by Shari Willis, PhD
At the end of a year I like to look back: at things I did, people I met, places I went, books I read, and good stuff like that. This year I added a dismaying new tally: the pounds I gained.
Okay, I know as we age we shift from fat burning to fat storing. I knew I had been less active than I wanted to be, especially in the months leading up to and following surgery this past fall. I knew I had been hitting the sugar more than I should. When I finally got back on the scale, I had gained 10 pounds. The number on the scale was less troubling than the feelings of being tired, draggy and slow.
While I can’t definitively single out the nutrition culprits, sugar and refined carbs have to be implicated. My lifestyle has involved too much sitting, eating out and screen time, and too little cooking and movement. When my pedometer broke, I didn’t buy a new one; when I got busy, I didn’t plan and cook as much as I should. It was clear I needed to refocus on the basics.
A template
Our Jumpstart program is all about those basics: eating real food, getting 10,000 steps a day, drinking lots of water, and attending to other essential body needs. I pulled out our Jumpstart infographic to use as a very basic template for my days. (You can get this free guide by joining our Live Better List; just visit our website to join.)
I find it helpful to think generally in terms of crowding out things I want to reduce or eliminate. For example, I can only drink so many liquids in a day, so more water means less wine. I set a few personal “more and less” rules to make choices clear and easy:
More plain green tea | Less coffee with cream and sugar
More veggies | Fewer refined carbs and sugars
More walking | Less sitting
More cooking | Less dining out
“If-then” rules
One of my partners, Dr. Ingrid Carter, introduced me to another easy way to make good choices effortless: the if-then rule. Here are a few examples of rules that work for me:
If it’s after 10 AM, I will drink water or tea instead of coffee.
If I have a snack, it will include both fiber and protein.
If it has artificial colors or trans fats, I won’t eat it.
If I want to watch an episode of the Netflix series I’m addicted to, I will walk on the treadmill at the same time.
The sum total
As Kim Callinan wrote so compellingly in an earlier post, weight gain often results from small choices and small increases in calories over time. Add in a bit less activity and a slower metabolism due to age, and it’s clear the numbers aren’t on my side. There’s no escaping the arithmetic: if my calories in exceed my calories out, I’m going to gain weight.
The good news is that I can make small choices work for me instead of against me by getting back to the basics of eating, drinking, moving and sleeping. Tools like our Jumpstart guide and a few individualized rules and habits help me get back on track. What works for you? Share your own rules, tips and strategies in the comments section below.
