Blog post, almost done

It’s that time of year again! The time when people are saying “I need to lose weight!” and “I need to pay off [insert bill here]” and “I need to save more money!”. It’s really sad for me to see that so many people don’t know where to start, and so many people will fail because they’re just not prepared for the commitment it takes to change yourself. I desperately want to help everyone who is looking to change themselves for the better. I don’t want anyone to feel disappointed with themselves because they didn’t lose enough weight or save enough money or pay all of their bills off completely. You don’t need a personal trainer and dietician to lose weight. You don’t need an accountant and financial adviser to save money. Keep in mind, “Lose weight fast” and “Get rich quick” schemes don’t work in the long term.
It is possible. You can lose the weight you want to lose. You can save for your future. You can pay off your debt. It takes commitment and hard work, but you can do it. In the spirit of wanting to help as many people as I can, here it goes!
Save money, the easy way!
Seriously, it’s as easy as getting paid, and all you have to do is remember to do this every time you cash your pay check. Some banks, like Citizen’s Bank, can do this for you if you set it up, or if you use direct deposit, you can usually choose the destination of deposit and just have the money saved before your checking account even sees it. Every paycheck put a pre-determined amount of money into your savings account. I think, a small and reasonable amount is a great place to start, $5.00 for instance. Every weekly paycheck, put $5 in your savings account, if you get paid biweekly, put $10 in. If you do this automagically through your bank, after a while you’ll never notice the difference. You’ll save $260 a year, without putting any thought into the savings. If you’re feeling like saving more than that, you can go with a larger amount.
If you’re stretching your budget thin each paycheck, and don’t feel comfortable putting small amounts in your savings regularly, then you can try saving through spending. There are a few tricks you can try, that have worked for my husband and I, when trying to save money.
1.	Determine your needs versus your wants. You need: healthy food to eat, water, a home, clothing to keep you warm/safe, the ability to keep yourself clean, and access to medication/health care products. Everything else is a want. Everything. You also don’t need to buy “the bigger pack” because it’s “cheaper overall”. Buy what you need.
2.	Buy generic. When possible, don’t buy the name brand. Overall, generic is generally cheaper and tastes the same. If you have a store like Wegman’s in your area, the generic probably tastes better.
3.	Make a grocery list. Don’t stray from the list! If you forgot something, make sure you absolutely need it before you buy it. Wegman’s has an app for that, and a website. It’s super handy if you have a Shopper’s Club Card.
4.	Don’t go to the store hungry. You will impulse buy because when you’re hungry, all you’re thinking about is what the next form of sustenance will be. And seriously don’t go to the Wegman’s hotfood bar if you are shopping hungry.
If you combine the two ways to save, not only will you be spending less, and saving more!

So, I talked about the easy part, now for the not so easy part. Being healthy. This lifestyle change is a serious commitment, and it’s not for those who are unable to stand by the decision. If you want to lose weight, that’s fantastic! You’re on track to a healthier lifestyle, and you might as well commit to a healthier lifestyle overall. I learned in nursing school that anything worth it is never easy, and that applies to health as well. There will be an underlying rhetoric of “anti-diet” to my suggestions. This is because I don’t agree with, or believe in diet plans, diet pills, or “magic” fixes. This is going to be a commitment, it’s going to take work, and there are quite a few steps.
First, you need a plan and a goal. You need to set a goal for yourself, and make it reasonable. Write this down, and modify the goal as needed.
For example, a healthy amount of weight to lose is about 1-2 pounds a week (1 kilogram a week). You should feel good about yourself. Don’t make a hard date goal, because if you don’t reach that, you’ll be disappointed. People make these hard-date goals for a lot of reasons, and often I see they’re made for one specific event (like a wedding). Unfortunately, after that date/event, people don’t keep with it, not from what I’ve seen at least.  A goal like “I want to lose 20 pounds in the next six months” is better than “I want to lose 20 pounds by July 1st”. The weight loss goal of 20 pounds (9 kilograms) is a wonderful goal, coupled with a healthy timeline of 6 months (26 weeks) makes the timeline and loss goal work.
If you’re looking to eat healthier, make slow and reasonable changes. It takes about 3 weeks for a new habit to form, for most people. It’s probably easier to form a lot of habits, over an extended period of time. I would suggest not making a lot of changes all at once. Make one or two changes, get use to those changes, then make one or two more.
Second, you need to identify your current habits. For your plan to work, you need to know your baseline, and you need to write it down so you can reference it.
For a couple of weeks, try to keep diary of what you eat and when you eat, and don’t forget to include beverages! Identify if you’re eating when you’re bored, if you’re drinking a Pepsi when you’re at work, how much coffee you’re consuming. Write down all of your snacks, when you’re getting hungry, if you’re full when you’re done with your meals. All of this information will help you make healthier choices, and help you lose weight if that’s your goal.
Other habits you should try to document: when you go to sleep, how long you sleep, what medications you are currently taking (including any over the counter medication), what your stressors are, how you handle stress, your current level of exercise, and what you do for fun. When you’re more aware of your habits, it’s easier to change them.
Third, go to your doctor.
I am a huge supporter of including your doctor in lifestyle changes. When you go to your doctor, bring the diary you’ve been keeping. Discuss with them your goal, and the plan you have. Show them your baseline lifestyle habits. Discuss the things you’ve written down in the diary. Your doctor will be able to help you, and support you, much better the more they know. You’ll want to talk about any pre-existing medical conditions you may have, and what you’re likely to develop in the future because of your family history. Your doctor might want to take some blood. If they do, they’re probably going to be looking at possible conditions you may have, blood chemistry and enzyme levels and a complete blood count. If your doctor does want to have these tests done, talk with them about it. Ask them what they’re looking for, and what it’s going to mean for you.
Your doctor might want you to change your plan based off of their suggestions. That’s ok, and it’s their job to make sure you are informed and making safe changes and decisions about your healthcare. They may tell you to avoid certain foods, or stop taking certain over the counter medications. Or, they will give you the ok, and send you on your way!
Fourth, have support.
You’re going to be more successful if you have support. If you’re losing weight, try to find a friend who has a similar goal. If you’re looking to be healthier in general, try to get your whole family (or household) on board to do the same.
Tell your friends and family what your plan is. Nothing sucks more than trying to make a change for the better, and having to explain yourself over and over again. That can get discouraging. Also, if your loved-ones know you’re trying to be healthier, or quit smoking, or drink less, then they’ll know not to put you in situations that would make that change more difficult for you.
Fifth, just do it and don’t quit on yourself.
Stop making excuses as to why you couldn’t start this time, and just do it. Don’t quit once you start. Like I said, it’s not going to be easy. If it were easy, it wouldn’t be worth it.

