•  Weight Loss 101, Part 1: Getting Started •  Weight Loss 101, Part 2: Eating for Health •  Weight Loss 101, Part 3: Get Moving •  Weight Loss 101, Part 5: Sticking With It

Part 4: Everyday Strategies

•Did you make an exercise plan? If you're still undecided about what activities to include, our Fitness Finder tool can help you find some that fit your goals.

•Did you start your exercise program? If so, congratulations! If not, there's no time like the present!

•Did you write down your plan and track your progress? You can use the Fitness Contract, the Fitness Diary, or the Weight Loss Plan for this.

Eating more healthfully doesn't have to mean you eat nothing but boring, tasteless diet food, but you do have to be conscious of the ingredients you use. Learning new ways of cooking and eating will not only help you lose pounds, it can help you keep them off for good. Think about some of your favorite recipes. Do they include heavy cream by the cupful? Butter by the stick? Those meals may be tasty, but they aren't doing your body any favors. Fortunately, you don't have to throw out your recipe books -- or sacrifice flavor -- to make your meals healthier.

Here are some easy and satisfying ways to tweak your recipes. These tips have been collected from a variety of sources, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the American Cancer Society, the Ohio State University Extension Service, and the Purdue University School of Consumer and Family Sciences.

•To cut cholesterol, try replacing some of your eggs with egg whites or egg substitutes. You can replace one whole egg with two egg whites or a quarter cup of egg substitute. When baking, aim to replace just half the number of eggs in a recipe -- desserts and breads baked with only egg whites tend to be tough.

•Go easy on the oil. If a recipe calls for a cup of oil, use 3/4 or 2/3 of a cup instead. If you're making a sweet bread, like banana bread, cut the oil in half and replace it with pureed plums or prunes, mashed banana, applesauce, or canned pumpkin. However, it's best not to skimp on oil when making yeast breads or pie crusts. (Eliminating the oil completely results in a pretty "gummy" product.)

•Switch to healthier fats. That means cutting out lard, butter, palm oil, coconut oil, and shortenings made with these oils. Instead, use healthier oils such as olive, canola, soybean, sunflower, safflower, sesame, peanut, and cottonseed.

•If you usually cook your vegetables with a lot of butter, try using a little lemon juice or balsamic vinegar instead. Or brush a little olive oil on vegetables and pop them on the grill.

Dairy dos and don'ts

•Cut down on heavy cream. If you're making soup or a casserole, you can substitute yogurt, low-fat sour cream, or evaporated skim milk for all or part of the heavy cream. If you're baking, use lighter cream so you don't alter the taste too much.

•When baking, you can also replace sour cream with nonfat sour cream or plain low-fat yogurt. You'll hardly notice the difference, and you'll end up with fewer calories, and fat grams. Don't try this in a savory casserole -- nonfat sour cream turns sweet when heated.

•Think skim. Skim or 1 percent milk makes a perfect stand-in for whole milk. Instead of evaporated whole milk, try evaporated skim milk.

•You can use low-fat or nonfat cheese in place of regular cheese. However, because nonfat cheese doesn't melt as well, it's not a good choice for cooked meals. Another alternative is to decrease the portions while boosting the flavor. Instead of adding a cup of regular cheddar, use 3/4 cup of extra sharp cheddar.

•Low-fat cream cheese is a good alternative to regular cream cheese. Nonfat might not always work -- it will get pretty runny in cake frostings and dips.

Breakfast

•Start your day with a smoothie: Just spoon a cup of low-fat or nonfat yogurt into a blender with some frozen berries, fruit juice, and a banana. For an extra boost, add a quarter cup of powdered nonfat milk. You'll get an additional 625 milligrams of calcium -- more than half of what you need for the day.

•Have pink grapefruit for breakfast. It packs 25 times more beta-carotene (which turns into vitamin A) than its paler cousin, and it's usually sweeter. Pair it with a cup of oatmeal topped with an ounce of chopped almonds or a quarter cup of dried apricots, and you'll have a complete breakfast with about 7 grams of fiber, a third of the daily recommendation.

Lunch

•Eat avocados. Spread a quarter of a ripe avocado on your turkey sandwich instead of mayo, and you'll end up with plenty of flavor and half the fat. Avocado also provides magnesium and potassium. Add some tomato slices, sprouts, and a spoonful of mustard, and follow up with a piece of fruit for a complete, healthy lunch.

