Embracing a new habit per week!

Losing weight is not an easy task, and the hardest is to change old habits which are responsible for the weight gain, and replacing them by new healthier habits. There are so many we have to change to really see a long term difference but trying to change them all at the same time is not the best strategy. Lets tackle one habit per week until we replace those with healthier ones.

In the past few weeks, I was able to re-integrate muscle strengthening and running in my routine, and have kept those new habits. On the foods side, I have been in the past eating too many dried fruits, nut butter and nuts. These are good foods but in very limited quantity. For an adult, no more than a quarter of a cup of dried fruits and a quarter of a cup of nuts is recommended on a daily basis. Dried fruits should not be consumed daily because they are too high in sugar.

I have been able to get rid of the dried fruits consumption habit, but I know I still have some work to do on nuts. Even though nuts are healthy for you, in large quantities they are not! Therefore, knowing that the maximum I should consume in a day is max 1/4 cup of whole nuts or 2 table spoons of nuts butter per day, I have to make changes. Since I am cooking with nuts butter quite often (muffins, dressing, recipies), I have to restrict my self to 1/8 cup of nuts on a daily basis. The new strategy I am trying is to soak the night before, the nuts I will be eating the next day. Soaking nuts and seeds in water is making them easier to digest. I leave them on the counter in the 1/8 cup container, and this is as much nuts as I will eat for the whole day!

This is a new strategy, and I will let you know how it goes.

Remember that if you are able to do a new behavior or habit for 21 days in a row, your chances of keeping this habit are much much higher!

Good luck!
MM