It is nearly midnight. Wondering how many people made a weight loss resolution and have already blown it? What happened the first time you were learning to ride a bicycle and you fell? You got right back up and continued. That is exactly what you have to do when it comes to weight management. But let’s take a look at simplifying your resolutions down to just one for the time being, and do it just until the end of the week.
Your one and only resolution–rather, a commitment—for this week only is: Include a whole fruit or vegetable with your breakfast. If you just said—“I don’t eat breakfast”—well, that is serious mistake number one for those looking to lose weight and keep it off. Breakfast provides the meal you need to ‘break’ the nightly fast. Further, it is the foundation for the energy you will need to get you through the day. Third, it provides the nutrition you need so that you do not have a mid-morning sugar snack that causes a slump in your energy level. Breaking the fast is extremely important to diabetics, whose livers are critical in glucose metabolism. When you go too long without food, your blood sugar goes up.
If you are a cereal person, add fresh fruit to your cereal: banana slices and raspberries are the easiest to prepare. You only need a half a banana (fold the peel up to keep it from oxidizing too quickly, and use the other half the next day), and you can slice it in seconds. The raspberries are easy, too—just rinse them and pour about a dozen on your cereal, then add the milk. If you like oranges, skip the orange juice, and eat the real thing. Not into cold cereal, try hot cereal—oatmeal, and add the fruit after the oatmeal has cooked.
Like eggs or egg substitute? Put fresh spinach, arugula, mushrooms, and chopped onion into a skillet you have sprayed or to which you have added a teaspoon or two of olive oil, and cook them down for 2-3 minutes. You don’t need all those vegetables—just whatever you have on hand. Then pour beaten eggs over the vegetables, and cook another 2-3 minutes on low. Do not worry about an omelet—that requires too much finesse as far as this non-cook is concerned. Add fresh fruit to your meal if you like, and you have included the fruit and vegetables into your daily diet.
That’s it—add a fruit or vegetable to your breakfast. Just do it for the rest of this week. If you are okay with that, continue for another week. By adding this routine, you are modifying your eating behavior so that it is part of a healthy lifestyle. After a few weeks, it will become second nature, and a part of that behavioral modification we are seeking in the overall lifestyle change.
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