Losing weight and keeping it off has never been easy for my mom. She has tried time after time to drop a few pant sizes and it only lasts a few months before she returns to her starting weight. However, today she embarks on day one of a new challenge: a healthy lifestyle challenge. There are no monthly quotas or number crunching, just the goal of change! So from now until Christmas we are going to see what happens. That’s right, WE. My mom and I are a team and have been ever since I was born which means that this time around I’m going to coach her through it.
My Evaluation: Aiming for Success and How We Will Get There
After discussing my mom’s daily food intake, our foundation is going to be her intake of water! Staying hydrated is super important and I love how she always has a water bottle beside her. The following changes are what’s really going to kick-start her new life …
My mom is the manager of the repair department for a cellular company. Everyday is a busy one and sometimes she either forgets to eat or just doesn’t have the time. That’s when a red flag went up for me. Food has energy and that’s why we eat it. If there is no fuel to sustain you through the day, your body is going to go into starvation mode which needs to be avoided at all costs. When the body believes that it is being starved, it relies on the storage packs in the body. First it’s going to use all the proteins and carbohydrates in the body and continue to store fat. Fat stores for the longest which is why not eating a sufficient amount of food during the day is not an effective why of losing weight.
Change #1: Regular intake of food (breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks)
This may sound obvious but a well-rounded diet includes lots of fruits and veggies as well as whole grains. Vegetables aren’t most people’s first choice but finding recipes that incorporate lots of color and different flavors might be the answer. The only way to stick with healthy choices is to avoid getting bored by changing it up. For example, eating bread for one meal and pasta or oats for the others. A good rule of thumb is to make sure that every meals contains one of each, so a fruit, a vegetable and a whole grain.
Change #2: Adding in fruits, vegetables and whole grains
Temptations will arise throughout this challenge and that’s okay but you also want to take control for 99% of the day. In order to avoid drive thru dinners or vending machines you should pack a lunch everyday. I also recommend that you go grocery shopping at least once a week because fresh is best and that way there will always be options. Once the fall semester starts, I won’t always be there to help keep the refrigerator stocked, but we have already discussed that we will share recipes with each other and take pictures of our meals. Thank goodness for modern day technology and tools like Facebook, Pinterest and the World Wide Web!
Change #3: Control by packing lunches and keeping the refrigerator stocked
My mom is one awesome lady and I couldn’t be prouder of this challenge she willingly choose to embark on! Wish her luck and I will keep everyone updated as we work from month to month.
~Emily
Emily Tauschek ’19 is a dietetics and Spanish double major at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.