2026. A new year is here and you may have made a resolution to alter your diet or to have the scale reflect a different number. My December blog listed 11 ideas for changing habits, thoughts, and reducing calories.
For February's Love Month, I'd like to add a few more helpful maneuvers.
Now I won't lie. There is more to my methods than just diet. At one time I was a perpetual motion machine. My husband prefers stationary motion. He weighs over twice as much as I do, yet on most days I devour more food than he does. Naturally, I burn more calories. Motion helps!
Through our thoughts and habitual attitudes we influence the condition of our physical bodies. Here is a partial quote from Edgar Cayce's reading 93-1:
"…All building and replenishing for a physical body is from within, and must be constructed by the mind of the entity; for MIND is the BUILDER…"
Here are some physical ways we can reduce calories:
How to eat out in a restaurant without breaking your diet and digestion: Rethink the purpose of eating out. Make the restaurant about the journey, not the food.
With friends? Concentrate on the conversation. Talk, talk, talk. And less food will get into your gullet. Bring a take-out container to reduce any obligation to eat everything on the plate.
Eating alone? Bring a book, or analyze each bite and flavor. Pretend you are there to critique the restaurant. Quietly conversing with an audio book may bring other diners into the conversation!
You may have heard advice like - stay out of the refrigerator/pantry. To lessen temptation it may be better to stay out of the unlit kitchen/dining area and put a sign on the doors. "Closed."
If at any time you feel addicted to food or have a compulsion to eat, try to determine what is missing from your day or life. Turn that addiction into a positive route. Is there a desire to chew something? Try gum. That has not worked well for me in the past, but what has worked is talking. A constant movement of my mouth will suffice. Or perhaps a love-making session will satisfy!
Keep the house temperature lower. It is better for your heart too. And lastly:
This has to do with intermittent fasting. A small study published in Gastroenterology found that time-restricted eating resulted in not only weight reduction, but also suggested a reduction in inflammation for overweight people with Crohn's disease. Intermittent fasting is a huge contributor to why I can eat as much as someone twice my size and can still remain slender. The method is to not eat after dinner, nor before breakfast. In other words have a minimum eight hour window each day when no food is eaten. I strive for a 10 to 12-hour break.
Here are more ideas for food substitutions:
Have a craving for something sweet? Or are you just tired? Or you eat any snack food because you are tired and need a pick up. Try a healthy simple baked potato. Or have ready a bowl of tiny colorful potatoes ready for snacking. Finnish potatoes are small, slender, dark purple, and more flavorful than a russet. Potatoes are loaded with carbohydrates for the energy boost you are craving. If a topping is desired, try melted cheese or plain yogurt.
I love vanilla ice cream milkshakes, but alas, for health reasons, I can no longer drink them. There are fruit combinations that taste just as good. A banana shake to the rescue. Add milk, yogurt, and vanilla powder then blend away!
For different flavors try oat, almond or cashew milk blended with blueberries, peaches and of course the banana as the thickener.
Experiment with non-dairy cheeses. The selection is limited. My health-food store carries a cheddar made from oats. It doesn't melt well, but at almost a third less in calories and fat, it is worth it. I am on the lookout for cashew and soy cheeses. There is a pizza parlor in New York that offers a nondairy mozzarella.
Does a warm drink or a cold drink fill your stomach? The jury is out on that one, but I feel that something warm usually fills me up.
Travel tips: Whether you are traveling by car, train, plane or boat, a bag of home-made mixed nuts/dried fruit is a great snack.
Depending upon your hydration requirements, you might prefer apple and/or carrot slices. Seedless grapes are a neat and juicy snack.
These ideas I practice may not work for you or be to your taste. This list is my own. If you are working with a dietitian, seek their advice on adjusting your diet.