But, how? How are you going to lose weight, and be healthy? Well, that’s where your doctor comes in. They will probably give you a good starting point for what changes you should make. Here of some of my suggestions for changes that you can make, that I’m pretty confident most doctors, for most people, would agree are healthy choices.
Drink more water. If your urine isn’t a light yellow, or you’re constipated, you probably aren’t drinking enough water. If you drink more non-water drinks than water, then it’s a good place to start! This change can be hard for people, but a good thing to try is replacement. Let’s say you drink 4 cups of coffee, 5 bottles of Pepsi, and 2 glasses of water every day. Try for a couple of weeks to have 4 coffees, 4 Pepsi’s and 3 waters a day. Then try 3 coffees, 4 Pepsi’s and 4 waters a day, for a couple of weeks. Then try 3 coffees, 3 Pepsi’s and 5 waters a day, for a couple of weeks. You’re not changing your fluid intake, just what fluids they are, and you’re training yourself to reach for water before a coffee or a Pepsi. If your urine isn’t pale yellow, and you’re constipated, now start increasing your water intake. Start with a glass or two more a day.  A good rule of thumb I go by, if I’m thirsty, I have some water. If you’re in a more hostile environment (such as very hot, very cold, or very dry), then you should drink more water in general, and my rule of thumb probably won’t help. In hostile environments like the ones I mentioned, if you’re thirsty, you’re probably already dehydrated, and really need to drink more water.
Snack Healthy. I think it’s a safe bet that we all snack between meals. Instead of grabbing the potato chips, grab some carrots or an apple. Try to find alternative snack options that are healthier than whatever you’re snacking on currently. This will take some trial and error, and finding out what you really like. Personally, I love fruits and veggies. While they’re considerably more expensive than junk food, I think they taste better-and they’re better for me, so it’s a bonus. I’ve been told home-made Kale chips are quite tasty, but I haven’t tried making them yet. If you’re just bored and snacking, stop for a moment and ask yourself “Am I actually hungry, or am I just bored?” If you’re hungry, grab a healthy alternative snack. If you’re just bored, go find something fun to do! Don’t keep snacks close to wherever you spend most of your time. If you’re at the computer, keep the desk clear. That way, you won’t absent-mindedly grab the snacks and start munching. If you want to, you can try limiting the amount of snacks you allow yourself a day. Something like, only one snack between meals.
Eat out less. Limit the amount of times you allow yourself to eat take-out. If you eat take-out more than once a week, try limiting yourself to only getting take-out once a week. This suggestion is difficult to maintain, because “let’s just go get ‘x’” is really easy to say.
Eat at home. Find your favorite meals you order as takeout, or at the restaurant, and try to replicate it in a healthier fashion at home. Try baking meals instead of frying. Only use salt and pepper to season before cooking instead of on the prepared food. Have a salad with your meal, or a larger salad as a meal. You don’t have to have dessert after every meal, but when you do, try having a sweet fruit for dessert. Along the same lines, before the meal, offer some fruits and veggies as an appetizer. Eating at home will also give you the ability to create new things you might really like. You’ll be able to spend more time with your family/household as well, and that’s a nice bonus.
Pace yourself. You don’t need to eat everything immediately. Slow down, and enjoy your food. You’ll notice as you eat a little slower, that you might be full much sooner than you had previously thought. Rather than stuffing yourself full, you’ll eat until you don’t feel hungry anymore, then, just stop eating. Try pausing a few seconds after each bite, or each part of the meal. Enjoy it!
Portion control. You don’t have to fill the entire plate with food. Figure out what the suggested serving size is, and try to make a complete meal using only the serving suggestion. If you’re still hungry afterward, wait a few minutes. If you’re still hungry, have another portion.
Buy fresh. Fresh fruits and veggies will almost always taste better than frozen or pre-prepared. Give them your own twist, make them how you like them. Yes, they’re usually more expensive, and no, you can’t have the best strawberries in January. Figure out what your grocer has in stock when it’s in season. You might even find that you love something you’d never thought to try before!