Lose Weight and Get Fit with this 5-Step No Diet Diet!

Here are five healthy routines that are surprisingly easy to integrate into any lifestyle.

Routines are things we do every day without conscious thought. We just do them; that’s what makes them routine. Healthy routines make it easy to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Routines can be a way to lose weight and keep it off without dieting. They’re a “NO DIET DIET!”

1) Start the day with breakfast.Screen Shot 2014-05-30 at 6.35.48 AM

  • Starting the day with something in your tummy can boost your metabolism (the rate your body burns calories at rest).
  • Helps to power you through the morning.
  • Helps to avoid overeating later in the day.
  • Breakfast is best when it’s a “no judgment zone.” Oatmeal, or other whole grain hot cereals are good, fruit is good, yogurt is good, bacon and eggs are good, toaster pastry is good, leftover pizza is good, even doughnuts are good. Whatever you prefer for breakfast is good!

Don’t take your first meal of the day out of context with what you eat throughout the rest of the day. Healthful eating isn’t every meal perfectly balanced; it’s achieving balance over the course of the day or several days. Eating breakfast is more important than what you eat for breakfast.

2) Wear comfortable shoes (or at least always keep a pair of comfy shoes with you.)Screen Shot 2014-05-30 at 6.59.20 AM

  • Your lifestyle is sedentary if you take fewer that 2300 steps a day.
  • There are serious health risks associated with being sedentary.
  • Comfortable shoes make it easier to walk.
  • When walking doesn’t hurt, you naturally take more steps.
  • The more steps you take, the more benefits from walking you will get.

Having comfy shoes in your car won’t help you when you’re in the office wearing painful (but cute!) shoes. It’s worth taking the time to find cute and comfortable shoes so that you take the stairs instead of the elevator every time!

3) Replace some sedentary forms of entertainment with fun and active pursuits.Screen Shot 2014-05-30 at 6.41.21 AM

  • Television viewing, movies and dining out are popular forms of sedentary family entertainment.
  • Replace some of the hours doing those things with some active fun.
  • Consider activities such as hiking, dancing, a game of basketball or kickball in the yard, kayaking, skiing, or swimming.

You could also establish family game night and play some old time favorites with your kids such as Hide and Seek, Mother May I, Simon Says, Sardines, or Kick the Can!

4) Eat fruit and/or vegetables with every meal and snack.Screen Shot 2014-04-27 at 9.36.30 AM

  • Fruit and vegetables are your body’s best friend.
  • They are naturally low in fat, high in fiber, packed with vitamins and antioxidants, and low in calories and they taste good.
  • If you think you don’t like vegetables you’ll find that the more you eat them, the better they taste!
  • A diet high in fruit and vegetables is a diet high in nutrients and lower in calories.
  • It’s a way to eat as much as you need to be satisfied without eating more calories than your body uses for its energy needs.

Feeling full and satisfied is another benefit of eating lots of fruit and vegetables. That feeling of fullness boosts your ability to enjoy treats without overindulging. Fresh is great, but living in Maine makes fresh a challenge during certain times of the year. Frozen and canned are just as good as long as there are no heavy sauces or added fats in the freezing and canning processes.

5) Make eating meals together as a family and at the table a regular activity.Screen Shot 2014-05-30 at 6.34.08 AM

  • Skipping meals or eating them on the run leads to inattentiveness to what and how much we are eating.
  • Typically when we’re not paying attention we eat more fat, more calories and get fewer nutrients.
  • Sitting down to a meal with your family is a reminder that eating is important and should be pleasurable.

Life is hectic and we are always looking for ways to make more time in the day for all of our activities. That means that we often double up, in other words, do two things simultaneously. We skip meals altogether or at best, eat them in the car on our way to somewhere to squeeze in something else!  Planning and preparing meals takes time but with practice it gets easier. Eventually you may realize you spent more time in lines at the drive-through getting food than it takes to prepare delicious meals at home!

That’s all there is to it! 5 simple routines to help you and other family members lose weight and keep it off!

 

Jackie Conn

About Jackie Conn

Jackie Conn is married and has four grown daughters and four grandchildren. She is a Weight Watchers success story. She's a weight loss expert with 25 years of experience guiding women and men to their weight-related goals. Her articles on weight management have been published in health, family and women's magazines. She has been a regular guest on Channel 5 WABI news, FOX network morning program Good Day Maine and 207 on WCSH.