Losing weight is one of the more difficult challenges that a lot of us will face in our lifetime. One thing that might turn people off to even bothering to try in the first place is a belief that they have to modify their eating habits all at once. But, so long as you are not facing an immediate medical crisis, perhaps small steps over a one month period might help.
Myself, I used to be a hefty 260 lbs. This was partly due to the fact that I had, and still have, a very idle job. I write and I sit at a computer for great portions of the day. I must do this to make a living and that really eliminated any exercise in my life as I do not normally break a sweat at any point in the day.
I recognized that modifying my eating habits was the only way I could lose at least some weight given the circumstances that I was in.
First, I thought about my eating patterns and realized that I was going to a fast food restaurant, the burger and fries kind, almost every day. I did not actually want to stop ‘cold turkey’ style so instead I decided to phase out the behavior over time. I decided that instead of buying a combo at the fast food restaurant, I would just buy a sandwich and ask them to hold the mayonnaise. Then I would go to the corner store and buy some lower fat chips and fountain pop.
The point there is that chips are a little better than fries when it comes to reducing calories.
After a few days I substitute my fountain cola drink for diet cola but realized that I hated the taste. I then decided to drink half and half. Using the fountain beverage machine at the convenience store I put half regular cola in and half diet cola. I found the taste to be acceptable and since most diet colas have no calories, I had found a way to cut a significant source of sugar in half without noticeably affecting my diet.
A few days later, I replaced chips with pretzels. The salt was still high, but the fat content went down drastically.
In a few baby steps I had gone from eating a fast good combo with fries, pop, and a burger with mayonnaise, (800 to 900 calories) to eating something far less unhealthy.
In the same way I modified other eating habits little by little over four weeks and now I am down to 235 lbs over six months. While being 235 lbs is hardly where I want to be, I am 6’1″ so it is not terrible. Certainly it is better than being 260 lbs.
Always consult a physician before going on a diet.