Week One

Give up the illusion of control and yield to God’s mercy and grace:

1 Peter 5:6 – "So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and in His good time He will honor you."

Since we are just starting out…this week we’ll take it slow and start with some easy, obvious changes.

DRINKS

What are you drinking?! A HUGE amount of hidden calories and carbs are consumed in what you drink. Sodas, juices, lattes, beer, smoothies – can easily add an extra 1000 calories to your daily caloric intake. Here are some suggestions to help change that:

• If you are drinking juice, dilute it with some water
• Switch to low-fat or non-fat milk
• Go easy on the coffee drinks and smoothies – consider them a special treat on the weekend, and put away the money you would be spending on them for something special
• Try diet soda instead of regular
• Find a re-fill able water bottle that you like and keep it with you filled with cold water all the time. For a change, get some of the individual mixes to put in for added flavor

PORTION CONTROL

Another easy thing to do…just not something we always think about. We need a lot less food than we think!

• When you sit down to eat ANYTHING, put it into a bowl or on a plate – do not sit down with a whole bag of chips or container of ice cream or package of cookies.
• Use a smaller plate... it will still LOOK full to you, but will probably contain more than enough food for you at that sitting
• When out at a restaurant, ask for a take out container immediately and only plan on eating HALF of what is brought to you. Again, you are probably getting more than you need anyway
• Slow down! Taking time to chew and enjoy your food so that your stomach has time to respond. Its probably getting full before you realize it! Concentrate on putting your fork down in between each bite
• Go from the super size meal to a regular or small one. At this point don't try to go cold turkey and cut things completely out...just go for the little changes. They will still make a difference.

EXERCISE

For this week – just concentrate on moving more. If you are relatively sedentary, try to walk at least 15 minutes a day. People who already moving, go from a slow walk to a brisk walk. Brisk walkers, try jogging. You get the idea – just 15 minutes of intentional walking/moving.

Obviously – if you are currently involved in an exercise program – don’t stop!! This is just for those who are starting off...

FOOD JOURNAL

Lastly, try to write down what you eat in a food journal. Sometimes the accountability alone may stop you from eating something you don't want to admit to! More importantly, it'll show you when you eat for no good reason, in response to something etc and can give you good insight on what might need to change in the future.

BE SURE TO SHOW YOURSELF GRACE!!

Remember that we won't all change our habits in one week! Be proud of your accomplishments no matter how small and know that soon the BIG changes will come!

See you next time!

Keep Moving!
Donna