hips around the largest part of your buttocks

Divide the waist measurement by the hip measurement to get your ratio. For men this number should be one or less; for women it should be 0.8 or less.

3. Keep a food diary. Write down what you eat, where you eat, when you eat and with whom you eat. Do this for a week or until you begin to notice patterns in your eating. For example, if you notice that you eat out a lot, look over some restaurant menus for healthier choices. If you're a working mom and find that from the time you arrive home until you put dinner on the table you've already eaten a mini-dinner, prepare healthy snacks for the predinner hour. Vegetables with low-fat dip, or a dish of yogurt with fresh fruit can curb your appetite, and both are good low-calorie choices.

4. Identify your good habits. Work to strengthen them and add new ones to the list. Make one or two changes at a time. Over the course of a year, small changes add up to big ones. For example, if you take time to eat slowly and always enjoy breakfast, you already have two great habits. Don't focus on the bad. In the course of a week, you eat about 21 meals; don't worry if two or three of those are less healthy choices.

5. Identify your eating style. Are you most satisfied when you have larger servings of protein foods meat, fish, chicken, cheese and eggs? Or are you a carb lover who would never feel satisfied with a large steak alone? Work within your own eating pattern, making small changes that you can live with. Instead of pasta and bread at dinner, just eat the pasta. Instead of a 10-ounce steak, make it six ounces. If you like to graze, do so with increased awareness. For example, have a low-fat hot chocolate rather than a handful of chocolate chip cookies. There is no one correct eating style to suit everybody. Do it your way.

6. Set realistic, achievable goals. You've heard it all before: aim to lose one to two pounds a week and don't be hard on yourself if you occasionally plateau. If you prefer to stay off the scales, find another way to monitor your progress look at your cholesterol or blood pressure level or the fit of your clothes. If you want to reduce added fats, butter only one piece of bread in your sandwich or use mustard or salsa instead. Cut calories moderately use 2% milk instead of cream in your coffee, remove the skin from chicken or eat sherbet or low-fat frozen yogurt instead of premium ice cream. Trash quick fixes along with the diet books.

7. Increase your eating awareness. Identify your eating patterns and triggers (stress, boredom, a hard day at the office or a fight with your partner). If you go out for a brownie every afternoon at 3 p.m. because you're feeling tired and restless, that will become a habit. After a while, you want the brownie whether you're tired or not. Consider whether you're truly hungry and what's happening at 3 p.m. that sends you down for a snack. Take a break, go for a walk, stretch or drink some water, then see if you still want a snack. If you do, forget the brownie and select something healthier. Call a friend, go for a bike ride, take a bubble bath instead of raiding the fridge, or explore some stress management techniques, such as yoga or exercise.

8. Exercise. If you can't do something physically active for a full 30 minutes, try three 10-minute sessions. Find something you enjoy doing that makes you sweat even a little bit. Try to increase the number of times or the length of time that you're physically active. Exercise, of any kind, can lower body fat and control weight, manage blood pressure, reduce insulin resistance and build muscle tissue. At rest muscle burns more calories than fat. As you increase the amount of muscle you have, your resting metabolic rate rises. Make exercise an automatic part of your day; eventually, you won't remember a time when you weren't active.

9. Find support. If your partner brings home rich desserts every night, negotiate a compromise so you won't have tempting food around. If it suits you, seek out a weight management group in your neighbourhood. Make sure the program is flexible and can be personalized to suit your lifestyle. If you're beginning to exercise, try to find a partner at the gym or a neighbour to walk with. Having a workout buddy makes exercising easier.

10. Be patient with yourself. Changing eating habits is one of the most difficult challenges you face, and it takes time. Don't beat yourself up over a bad day. If you skip a day, it doesn't mean that you've blown it. It just means you've skipped a day and will be back on track tomorrow.