Eating Style
Many people who have had challenges maintaining a healthy weight think of themselves as being “good” or “bad” depending on their food choices. A key goal of the OPTIFAST® Program is to help people identify eating styles that support a healthy weight but also allows for pleasure eating in moderation.
Rather than labeling eating behaviors as good or bad, let’s look at those that “support” or “thwart” your health goals.
|
GOAL SUPPORTED EATING
|
|
□ Planned—making plans and “rehearsing in your mind” how to handle tricky situations can help you make healthier choices
□ Portion Controlled—keeping an eye on your portions is a great way to control calories and make room for occasional treats
|
□ Proportionate—eating a wide variety of foods, especially veggies and fruits, is the key to good health and balanced nutrition
□ Proper Place—eating only while seated at a dining table helps reduce grazing and mindless snacking
|
|
GOAL THWARTING EATING
|
|
□ Grazing, grab, and go—this unplanned eating style often occurs spontaneously with no plan and may include too many calories with little regard to your hunger cues
□ Gulping and gorging—eating too fast prevents you from savoring each bite and may lead to overeating
|
□ Goodies—treats are fine on an occasional basis but making them the mainstay of your diet may lead to weight gain
|
MAKING FOOD CHOICES
Before you eat, it can help to ask yourself if what you are about to eat will support or thwart your weight management goals.
□ If the answer is “support” then eat with enjoyment in proportion to your calorie needs.
□ If the answer is “thwart” then you can decide to not eat the food or eat it mindfully in a smaller portion while seated at a table.
Eating Style
ACTIONS TO TAKE:
1. If you are planning to eat at a restaurant this week, make a plan. What restaurant can you go to that has healthy menu options? Check out their website and decide in advance what you will order. If they are known for large portions, split an entree with a friend or take half home for another meal. Record your plan and results.
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
2. Make a plan to minimize grazing and mindless snacking. Some helpful suggestions include no eating while standing at the counter, at your desk, while watching TV, in the car, or in bed. If you must “eat on the run” limit yourself to meal replacements or a piece of fruit. Plan to eat only while seated at a table. Record your plan.
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
OPTIFAST® Program materials may not be reproduced in any form without the prior permission of Nestlé Health Care Nutrition, Inc.
All trademarks are owned by Société des Produits Nestlé S.A., Vevey, Switzerland. ©2017 Nestlé. All rights reserved.
More Articles
Sometimes it’s easy to blame other people when things aren’t going your way. And the more you focus on why other people or situations make it hard for you to lose weight, the more powerless you feel. When it comes to weight management, success comes with realizing it’s up to you to solve your weight...
“Three weeks into the maintenance program, I received a promotion to a job that required two weeks of travel per month. With a new job, a new body, and new-found confidence, I was ready to hit the road. Despite my best intentions, after one month of travel I found myself gaining weight. When I got o...
Strength training is one of the four key components of fitness (the other three include endurance, balance, and flexibility).
The Benefits of Strength Training
As we age, we start to lose muscle mass and increase the percentage of fat in the body. Doing strength training exercises can enhance our ...
Plateaus and Problems In Weight Management
Everyone who attempts behavior change experiences a plateau at a time when progress seems to stall. You feel stuck. If your weight stays the same for several weeks regardless of your efforts, it’s important to recognize the plateau and take action to solve...
The average American consumes about 150 more calories each day compared to 20 years ago. That may not seem like a big difference, but over a year those extra calories can add up to extra weight. This increase in calories comes from larger portions and the supersizing of foods and beverages....
Grocers know that most purchasing decisions are made in the store. We are tempted by strategically- placed impulse-items and “specials” on the endcaps. These store strategies can make grocery shopping a challenge when you’re trying to manage your weight. Developing smart shopping skills can help you...
Planning meals is vital to keeping your food plan on track and building confidence in your weight management skills. It makes you less susceptible to inappropriate eating cues and can relieve the stress of having to make spontaneous, unplanned choices. Successful meal planning involves identifying m...
• Measure your heart rate at rest and during physical activity.
• Perform a simple walking test to measure improvement in your cardiovascular fitness.
• Measure your body circumferences.
Self-Assessments
Measuring progress is an important part of motivation. There’s nothing like success to help ...
Supportive relationships can help people cope with challenges and achieve their personal goals. You may be anxious to tell people you’re working on losing weight. But, by keeping quiet and not telling them what kind of support you want, they won’t know how they can help.
TIPS FOR GETTING GOOD SUPPO...
What does each of these situations have in common?
1. Sue has an argument with her best friend. She munches on brownies directly from the pan until her anxiety eases up.
2. Justin is behind on an important project at work and he’s having trouble concentrating. He heads to the break room to see wha...
Long term weight management involves making changes not only in our dietary choices but also in the ways we expend energy. We all know we should move more, but structured exercise such as gym workouts are not the only way to get the physical activity we need. To understand how we can burn more energ...
We all know that physical activity and exercise are key components of weight loss, but is difficult to make it a part of your daily routine. Between work, family and outside obligations, where do you find the time?
The truth is, it’s not easy to find an extra 20 to 30 minutes in your day to exercis...
Do you travel often? When you’re traveling, the best of plans might be changed due to bad weather, delayed flights, or demanding clients. All too often, weight managers find themselves returning to old habits of eating larger evening meals, grabbing a snack at the airport to pass the time between lo...
