Your Perfect Weight Week 40-43

Exercise goal: Walk seven days, three miles
per day in 45 minutes

By this time in the 52-week plan, you've learned and experienced the true secret of diet success: that tiny lifestyle changes can lead to big results.

"Permanent weight loss means making small, manageable changes and sticking with them for life," says Michael Hamilton, M.D., director of the Duke University Diet and Fitness Center in Durham, North Carolina. Now you want to keep building on those small eating and exercise improvements you've been making all along, and find a few more nonthreatening changes you can make to keep the weight heading downward and the motivation steady.

For instance? When Steve Purser, with the San Francisco public health department, felt ready to lose weight, he made only two changes: "I cut out alcohol, and instead of diving into sweets after dinner, I took a walk. If I still wanted dessert after my walk, I'd have it. But usually, when I got home, I felt fine going without it."

"To keep weight off, make small changes over time, and make them at your own pace," urges Joan Price, author of The Honest Truth about Losing Weight and Keeping It Off.

When you're pondering possible changes, registered dietitian Trish Ratto, associate director of health promotion at the University of California, Berkeley, advises, "Be honest with yourself. Don't even consider a change you're unwilling to stick to. If you can't live with it, it won't become permanent."

Right now, make a list of all the additional things you're truly willing to do. Looking back at some of the changes you've already made will show you if, for example, you tend to be more amenable to making exercise rather than dietary changes. Perhaps you've gotten into the daily walking groove. Maybe now's the time to consider giving up the office elevator and walking the three flights of stairs to your office every day. Or, you might have easily made the switch from ice cream to frozen yogurt, but what if you now limited your weekly frozen-dessert intake to twice a week instead of your usual three or four?

Again, list--and attempt--only those adjustments you know you'll make comfortably and permanently. Notes Ronette Kolotkin, Ph.D., director of the behavioral program at the Duke University Diet and Fitness Center, "It's the small changes that become permanent, and permanence is crucial. I applaud switching from cheeseburgers to hamburgers, if it's for life."

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Week 41: Get some support

Exercise goal: Walk seven days, three miles
per day in 45 minutes

Here you are, having successfully completed ten-plus months on the program, and you may still find it tough to stay on track every now and then. It's perfectly normal; life is packed with ups and downs, and it's typical for people who've had weight problems to try to handle their emotions with food.

Even though you've undoubtedly learned a number of ways to cope, the time inevitably comes when you feel like you simply can't do it alone. That's when you may need to ask for help, which is perfectly fine. No man is an island, and no dieter has to be one, either. Indeed, seeking weight-loss support is not only okay, but may also actually be the best thing you can do for yourself right now.

"If you look at the factors that predict successful, permanent weight loss, social support ranks near the top of the list," says John Foreyt, Ph.D., co-author of Living without Dieting and director of the Nutrition Research Clinic at Baylor College School of Medicine in Houston, Texas. "I'd go so far as to say it is absolutely critical."

If you haven't already, you should make a public commitment to your new, slimmer lifestyle, says Dr. Foreyt. "It's not that you want to force yourself into a situation you can't back down from because everyone knows about it," he says. "What you are actually doing is making an assertive appeal for help and understanding."

Dr. Foreyt outlines four levels of support, each with its own special purpose and benefit.

First there's your family. By now they've surely gotten used to your new lifestyle. But you may have to periodically remind them that certain foods have to be kept out of the house.

"Compromises on family time may have to be made when your exercise or other activities conflict with family plans," says Dr. Foreyt. But recruiting your family's support in your weight-loss and weight-maintenance efforts means always having a willing ear nearby when you need someone to talk to. It also means that you may get to spend more time together doing family fitness activities.

The second level is composed of close friends. "Everyone should have someone they can call at three in the morning when temptation rears its ugly head," insists Dr. Foreyt. "Even one really good friend can make the difference in a crisis."

If you haven't yet established a strong relationship with a diet buddy, now's the time to do so. That bond will hold you in good stead throughout your weight-maintenance efforts.

The third and fourth levels involve support groups and your doctor. "Support groups are the perfect place to get advice and encouragement from people experiencing the same thing you are," notes Dr. Foreyt. "And your doctor gives you information and knowledgeable feedback, and helps you monitor your progress."

If you find yourself experiencing a weight-loss plateau, for example, your physician will probably be glad to look over your food and exercise diary and offer some suggestions for getting unstuck.

Support groups range from reasonably priced, diet and behavior modification organizations like Weight Watchers to no-cost, more spiritually oriented groups such as Overeaters Anonymous. You might want to sample several before committing your time (and money) to any one in particular. You might also form your own support group of friends who are in the process of making the same kinds of lifestyle changes that you are.

Family and friends usually make the best all-around cheerleaders, but they have to know that you need to be cheered on! Don't be shy. Remind them of your accomplishments. Have a friend or family member join you on one of your daily walks whenever you want somebody to chat with. And
periodically invite a pal--somebody who's dieting or not--to share one of the low-fat meals that have become the cornerstone of your slim, new way of life.

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Week 42: Go for the walking gold

Exercise goal: Walk seven days, three miles
per day in 45 minutes (or less)

If you haven't yet hit the walking goal we set for you in Week 26--that is, three miles in 45 minutes or three 15-minute miles--don't worry. In time you probably will. Your primary aim is to improve your own habits, at your own pace. Whatever your walking speed may be at the moment, you've surely come a long way from where you started way back on Week 1. So, good for you! And keep it up.

