Act as if you're already fit and athletic

One of the most important changes you can make in your quest to lose weight and get fit is a major mental shift. I've already written about how, when I was in my weight-loss phase, I stopped thinking of food as something that tasted good and instead started viewing it as fuel to get me to my goal weight. That's the kind of shift that's necessary if you're going to lose the weight and keep it off.

Start asking yourself what thin, fit people do and don't do. You might notice the following points. Successfully thin people do NOT:

* whine about the food they "must" eat and long for foods that aren't on their "diet"
* complain that they don't know how to cook and use that as an excuse to eat poorly
* blame other people for their inability to eat the way they know they should
* starve themselves all week and then gorge themselves on unhealthful foods on the weekend
* get anxious around food
* give up and feel they've "blown it all" after they digress from healthful eating
* look for excuses not to go back to eating healthfully.

Think, too, about what athletes do and don't do. Athletes do NOT:
* make a fuss about "having to" go out for a run, do strength training or go for a bike ride
* worry more about how they look in their workout gear than about how they're going to perform when they do work out.
* use every excuse in the book not to exercise
* get anxious when thinking and talking about exercise
* give up when they miss a few workouts

When you start behaving like a thin, athletic person, your whole attitude about weight, eating healthfully and exercising will change. It will no longer be a "chore," but a way of life and something you believe in. It will make the difference between success and failure.

Exercise Won't Make you Thin If You Ignore Your Diet

I see so many people hauling themselves to the gym, doing the same classes, and living the same struggle to lose weight year after year--weight that simply won't come off. I used to be one of those people. No matter how much I worked out, what new exercise trend I tried, the numbers on the scale wouldn't budge. I thought I was simply destined to be the weight I was. But I was overlooking a crucial element to the weight-loss game, and I think many people make this same mistake.

The truth is you simply cannot lose weight and maintain your weight loss by exercise alone. You must address your diet or the weight won't come off. You may think (as I did) that you eat a healthful diet, but if you don't examine what you're putting into your body you cannot gain control over your weight.

It may seem daunting, this "examination" of your diet. But don't let fear stop you from doing it. Start by writing down what you eat each day--yes, a food journal. If you really can't get a handle on what you're eating, it's the best place to start. Write down not only what you're eating and drinking, but what time you ate and drank it, and how much. Try it for one day--a "good" eating day, if that will make the exercise more appealing to you. Then look it over. How much of what you wrote down is fruit, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat protein, nuts and nut butters, water? How much of it is starchy, refined carbs, sweets, alcohol, fatty foods?

Next, look at the amounts you're eating. What size are your portions? Could you cut them back? Did you take second helpings? What is really IN the food you're eating: butter, sugar, oil, cream? Was your sandwich on refined white or whole-wheat bread?

Lots of questions, I know. But it gets the ball rolling, and it gets you thinking about what you're doing, rather than eating mindlessly. It's this type of thinking that puts you in control--not the food, not the chef, not your emotions or cravings. Making thoughtful decisions about how you're going to handle your diet is empowering and essential for success.

So don't waste your time going to those classes or putting your time in on the treadmill if you're going to ruin it all by what you eat. Address the whole picture and you'll be well on your way toward reaching your goal.

Ode to the Sweet Potato

Delicious. Pleasing to the eye, as well as to the palate. Low in calories and fat. High in fiber, vitamin A and carotenoids. Plentiful and inexpensive. Easy to cook. Versatile. Help to lower cholesterol and ward off disease. Sweet potatoes are so yummy and satisfying, it's a wonder more Americans don't eat them. Roasted, mashed, baked, glazed with marshmallows if you must. Whipped into a pie or simply nestled onto a plate, you can't do much better nutritionally than a sweet potato. By the way, yam and sweet potato are pretty much interchangeable, so call them what you like. Just eat them!

Don't Finish the Leftovers

The other day, I ignored my own advice ("I am not a garbage disposal"). We had a bunch of leftovers from the week, it was the weekend, time for lunch and I thought, "Great idea: finish off the leftovers so we can start the week fresh." Actually, it was a bad idea because I ended up polishing off way too many meatless meatballs in marinara sauce and leftover eggplant parmesan. Did I really need to do that to myself in the name of a clean fridge? No!

