If we learn anything from Dr. Nowzaradan of TLC's "My 600-lb Life" it's to treat obesity sooner rather that later. The New Year is the perfect time to start a weight loss regimen. But many January diets fail by February because folks go gung-ho, get overwhelmed and give up. To succeed, eat healthier one day at a time, in little ways. Don't think diet as much as food swaps. Here are 35 ways to clean up your plate and lose weight today.
Beverage food swaps
Reality television's "My 600-lb Life" celebrity couple Lee Sutton and Rena Kiser weighed almost 1,300 pounds between them and pop was a big culprit.
Soda, including diet pop is the first cut on the gastric bypass surgery diet. It's hard to quit a pop addiction so start by swapping it for 100% juice, milk or water. Work your way from whole vitamin D milk to 2% or skim, flaxseed, cashew or almond milk. Drink half your body weight in water a day. Flavor with lemon, strawberries and blueberries. Trade sweetened coffee for plain black or green tea. Use non-fat, low-cal sweeteners and almond milk for coffee creamer.
Condiment food swaps
TLC's weight loss surgery show celebrities go hog wild on calorie-adding condiments. Cook in non-fat cooking spray. Blend butter half and half with coconut oil or Greek yogurt. Drop transfat margarine for transfat-free 35-calorie butter.
Blend peanut butter with plain Greek yogurt. Use 35-calorie salad dressing and switch mayo for mustard. Change out bleached sugar for raw Florida Crystals or Sucanat, raw honey, blue agave syrup, stevia or Splenda. Eat salsa and hummus, not dips. Swap real cheese for processed and Laughing Cow Swiss for regular cream cheese.
Bake and cook with ricotta, kefir and Greek yogurt. Use plain, unsweetened applesauce in place of oil in baking.
Vegan or vegetarian 3x a week
Replace one meat meal per week with a vegetarian fish, cheese, egg or vegan meal. Work up to three times a week or more. Eat fish or chicken instead of beef, pork or processed meat. Dr.
Now's bariatric surgery diet substitutes broiled fish and chicken for fried or baked. Try grilling an ahi tuna or swordfish steak instead of burgers or brats on the grill. Explore flaxseed, miso, tempeh, mushrooms or avocado, nuts and chickpeas in place of cheese and meat.
Trade starch for fruit, veggie, fiber, fatty acids
Dr. Now advises patients to avoid white foods. To do that, replace bleached with unbleached whole grain flour, breads and cereals. Eat green, leafy and orange vegetables, fewer potatoes and less pasta. Eat brown or wild rice and ancient grains like amaranth, kamut, quinoa and triticale. Eat more raw almonds, chia, pumpkin and sunflower seeds. Substitute high protein granola bars, Cheerios, Special K Protein and Kashi Go Lean cereal, Joseph's or Flatout flax wraps and light oat bran bread for regular bread, cereal and snacks.
Ramp up lettuce, spinach, kale, sprouts, apples, blueberries, strawberries, acai, pomegranate and grapefruit in your diet.
Habit changes
"My 600-lb Life" is about eating habit changes. Here are some plus others that work. Eat at home rather than at a restaurant and cook from scratch. Swap salty snacks for edamame and plain popcorn for salty snacks. Substitute frozen and fresh vegetables instead of canned vegetables. Replace lunchmeat, bacon, sausage, bologna and hotdogs with fresh meat. Eat whole fresh fruit instead of canned or juice. Eat a vegetable salad before the main meal. Don't eat while watching TV. Snack on raw veggies. Fast one day a week on bread and water. If you do this, you can shed obesity, Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart and liver disease.
