Steps For Losing Weight

Usually people don’t just wake up and say “Starting with today I’m going to eat healthier and I’m going to exercise more”. No! This is happening most of the time without even realizing it.

You just feel better eating a grilled chicken breast than a portion of French friezes and then you feel like taking a walk to the grocery store or like getting down from the bus 2 stations earlier and walk home.

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services have a list with the steps you can do to lose weight. I haven’t realized how many things I am already doing without any effort.

I wrote in bold the steps I took until now and I’m a little bit over 50 % with 61. :) This is good, I would say, taking into consideration that I live in a apartment and I don’t have kids (to play with) or a dog (to walk).

So what’s your “score” on the small steps to lose weight list?

1. Walk to work.
2. Use fat free milk over whole milk.
3. Do sit-ups in front of the TV.
4. Walk during lunch hour.
5. Drink water before a meal.
6. Eat leaner red meat & poultry.
7. Eat half your dessert.
8. Walk instead of driving whenever you can.
9. Take family walk after dinner.
10. Skate to work instead of driving.

11. Avoid food portions larger than your fist.
12. Mow lawn with push mower.
13. Increase the fiber in your diet.
14. Walk to your place of worship instead of driving.
15. Walk kids to school.
16. Get a dog and walk it.
17. Join an exercise group.
18. Drink diet soda.
19. Replace Sunday drive with Sunday walk.
20. Do yard work.
21. Eat off smaller plates.
22. Get off a stop early & walk.
23. Don’t eat late at night.
24. Skip seconds.
25. Work around the house.
26. Skip buffets.
27. Grill, steam or bake instead of frying.
28. Bicycle to the store instead of driving.
29. Take dog to the park.
30. Ask your doctor about taking a multi-vitamin.
31. Go for a half-hour walk instead of watching TV.
32. Use vegetable oils over solid fats.
33. More carrots, less cake.
34. Fetch the newspaper yourself.
35. Sit up straight at work.
36. Wash the car by hand.
37. Don’t skip meals.
38. Eat more celery sticks.
39. Run when running errands.
40. Pace the sidelines at kids’ athletic games.
41. Take wheels off luggage.
42. Choose an activity that fits into your daily life.
43. Try your burger with just lettuce, tomato, and onion.
44. Ask a friend to exercise with you.
45. Make time in your day for physical activity.
46. Exercise with a video if the weather is bad.
47. Bike to the barbershop or beauty salon instead of driving.
48. Keep to a regular eating schedule.
49. If you find it difficult to be active after work, try it before work.
50. Take a walk or do desk exercises instead of a cigarette or coffee break.
51. Perform gardening or home repair activities.
52. Avoid laborsaving devices.
53. Take small trips on foot to get your body moving.
54. Play with your kids 30 minutes a day.
55. Dance to music.
56. Keep a pair of comfortable walking or running shoes in your car and office.
57. Make a Saturday morning walk a group habit.
58. Walk briskly in the mall.
59. Choose activities you enjoy & you’ll be more likely to stick with them.
60. Stretch before bed to give you more energy when you wake.
61. Take the long way to the water cooler.
62. Explore new physical activities.
63. Vary your activities, for interest and to broaden the range of benefits.
64. Reward and acknowledge your efforts.
65. Choose fruit for dessert.
66. Consume alcoholic beverages in moderation, if at all.
67. Take stairs instead of the escalator.
68. Conduct an inventory of your meal/snack and physical activity patterns.
69. Share an entree with a friend.
70. Grill fruits or vegetables.
71. Eat before grocery shopping.
72. Choose a checkout line without a candy display.
73. Make a grocery list before you shop.
74. Buy 100% fruit juices over soda and sugary drinks.
75. Stay active in winter.
76. Play with your kids.
77. Flavor foods with herbs, spices, and other low fat seasonings.
78. Remove skin from poultry before cooking to lower fat content.
79. Eat before you get too hungry.
80. Don’t skip breakfast.
81. Stop eating when you are full.
82. Snack on fruits and vegetables.
83. Top your favorite cereal with apples or bananas.
84. Try brown rice or whole-wheat pasta.
85. Include several servings of whole grain food daily.
86. When eating out, choose a small or medium portion.
87. If main dishes are too big, choose an appetizer or a side dish instead.
88. Ask for salad dressing “on the side”.
89. Don’t take seconds.
90. Park farther from destination and walk.
91. Try a green salad instead of fries.
92. Bake or broil fish.
93. Walk instead of sitting around.
94. Eat sweet foods in small amounts.
95. Take your dog on longer walks.
96. Drink lots of water.
97. Cut back on added fats or oils in cooking or spreads.
98. Walk the beach instead of sunbathing.
99. Walk to a co-worker’s desk instead of emailing or calling them.
100. Carry your groceries instead of pushing a cart.
101. Use a snow shovel instead of a snow blower.
102. Cut high-calorie foods like cheese and chocolate into smaller pieces and only eat a few pieces.
103. Use nonfat or low-fat sour cream, mayo, sauces, dressings, and other condiments.
104. Replace sugar sweetened beverages with water and add a twist of lemon or lime.
105. Replace high-saturated fat/high calorie seasonings with herbs grown in a small herb garden in your kitchen window.
106. Refrigerate prepared soups before you eat them. As the soup cools, the fat will rise to the top. Skim it off the surface for reduced fat content.
107. When eating out, ask your server to put half your entrée in a to-go bag.
108. Substitute vegetables for other ingredients in your sandwich.
109. Every time you eat a meal, sit down, chew slowly, and pay attention to flavors and textures.
110. Try a new fruit or vegetable (ever had jicama, plantain, bok choy, starfruit or papaya?)
111. Make up a batch of brownies with applesauce instead of oil or shortening.
112. Instead of eating out, bring a healthy, low calorie lunch to work.
113. Ask your sweetie to bring you fruit or flowers instead of chocolate.
114. Speak up for the salad bar when your coworkers are picking a restaurant for lunch, and remember calories count, so pay attention to how much and what you eat.
115. When walking, go up the hills instead of around them.
116. Walk briskly through the mall and shop till you drop … pounds.
117. Clean your closet and donate clothes that are too big.
118. Take your body measurements to gauge progress.
119. Buy a set of hand weights and play a round of Simon Says with your kids - you do it with the weights, they do without.
120. Swim with your kids.