This journey to wellness and weight loss is going to require a whole lot of change, but we are going to work on making it more manageable. Have you ever heard of the two rivet rule? The Golden Gate Bridge is an engineering feat. There are approximately 600,000 rivets in each tower holding it together. Years after it was built, engineers decided it needed to be reinforced to better withstand earthquakes. In order to accomplish this without significantly compromising its structure, the engineers removed only two rivets at a time to keep it open to traffic and ensure it would withstand any earthquakes during the retrofitting process.

We can apply this same mentality to our lives: Make only small changes at any given time. If we try to change everything at once, we risk crumbling beneath the weight of this. We are creatures of habit and most of us don’t really like change all that much. But, if we make change more manageable, it doesn’t seem quite as daunting, right? The advice we like to give revolves around patience and implementing only small changes at any given time. When you work on changing your diet, focus on removing one or two things at a time. Don’t run home and clear out the pantry and fridge of all unhealthy foods and snacks. This works for very few people. For everyone else, it often results in frustration and anger at the end of the day. Worst of all, it frequently leads to abandonment of the lifestyle change and a return to old habits.

We make the following initial recommendations:

1. Remove any high calorie or sugar sweetened beverages you consume. These include fruit juices, sodas, sugar sweetened iced teas, coffee, alcohol, etc. If you absolutely love sodas, switch to the mini versions for a while and ultimately cut them out entirely. Keep diet sodas to a minimum. They are packed full of non-nutritive sweeteners and we believe they increase the taste of sweetness on the palate, thus making cravings difficult to manage. Some things, such as wine and beer, may be gradually added back after the active weight loss phase. But in moderation, of course.
2. Gradually reduce carbohydrates in the diet. You can make this manageable by simply reducing portion sizes to begin with. Decrease the amount of pasta, rice, bread, etc. you consume. Start substituting unhealthy fats such as sour cream, cheese, and butter for healthier fats like avocado, olive oil, nuts and seeds.
3. While grocery shopping, start looking at nutrition labels so you become more aware of calorie, fat, carbohydrate and sugar content.
4. Focus on eating food that is minimally processed. Processing includes any food that has been altered from its original form. Examples include packaged food, chips, fast food, cookies, crackers, etc.
5. Reduce the frequency of dining out. Weight loss can be greatly hindered by dining out because restaurants add large amounts of fat, sugar, and salt to their dishes. Most restaurants don’t have entrees under 500 calories. It’s also very hard to resist snacking on tortilla chips and bread when dining at Mexican and Italian restaurants.

Let’s get going! One small change at a time.

-Megan Vardeman, MPAS, PA-C & Crysta Baldwin, MS, RD, LD