8 Tips for Achieving Your Diet Goals
Amy Hendel is a health expert and author of Fat Families, Thin Families. Here, she offers eight tips for achieving your diet goals, including info about the Mediterranean Diet, emotional eating, and healthy lifestyle plans.
“I think the core elements of the Mediterranean diet are the best solution to long term health and weight loss,” says Hendel. “However – let’s understand that there is no ‘one Mediterranean diet.’” Below, she explains the core idea of this diet.
For more info about Fat Families, Thin Families, click the book cover. And, read on for Hendel’s tips for achieving your diet goals.
8 Tips for Achieving Your Diet Goals
1. Know why certain diets – such as the Mediterranean – works. Hendel says that when dietitians and nutritionists describe the ‘Mediterranean diet’, they mean a diet that strongly favors:
- High consumption of fruits and vegetables, including 100% orange juice (which I highly recommend for any meal plan because a glass naturally provides vitamin C, potassium, folate, vitamin B6, thiamin and so many other essential nutrients), cereals, potatoes, nuts, beans and seeds
- Olive oil
- Dairy products, fish, chicken are included but in “counted, small” amounts
- Little red meat is eaten, if at all
- Eggs, up to about 4 times a week
- Wine consumed in low to moderate amounts
To achieve your diet goals, make sure you know why certain foods and amounts work. That is, don’t just eat bananas (for instance) because the diet recommends it. Rather, find out why bananas are healthy and how they lead to weight loss.
2. Find the diet or healthy eating plan that works for you. “We nutritionists believe the most effective diet is the diet that works for you,” says Hendel. “You’ll never find an eating plan that is right for everyone because people differ with regards to their time demands, meaning how much or how little time they can give to a program. People also differ on financial means, so for some, even if a prepared diet plan that delivers food would be a perfect fit – it’s beyond their wallet.”
3. Set a weight loss goal. People differ tremendously on how much weight they need to lose, says Hendel. To achieve your diet goals, sit down with a nutritionist or doctor and figure out how much you need to lose in order lead a healthy lifestyle. “Someone who is morbidly obese and finally understands that their weight is killing them – or someone who has had his or her first heart attack – may finally have a tremendously strong motivation to embrace a disciplined lifestyle change.”
4. Figure out your emotional connection to food. If you’re eating for emotional reasons, you may be less likely to achieve your weight loss goals – unless you figure out your triggers. Do you eat when you’re angry, sad, depressed, or stressed? Find ways to express your emotions, without using food as comfort. “Creating new habits with a new dietary approach is one thing,” says Hendel, “but it won’t be sustainable unless you get to the core reason of why you always turn to food when the stress/anxiety/depression sets in.”
5. Make sure your diet goals suit your lifestyle. “When we look at diets, we also want people to have the ability to follow the program when they travel, at work, even when pressed for time,” says Hendel. “The elements of the Mediterranean diet allow for variety. A salad with beans, an omelet with veggies, pasta with olive oil and chicken or vegetables, and a fruit snack are all relatively easy and accessible choices.”
6. Include your family. To achieve your diet goals, Hendel advises focusing on a healthy eating plan that the whole family can do. “We need all family members eating the same choices – perhaps with different portion sizes or with more or less frequency, depending on age, size, activity levels,” she says. “Everyone benefits from eating the healthiest choices from all the major food groups.”
7. Consider professional help. “If I had my druthers, I would appeal to most seriously overweight chronic and yo yo dieters to get some behavioral therapy in addition to working a ‘diet plan,’” says Hendel. “Most clients who seriously struggle with chronic weight issues usually have better success, long term, when they get help from a therapist who specifically works with patients struggling with obesity.”
8. Remember that a little goes a long way. To achieve your diet goals, focus on your waist fat, because it’s a far more crucial target for health profile gains than just weight loss alone. And, Hendel says, “Even small habit changes like not drinking regular sodas and other high calorie drinks can be a huge step in weight loss.”
What are your tips for achieving diet goals? Please share below – I need all the help I can get 
And to read Hendel’s other article on Quips & Tips for Achieving Your Goals, go to How Real People Slim Down & Keep It Off.
Amy Hendel is a health expert with experience as a medical news correspondent for national television shows and a magazine columnist. Often described as a “lifestyle coach” or “health & wellness advisor”, she trains and counsels patients with her own unique blend of nutrition, fitness and psychology. Visit her at HealthGal.