And if you're a superwalker who did reach that 15-minute-mile mark, a big pat on the back is in order! This week, and through the end of the 52-week plan, you have the option to either continue at this pace or try to do a tad better. "For most people," says our walking expert, Casey Meyers, "three miles a day in 45 minutes will be all they need to do. But you might be feeling so fit and good now that you may want to aim for a higher fitness level."

If you're in that hearty group, Meyers recommends you aim to walk faster, not farther. Shave a little more time off your daily three-mile walk, at the modest rate of 30 seconds less per week, until you're down to a 13-minute mile. To make your fitness walking more of a challenge, your walking goal this week will be three miles in 441/2 minutes, then 44 minutes next week, 431/2 minutes the following week, until the end of the 52-week plan, when you may be able to do your three daily miles in an aerobic 39 minutes.

Again, a big reminder: Don't push yourself beyond reasonable limits. "Always err on the side of conservatism," insists Meyers who, at age 66, generally walks seven days a week, covering three to five miles per day in anywhere from 12 to 15 minutes per mile.

"I vary it, depending on the weather, the amount of time I have and my desire," he says. "You don't have to walk the same distance or at the same pace every day." But if you need an incentive to go for the walking gold, listen to Meyers: "Do three 13-minute miles a day, combined with a low-fat diet, and you'll have your weight-loss program nailed!"

And speaking of diet, are you still monitoring your snacks and portion sizes? It's those little extras that can so often undo all your exercise efforts. Keep a watchful eye, now more than ever, as you get closer and closer to your goal. Don't let unexpected food find its way to your mouth, and it won't end up on your hips.

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Week 43: Learn 21
quick slimming tricks

Exercise goal: Walk seven days, three miles
per day in 45 minutes (or less)

This week, as you head into the home stretch of the 52-week plan, we offer a list of 21 more smart ways to cut fat and keep your tummy satisfied, all week long. Try as many as you like, and don't be surprised if they help give your weight loss a nice, extra boost.

1. For a quick, sweet snack, eat ten jelly beans. They're fat-free and have just 100 calories.

2. Turn in your membership card in the Clean Plate Club. Get in the habit (if you're not already) of leaving a little food on your plate, particularly the higher-fat, higher-calorie items.

3. Never buy Girl Scout cookies! It may sound un-American, but there are other ways to support our girls in green without gaining weight in the process.

4. Say a little prayer before meals, even if you're not especially religious. It will make you feel good, appreciate what you have and put you back in touch with the true purpose of eating: to give nourishment to your body.

5. Buy yourself a new kitchen gadget. (A garlic press? An automatic rice cooker?) It'll make cooking that new low-fat recipe more fun.

6. Eliminate from your life forever one food favorite that has little or no nutritional value. Whether your choice is cherry cheesecake or cheese in an aerosol can, making the commitment to keep it out of your diet, and succeeding, month after month, will give you a greater sense of mastery over your weight-loss program and yourself. (If you're even more ambitious, you might try this with a different item each month.)

7. Every time you go food shopping, select something low-fat you've never tried before. One week, it might be jícama, the next it could be a fat-free granola bar. The more you try new tastes, the less you'll be bored with your diet.

8. If you usually read while you eat, stop. The longer the article or book, the longer you'll want to keep eating!

9. Get "known" for eating certain healthy foods, whether it's broiled fish or brown rice or whole-wheat pita sandwiches. Then your friends and relatives will make a greater effort to have these items on the menu when they invite you over.

10. Ask yourself, "Am I really hungry?" before you pop any food into your mouth. It's a surprisingly simple technique for avoiding the unconscious eating that packs on pounds.

11. On a cold or rainy day, prepare several low-fat, freeze-ahead meals, and save yourself cooking time later in the week.

12. Don't get fooled by foods labeled "no cholesterol." They still might be high in calories.

13. Shift your mealtimes to 30 or 60 minutes later than usual. It will help you get out of the habit of eating whether or not you're hungry just because the clock says it's 8:00 a.m. or 6:30 p.m.

14. Change your attitude about vacation eating. Instead of thinking, "This is my vacation and I'm going to eat as much as I like!" tell yourself, "This is my vacation and I'm going to eat the best healthy foods I can find." It's hard to feel deprived when you're dining on succulent lobster, broiled jumbo shrimp, plump figs or sugar sweet fresh pineapple.

15. Ask your mother or grandmother to give you the recipe for one of your favorite dishes from childhood. Then adapt it to the new, low-fat way you're eating these days.

16. Don't arrive at the party too early, or else you'll just be tempted to eat more.

17. If you should happen to overeat (or suffer an out-and-out binge), nip the behavior in the bud and resume your normal eating at your very next meal. Don't keep bingeing or skip the next meal to try to compensate, just eat as you usually would. Remember, one episode of overeating seldom does much harm.

18. Skip the salt. Each day we only need 250 to 375 milligrams of salt, roughly a small pinch. You're probably already taking in this amount from the foods you eat without shaking on more. And stay away from such high-sodium foods as regular soy sauce, luncheon meats, pickles and certain frozen entrées and canned soups. Read nutrition labels to see just how much sodium you're getting.

19. Buy a large (64-ounce) plastic bottle with built-in straw for your on-the-job water consumption.

20. When you spy some vending machines, keep walking. They rarely have selections that will do your diet any good.

21. Don't let a day go by without having a bit of some food you love.

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