It can be very tempting, I know, even if the cleanliness of your fridge is not top of mind when you do it. There's no shame in taking a small portion of the leftovers and saving the rest for another day (or two). So the fridge isn't "fresh" for the week--who's inspecting it anyway? On the other hand, your waistline probably won't be very forgiving.

Please keep portion control in mind when eyeing the week's leftovers. And if you don't, then don't feel guilty--just have a piece of fruit and call it a day as far as eating goes. You'll feel much better in the morning and much more in control when the new week begins. I know I would.

Tired of Veggies? Try Cooking with Fruit!

The other night, I was too tired to think up a veggie to cookie with dinner. After assessing my pantry and fridge, I realized I had lots of fruit options to go along with my broiled fish, so I decided to add some of them to the dinner I was cooking. Result: big success! I had wisely purchased a jar of peach-pineapple salsa from my local supermarket, and I had a spare can of mandarin oranges, so I combined them. Next, I remembered a fish dish I'd made years ago that entailed sauteing bananas, so I quartered a few bananas and sauteed them in a tiny bit of butter, then topped the broiled snapper with the bananas and jacked-up salsa. Wow! What a taste sensation! And my family was pleasantly surprised by the change.

If you're tiring of veggies, you can always switch to the other side of the produce aisle and cook with fruit instead. Many types of fruit take really well to grilling (think mangoes, pineapple, peaches and apples), pureeing for a sauce or soup (berries and melon), baking or roasting (bananas and apples are great for this, too). When fruit cooks, the sugars caramelize, giving a richness to food that you can't always get from veggies. And their sweetness makes for a nice change for your palate. Another perk: fruit tames spiciness, so if your dish is too peppery for your taste, think about adding fruit to calm it down. See? Fruit definitely doesn't have to be boring.

The Smart Way to Be a Vegetarian

A friend who I recently began running with asked me about my weight-loss program. She wants to lose weight, and, since she's a vegetarian, she wondered if following my plan meant she had to eat meat. I told her my plan works for carnivores and vegetarians alike because it's based on fruits, veggies, whole grains, low-fat protein, fiber and water; the protein can be either animal- or vegetable-based. She looked a bit sheepish when she told me that her current vegetarian diet is sorely lacking in fruits and veggies; instead, she eats a lot of breads, crackers and starch.

Many people choose to be vegetarians because they feel it's a healthier way to eat. This can be true, but not if it means you're replacing lean meat and fish with starchy, refined carbs and sweets. Whether you eat meat or not, you MUST eat fruits and vegetables in order to have a balanced diet. There's just no way around this. To think that becoming a healthy vegetarian simply means eliminating animal products is to do yourself a disservice.

If you're a vegetarian (or want to become one) and wish to eat healthfully, start by replacing meat and fish with vegetable-based proteins, such as tofu, nuts, beans and (if you choose to eat them) eggs and low-fat cheeses. You need these protein sources for many different functions. In addition, make sure you're eating enough servings of fruits, vegetables and whole grains each day, not overdoing on fats or sweets, and getting enough calcium. Multivitamins are a must if you're cutting out an entire food group from your diet. In fact, you must be diligent about your diet if you're eliminating ANY category of foods so that you're replacing the nutrients you would otherwise be getting from that category.

Being vegetarian can be a smart move--if you do it the smart way.

The Company You Keep

Are your friends couch potatoes? Is their idea of a good workout schedule an hour at the gym--every six weeks or so? If your goal is to be fit for life, I have some advice for you: Find some new friends! Not that you have to drop the old ones, just make room for some people in your life who will keep you motivated, challenged and focused on your fitness goals.

The company you keep is extremely important in meeting your goals. We can't all be completely self-motivated; something (life, perhaps?) will always come along to derail our efforts. But if you have friends who like to run, play tennis, bike, hike, do yoga--take your pick--you'll be more likely to try those things and challenge yourself. I never would have done my first race if a good friend hadn't asked me to join her on her annual "birthday" 5K. And I doubt I would have taken the leap and run a half marathon without another friend telling me she was taking it on.

The point is to introduce people into your life who will give you a leg up to a higher level of commitment to fitness. This will keep you from getting bored and giving up--rather, it will spur you on. If you don't have friends who can serve this purpose, join a team or fitness group filled with people who are just a little bit faster, stronger, or "better" than you at a sport or activity. Don't forget about your old friends, but keep your eye on the prize and you'll keep moving forward.