Comment by Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen on 5 January 2009:
New information from Weight Watchers:
Weight Watchers New Simple, Effective Program Controls Hunger While Encouraging Healthy Food Choices
2009 Is The Year To Stop Dieting And Start Living With Momentum™
NEW YORK, N.Y. December 29, 2008 – Weight Watchers International, Inc. (NYSE: WTW), the global leader in weight-management services, today announced the launch of their new program – Momentum™ – an easy-to-follow, weight loss plan that can help people stay in control of their eating habits while teaching them how to eat smarter portions, make healthier choices and stay more satisfied, all key in achieving weight loss success. The new Weight Watchers® Momentum program provides resources for people to understand and address the practical, physical and emotional issues that can lead to weight gain. With strategies to conquer hunger and the ability to tailor the plan to fit into one’s own life, Momentum™ provides people with more tools and resources to succeed in adopting a healthier lifestyle.
The Momentum program was developed from a combination of the latest in scientific research with in-depth insights from members who have succeeded on prior Weight Watchers food plans. The Momentum program tackles physical hunger head-on by helping people identify foods that can keep them satisfied for longer; thus helping them stay in control for long-term, sustainable weight loss.
By following Momentum™, consumers can avoid the feelings of hunger and deprivation that may have prematurely ended previous weight loss efforts. In addition, the Momentum program encourages listening to hunger signals, identifying triggers of emotional eating and emphasizes the benefits of tracking/journaling, which is scientifically proven to be an effective tool for weight loss.
“Following a food plan that enables you to make healthier choices without feeling deprived is incredibly helpful when losing weight,” explained Karen Miller-Kovach, MS, RD, Chief Scientific Officer, Weight Watchers International. “Many people delay getting started on a weight-loss plan because they fear being hungry. With Momentum™, there is no need to delay because it makes the connection between POINTS® values and healthy, filling foods for you. Having this understanding is not only helpful with weight loss, but also with keeping the weight off because the eating patterns taught with Momentum™ lead to an overall healthier lifestyle. Our successful members have told us that they feel different when eating lean proteins and whole grains versus something like fried food or processed foods and they love seeing the impact those foods have on their success.”
How does the Momentum program work?
The Momentum program combines the best elements from Weight Watchers previous food plans; it is based on the POINTS Weight Loss System, and incorporates “Filling Foods.” These Filling Foods have been scientifically proven to help keep people feeling fuller longer because they are low in calories, but contain more water, air or fiber per serving, relative to the food’s weight. So they’re low in energy density. Many are also high in protein. Consumers are encouraged to choose Filling Foods as part of their daily POINTS Target to keep hunger at bay. The less hungry people feel, the easier it will be to avoid temptation.
“The key to weight loss success is finding a plan you can stick with—something that doesn’t leave you hungry or filled with longing for your favorite foods, and something you can fit in to your life. It’s about finding the right balance of healthy, real foods, convenience foods and other foods you love. Momentum™ will help our members find this balance and make great food choices. They’ll learn how to handle eating out, eating with their families, eating on the run so that they can stick with the program and reach their goals,” says Sabrina LeBlanc, Vice President of Program Development at Weight Watchers International.
Do the materials change?
All of the program materials for Weight Watchers Meetings have been redesigned and offer even more helpful ways to follow the program and achieve weight-loss goals. The Weight Watchers Web site will be updated with content on the Momentum program and Weight Watchers members will be provided materials that include the new food plan, a handy pocket guide, and new and improved menu plans. For those members with subscriptions to Monthly Pass or Weight Watchers eTools, there will be enhanced online tools available.
“Since following Momentum, I’ve learned so much that has helped me be more successful in losing weight” explained Weight Watchers Member, Lanita Sea. “I’ve become more educated about what foods give you the maximum bang for your buck and by choosing Filling Foods, I don’t feel hungry – I stay fuller longer and feel like I have more energy. When I tried following other plans in the past, it was all about eating 3 meals and a snack. Now, I’ve been learning ways to listen to my own body and eating when I’m genuinely hungry. It feels very individual – like the program is tailored just for me.”
As always, Weight Watchers encourages a safe rate of weight loss – up to two pounds a week after the first three weeks (during which you could lose more).
For more info, Google WeightWatchers.com.