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Key points
- Make smart food choices by learning about their caloric content. A consistent small caloric reduction can lead to major right-sizing.
- Health care providers can inadvertently lock patients into their diagnoses by implying there is no alternative.
- Just because you have a genetic predisposition to an illness does not mean you are going to develop a problem.
In the first part of this blog series, I described how I reframed my plan to lose weight as a “right-sizing” journey. I explained how I used positive thinking to help me along the way because of what I had learned from my experiences teaching hypnosis to my pediatric patients. In this second part of the blog, I will discuss some lessons I learned from my journey.
I learned to make smarter food choices to keep my daily caloric intake to 1500 kcal, which was enough to allow me to right-size given my height and gender. You should consult your medical provider, nutritionist, or even an app regarding a proper caloric target given your specific parameters.
Smart Food Choices
- I began eating a lot of vegetables instead of bread and pasta when I realized, for example, that a pound of cauliflower contained only 110 kcal, which is fewer calories than in a thick slice of bread.
- I found that pickles curbed my appetite and contained almost no calories.
- Tomatoes, cucumbers, and celery were “free” foods that contained almost no calories.
- I learned that “healthy” wraps that are used to contain sandwich ingredients could account for 150-250 kcal by themselves, so I avoided them.
- I began eating much fish because a serving typically contained less than 200 kcal.
- I discovered that most restaurants make the caloric value of their foods available, which made it easier to pick healthy selections.
- I learned that a chicken Caesar salad could contain 1200 kcal because of the dressing, and therefore asked that the dressing be served on the side.
- Even Chinese restaurants would serve many of their dishes with gravy on the side. This allowed me to drizzle gravy on my food rather than soak it in calories. I found that the food still tasted good.
As I have told my patients and friends, my six-step right-sizing plan was simple.
Right-Sizing Plan
- Realize that right-sizing is an opportunity to take charge of your health. You do not need to wait for a health crisis to come to this realization. You might find your inspiration to change your health habits from talking with your health care provider, listening to the suggestions of your family members or friends, or thinking about the consequences of unhealthy vs. healthy behaviors.
- Reframe hunger so that it helps you feel happy and healthy.
- Recognize that a consistent small caloric reduction leads to major right-sizing. Being consistent means that you cannot allow occasional "cheat" days during which you eat whatever you want. Such "cheating" can cause you to eat even more calories than you carefully trimmed from your diet during many previous days.
- Make smart food choices consistently. A smart food choice may include eating a smaller portion of the calorie-rich food you love rather than omitting it from your diet.
- Exercise regularly.
- Tell your friends and family about your right-sizing plans. In this way, your efforts can be encouraged by being accountable to someone else about your progress. Better yet, support and be supported by a close friend or family member engaged in right-sizing.
Reactions
Three weeks into the right-sizing program, my weight had improved, and my blood sugar became normal. My physician was impressed and asked how I had made such progress. I replied that I decided to take care of myself after he told me that I could get rid of my diabetes with weight reduction.
As he examined me, he said, “Well, if you keep this up, you will be quite healthy.”
“What do you mean ‘if’?” I retorted. “I will be healthy ‘when’ I keep this up.”
“That’s hypnosis talk, isn’t it?” he asked.
“Yes,” I replied. “It’s a suggestion. Instead of expressing doubt with an ‘if,’ you can express confidence and support with a ‘when.’”
As my right-sizing continued, I felt much more energetic and had a lot more stamina. Most of my friends and colleagues were very supportive. I received many compliments regarding my improved appearance and report of success with my weight and was told I appeared younger.
However, I was puzzled and somewhat disheartened by some negative responses to my success. “Are you sick?” was a common question. I remember I had asked that of some of my acquaintances in the past when they right-sized. It seems that many of us believe few people choose to right-size without a compelling reason. “Don’t lose weight too quickly” and “Don’t become anorexic” were common reactions as well. I do not believe that the people making those statements realized how harmful such comments can be because of their implicit suggestion that something might be very wrong.
The Results
After I corrected my weight, my total cholesterol levels and my fatty liver had become normal. There was no sign of diabetes.
My physician asked me, “Do you know what I am most pleased about?”
I wasn’t sure.
“I am most pleased that not only did you lose weight, but so did your wife!”
Indeed, we had helped each other through encouragement and sharing healthy meals with single portions. At restaurants, where serving sizes often are very large, we often decided to split one meal between us.
As he was further contemplating my case, my physician mused, “I didn’t believe you could lose so much weight. You must have amazing willpower.”
I thought to myself, is it possible that your patients don’t right-size, in part, because you don’t expect that they can succeed?
Lessons Learned
I asked myself why I hadn’t decided to right-size when I was younger, for example, when I became aware of my high cholesterol level. I realized that when I was told that my problem was related to “familial hypercholesterolemia,” I thought there was nothing I could do about it, and I would just have to learn to live with the issue. Thus, I believe that health care providers often inadvertently lock patients into their diagnoses by implying there is no alternative.
I tell my patients today, “You may have a genetic predisposition to an illness, but this does not mean that you are going to develop a problem. It just means that you have to take special care of yourself.”
My hope and expectation are that considering my experiences and adopting the six-step program I have outlined will help improve the lives of many people who will benefit from right-sizing.
The Syracuse Post-Standard also published portions of this blog.
