Healthy Lifestyle - Low Fat Foods and Exercise

People today want a healthy lifestyle more than ever before. We are bombarded with diet plans, health fitness equipment, health supplements, and medications by the television and print media. Doctors constantly cajole us to live a healthy lifestyle by diet and exercise.

There is a motto that is apropos here: Keep it simple!

History:

When I was 40 years old, I had no trouble maintaining the weight I wanted, which at that time was 125 pounds. I am 5'-4" tall with a small frame. The older I became my weight "inched" up, mostly around my waist! In researching diets I was overwhelmed by the number available. I asked a friend of mine, a dietitian, to help me and she suggested the "Keep it simple" approach. She made three important statements to me:

I needed to look at a healthy lifestyle change, rather than a diet.
I needed to pick a healthy lifestyle of eating that offered the foods closest to the ones I enjoy.
When keeping counts - count only one, such as calories, fat, cholesterol, whatever it was, just one. Any more than one is confusing and discouraging, thus doomed to failure.

Low Fat and Healthy Lifestyle:

The choice was easy. The low fat diet afforded the cuisine I love. I like rice, pasta, vegetables and chocolate. Chocolate has zero fat grams! Bread has never been a necessity, as with red meat. The meat is used for seasoning rather than a "main course" of the meal so I had little problems reducing my intake of red meat. Chicken and turkey I like, as well as occasionally some pork.

Difficulties with Low Fat and Healthy Lifestyle:

Elimination of the dairy products is troublesome, especially the milk and butter. (I do have ice cream on occasion) Adding fruit to my diet takes effort as the only fruits I like are bananas and strawberries. (Remember the chocolate? Yum!) I have settled on using 2% milk products, Crisco Butter No-Stick Spray and Butter Buds instead of margarine or butter.

Cooking for the Low Fat and Healthy Lifestyle:

Cooking low fat meals are easy and quick. I can have an entire meal ready and served in 20 to 30 minutes. (Of course, that comes with practice) Ingredients are rather cheap (rice and pasta) and less meat means more savings. Spices are very important and if you are not accustomed to using spices, I recommend purchasing a good book on how to use spices.

Another tip I have learned: To enhance the flavor of meat - saute a whole onion with the meat and the onion will pick up the meat flavor. Your dish will seem to have more meat than is actually included.

Diet and Exercise Log:

Keep a log but keep it simple by counting only one thing. Accountability is a major factor in success. Guessing at quantities consumed will equal weight gain. Log everything you put in your mouth! I use a spiral notebook (3"X5") as it is handy; can be used to reference previous amounts and tucks nicely in my Corinne T. Netzer - Complete Book of Food Counts for referencing new items.

My exercise today consists of walking. I walk at a brisk pace for short periods one or two times a day. I log these also as accountability equals success. Walking makes me feel good, stand straighter and walk with purpose. I do not want to walk like an old woman - yet!

Conclusion:

If you are interested in a low fat diet and healthy lifestyle, the Women's Heart Foundation has all the information needed (with charts) to determine maximum daily allowance of fat grams for you. Mine is 42 right now.

http://www.womensheart.org/content/nutrition/counting_fat_grams.asp

I am pleased that I have a healthy lifestyle with low fat eating and exercise. At the age of 64 I am still 5'-4" and weigh 135 pounds. Ten pounds in 24 years is not too shabby! My goal right now is to make it 130 pounds.

Accountability will equal success.