Diabetes Diet - Follow The 80/20 Rule |
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Have you ever told yourself that you'll
go on a diet for the next three months to lose 10 pounds, and
then after that three month period, you find yourself returning to your
old eating and lifestyle habits? Or if you plan to start a diet
on Monday, do you eat all your favorite foods over the weekend? For
most of us diet indicates a beginning and an end, and that is
exactly why you should throw the word diet out of your
vocabulary Replace diet with a new phrase--consistent eating
plan. This is the real key to lifelong management of weight. The
goal is to make changes in your eating habits that you can live with
and maintain on a regular basis. To accomplish this level of
consistency, you need the 80/20 Rule: If 80 percent of the time you
make healthful food choices, the other 20 percent can fall through the
cracks without adversely affecting your health. The
trick with this rule is focusing on the 80 percent days. Your food
choices on these days need to be really nutritious—low fat meals,
plenty of fruits and vegetables, and proper-sized portions of food.
This rule means that you will pass by the candy dish on your
co-worker's desk most of the time, choose the side salad instead of
French fries at a fast-food restaurant, and make snack time fruit time.
The 20 percent days are holidays, vacations, and special occasions. If
you're careful on the 80 percent days, then when the 20 percent days
come along, you can truly enjoy the eating occasion without feeling
guilty and know that you're still on track for diabetes prevention and
weight management. The 80/20 Rule—consider making it your motto for a lifetime of
consistent, healthful eating habits. |
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