Nutrition Matters

A column by Raina Childers,  MS, RD, LD Director of Nutritional Services at HealthPoint Plaza in Cape Girardeau Check out these other columns A Lunch from Home Start Your New Year Off Right Power up Your Plate National Nutrition Month

Make changes to keep weight off this summer

June is when summer really begins! Many of us sit around wishing we had started getting in better shape earlier so we can take advantage of the activities, fashions and fun. In reality, losing weight and keeping it off is very difficult.

A recent article in a professional journal caught my eye, and I want to share it with our dedicated members as a way to encourage each of you.

People who have lost weight and kept it off have made “big” changes in their lives. They have gone from getting no exercise to exercising 30-60 minutes several times per week.

They have cleaned out their pantries full of junk food and filled their vegetable drawers with fruits and vegetables.

Instead of weighing themselves once a year, they weigh in weekly. Daily sodas are out, and water and calorie-free beverages are in.

The most important message is that losing weight and keeping it off takes a huge amount of effort and extreme vigilance. (Sometimes little changes are too close to old habits.) Doing it alone is hard and the realization that it never ends is frustrating, but we are here to help in any way we can.

Here’s looking forward to this summer and all the summers in the future.