Sure, it would wonderful to shed 30 pounds in 30 days, like those ads always promise. But if even this were possible, you’d gain the weight back. Those quick fixes don’t instill lasting habits that keep your weight down permanently. So, if you’re still focused on a quick fix, it’s time to change the channel. Give yourself permission to work on small changes, and get them right. For instance, you can simply work on eating a healthful breakfast and taking regular walks. Once you’ve nailed down those habits, add on some others. You’ll start seeing results, and best of all—they’ll stick!

It’s 10:30 p.m. and you’re in the kitchen, finishing a big bowl of ice cream. Why are you eating food you’ll regret later on? Often, it’s a way of soothing yourself, using food to cope with stress, loneliness, boredom, being overwhelmed, feeling unappreciated, even feeling wildly happy, and other issues. On the Best Life Diet, we urge you to look inside, confront the real issues driving overeating. Take time to think about who you are, what you want, and why you want it. Focusing on diet and exercise isn’t enough; you must deal with the issues that caused you to become overweight. Because eventually, those issues will roar up and un-do all your great weight loss efforts. Facing these issues can be painful—so are some changes you’ll have to make to live a healthier, happier life. For instance, you may have to start hunting for a more fulfilling job, or get marital counseling. But your rich reward for taking these brave leaps: living your best life possible.

Why am I overweight? Why do I want to lose weight? Why have I lost and gained weight in the past? These are tough questions, and, as we said above, require some deep inner reaching. Take out a piece of paper (or get a journal) and write down answers to these questions. Come back to those papers and add to them now and again. Writing things down helps you sort through your thoughts and emotions and may clue you in to major issues. Seeing it on paper helps you decide which issues to tackle first.

Tracking your diet in a food journal is another extremely useful tool for losing weight and maintaining that weight loss. “Wow, I ate THAT many sweets today?” Or, “I didn’t realize how much more I snack when I’m under deadline pressure at work!” These are the types of discoveries you’ll make. Make sure to write down every single bit of food or drink that day, and write down the time of day, the place, how hungry you were, and any emotions or situations (i.e. “Just got off the phone with an angry conversation with my daughter.”)

Vegetables are a fantastic weight loss tool because they fill you up on very few calories. You can double the size of your pasta serving by tossing in steamed or sautéed zucchini, broccoli or other vegetables, for just 20 – 80 extra calories. A large salad--greens, tomatoes, mushrooms, and onions--tossed with herbs, a tablespoon of olive oil and a splash of balsamic vinegar—is incredibly filling and runs a mere 150 – 200 calories.

Vegetables have to taste good—who’s going to look forward to steamed or blanched vegetables night after night?—so don’t be afraid to use a little fat. We’re not talking heaps of high fat sauce, but about 50 – 100 calories of olive oil or salad dressing. Sautéing in a teaspoon or two of olive oil and some minced garlic does wonders for any vegetable. A great dressing makes a salad a star attraction. And an added bonus: fat may help the body absorb health-promoting carotenes and other vitamins in vegetables.

On the Best Life Diet you weigh yourself at the beginning, and then put away the scale for 4 weeks. That’s great news for scale-haters, but may be a little nerve-wracking for regular weighers. The reason for the four-week ban: you may not see the numbers fall until about the fifth week. And that can be discouraging. You’re probably actually losing weight, but you might not see it. That because your new habits--more exercise, drinking more water, and, for those who’ve been avoiding carbs, eat more carbs—can cause water weight gain at first. This offsets the body fat you may also be losing. Things straighten themselves out after a while, so by the end of Phase One you can step back on the scale once a week. If the scale is just too traumatic, then, in Phase II you can gauge progress by trying on the same pair of pants, or using a tape measure on your waist and hips.

Contrary to what you might think, skipping breakfast does not seem to be a good strategy for managing your weight. When the eating habits of over 3000 people who have maintained a weight loss of at least 30 pounds for one year were analyzed, 90% reported that they eat breakfast almost every day – and cereal was a popular choice.1 Other researchers also found that breakfast skippers tend to have a higher weight for their height than breakfast eaters.2 So start your day with a bowl of Cheerios® cereal, skim milk and fruit – it’s a choice you’ll feel good about!

1. Wyatt et al. Long-term weight loss and breakfast in subjects in the National Weight Control Registry. Obesity Research. 2002;10(2):78-82.
2. Cho et al. The Effect of Breakfast Type on Total Daily Energy Intake and Body Mass Index: Results from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III). Journal of the American College of Nutrition. 2003;22(4):296-302.

When you’re a guest in someone’s home and you’re trying to adhere to a weight-loss plan, things can get sticky. You want to be a gracious guest, but your health is a priority. Here are some tips that should help you balance the two goals:

• Politely let the host or hostess know you have dietary restrictions ahead of time.
• Offer to bring a healthful dish to share.
• Enjoy the food that is served. If it is high-calorie fare, take a smaller portion, eat only part of what you’re served or politely decline.