•Use shredded broccoli stalks instead of cabbage in your next slaw. (You can find them near the packaged salad in the produce section.) A half-cup gives you nearly four times the vitamin C and beta-carotene. Leave out the mayo, and toss with shredded carrots, a little chopped red onion, and a teaspoon of rice-wine vinegar for a super-healthy side dish.

•Take advantage of peanut power! Recent studies have turned peanut butter into a health food by showing that peanut products can actually lower your LDL or "bad" cholesterol as effectively as olive oil. But choose the old-fashioned or "natural" kind. Brands that use partially hydrogenated oils to give their butters a creamy texture can actually raise your cholesterol -- check the label if you're not sure.

Dinner

•Go for veggie burgers. Most veggie burgers give you two-thirds of the protein but only one quarter of the fat of a regular hamburger, plus a full 5 grams of fiber.

•Potatoes for dinner? Heap a baked potato with black beans, salsa, and an ounce of shredded pepper-jack cheese to make a meal. Count on 12 grams of fiber and 12 grams of protein. The cheese has a third of the fat of butter, plus you get more than 200 milligrams of calcium.

•Be green. Spinach pasta gives you twice as much potassium and folic acid as the regular kind, along with a nice hit of beta-carotene. For a quick and easy meal, toss spinach bow ties with crumbled feta cheese, black olives, and chopped tomatoes.

Snacks

•Eat for energy. Eating between meals can keep your energy up and your weight down -- if you choose snacks that combine carbohydrates with protein for a pick-me-up that lasts. Try these: carrots and hummus, apple slices and peanut butter, cheese or tuna on whole wheat crackers, or whole grain cereal with yogurt. Because peanut butter and cheese are high in fat, it's best to limit your daily servings of these.

It's important to have a regular exercise program if you want to lose weight. But on the days you can't get to the gym or do your regular workout, there are ways to amp up the exercise in your normal daily routine.

•Don't neglect that old standby, walking. It's one of the best ways to exercise, and your only expense is a pair of supportive shoes. Walking is easy on your joints, it lifts your mood, and it benefits your heart, lungs, and waistline if you keep up a brisk pace. Walk to work if possible, or if you have a desk job, take a brisk walk on one of your breaks and refresh body and mind for the rest of your workday.

•Housework counts! Making a bed can burn around 230 calories an hour -- so just imagine what mopping the floor can do! Mind you, 30 seconds spent wiping off the kitchen counter isn't going to change your shape. Put some time and effort into these tasks and you'll get a twofold payoff: a fitter body and a neater home.

•Climb stairs whenever you can. If the stairwell at your office is safe, shun the elevator and do the original step workout. At home, look for reasons to make a trip upstairs. Charge up a couple of flights about four times a day. This activity does double duty, giving you a cardiovascular workout while strengthening several muscle groups in your legs.

•Go for a bike ride. As transportation or recreation, cycling is a good workout. Getting somewhere on your own power is satisfying and may even evoke that same carefree, self-sufficient feeling you had as a kid when you first pedaled around the block all by yourself. So get a bike basket and use your two-wheeler to do errands or get to work. (Don't forget to wear an ANSI-approved helmet!) If you're the indoorsy type, consider a stationary bike. It offers the same health benefits as its mobile cousin, with a much lower risk of injury.

•Get in the garden and weed, weed, weed! Gardening is great for stretching, strengthening, and possibly even getting aerobic benefits, depending on which kinds of yard work you do and how hard you push yourself. Raking leaves and cutting the lawn are excellent choices. With this workout, you also get fresh air and let go of a lot of stress, and your plants will thrive along with you.

•Step it up. Get a pedometer and see how many steps you normally take in a day. Then try to increase your number of steps gradually over the next few months. Several organizations, such as Shape Up America and HealthPartners, have launched programs to encourage people to work up to 10,000 steps a day.

•Revamp a recipe. Take one of your favorite recipes and experiment with a healthier way of preparing it.

•Try a new food or a new activity that is healthy for you.

•In addition to your regular exercise program, use the tips above to add a little more physical activity to your day at least three days this week.

Future class:

•Weight Loss 101, Part 5: Sticking With It

Every class will contain links to all the tools used in the classes, so you can access them at any time.

•BMI Calculator

•Calorie Burn Calculator

•Calorie Needs Calculator

•Fitness Contract

•Fitness Diary

•Fitness Finder

•Food Diary

•Healthy Eating Guide

•Healthy Shopping Guide

•Nutrition Toolbox

•Target Heart Rate Calculator

•Weight Loss Plan

-- Deepi Brar, Kate Lee, Peter Jaret and Nancy Montgomery helped with this report.

References

First published April 18, 2005
Last updated November 26, 2008

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