Making Adjustments

Happy Friday! I hope this has been a good week for you and that you're ready for a great, and on-plan, weekend!

Making permanent changes is hard work and it's not always easy or fun. Most of us ended up here because we had well-established unhealthy habits, and unlearning those habits and creating a host of new, healthy ones doesn't come easily. However, our long-term success is dependent on developing a healthier set of habits. I'm not talking about success in losing the weight, because as long as we stay on Take Shape for Life/Medifast 5&1, reaching our goal is a given. I'm talking about long-term success in not only keeping the weight off, but also being able to continue our own journey towards optimal health.

In my work with individuals on their own weight loss journey, I often hear comments like "I don't like (or worse, don't eat) vegetables;" "I don't like/don't drink water," and other comments that don't mesh well with developing new, healthy habits. Others tell me that they don't eat fruit and will just "skip that week" when it's time to transition off the weight loss portion of this program.

When I hear these types of statements, I am challenged to find a way to be empathetic while, at the same time, gently suggesting that it might be time to change. If we really, truly embrace the vision of a healthier lifestyle that will keep us moving in the direction of optimal health, then a palate adjustment may be in order.

The good news is that this program does a great job of readjusting our palates. Once we detox from the sugar, salt, and high-fat foods that got many of us in the mess we found ourselves, it's amazing to find that our taste buds get refined. It's even scary to find that some of the Medifast food that was definitely NOT my favorite my first month now, 2-1/2 years later, actually tastes GOOD to me :-). As our palates readjust, it can be a good time to revisit some of the veggies we turned our noses up to when we were kids.

For me, I have come to love cooked spinach. I hadn't touched it in years, but decided to give it a try again. Sauteed in a tiny amount of olive oil with fresh garlic, sea salt and freshly-ground pepper, it's delicious - who knew? As I continue my own healthy lifestyle journey, I decided it was important to expand my list of veggies (which was already fairly extensive) and gave my childhood nemesis, beets, another try. Guess what? I like roasted beets! Kohlrabi, spaghetti squash and a variety of other vegetables have been added to my veggie repertoire, and I only wish I'd been a bit more adventurous years ago!

As you continue on 5&1, look at the list of "green" options and try something different, maybe even something you haven't tried since you were a kid. You might be pleasantly surprised!

And if you don't like water? Well, time to refashion those taste buds, too :-)

Being willing to make these kind of changes begins with making the fundamental choice to be as healthy as you can possibly be. Once you make that choice, other choices become easier (not easy, but easier!). Have you made the fundamental choice to be as healthy as you can possibly be? If so, you're half-way there. Then choose wisely :-)