WL&S Support

Excerpt taken from 10 Steps to Healthy Eating – author Leslie Beck RD

(Leslie Beck is a Canadian registered dietitian, a leading Canadian nutritionist and author of several nutrition books.  Leslie also writes a weekly nutrition column in The Globe and Mail and is a regular contributor to CTV’s Canada AM.)

1. Make a list of the changes you would like to make to your diet and/or your health.  Beside each, write down what the short-term and long-term benefits would be of making these changes.2. Ask yourself what is motivating you to make these changes.  Does your motivation come from inside yourself or from someone else?

3. Write down three of your desired changes as SMART goals (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-dated).  Remember, keep your goals positive: list what you are going to do instead of what you are not going to do.

4. Think about the things that will make it easy for you to make these lifestyle changes.  Think about the things that might prevent you from making or maintaining these changes.  Write down ways you can see yourself overcoming each obstacle.

5. Determine who your support person(s) will be.  Let them know exactly how you want them to help you achieve your goals.

6. Keep a food and exercise diary for the next four weeks (or longer).  Assess it each day.  If your goals include weight loss, record your weekly weight and body measurements once a month.

7. Plan and write down your weekly menus in advance.

8. Schedule time for grocery shopping once a week.  Shop on a full stomach and use a list.

9. Do whatever you can to save time in the kitchen: batch cook on the weekend, buy pre-prepped produce and plan for leftovers during the week.

10. Take an inventory of your cooking equipment.  Make sure you have what you need to prepare quick nutritious meals.

Posted by: Jean Hamilton, 3rd year post-op Roux-en-Y Gastric By-pass patient who has maintained a 300+ pound loss and author of A Fat Girl’s Butterflies: A True Story of Extreme Weight Loss. – www.wlspublishing.com