[Muffie's Mom]

Different Strokes

If you're self-driven, you can design your own plans, based on your needs and choices. If you're tech-savvy, there are web sites you can use to track food intake, calorie needs, and activity levels. You can also find tips and group support through online discussions and chats.

Include a healthy diet and regular physical activity in your plan. These tips will help ensure that your efforts are safe and successful:

Take inventory. Slow down and look at your lifestyle. What patterns do you notice? Be honest as you ask yourself these questions:

How and when do I eat? (Late at night? In front of the TV or computer screen?)

Do I skip meals?

Am I a junk-food junkie?

Do I take time to eat regular, balanced meals?

Do I eat under stress?

Do I eat for other reasons besides being hungry?

Do I drink enough water?

Identify your bad eating habits and plan for change. If you visit the vending machine a lot at work, bring healthy snacks from home, like carrot sticks, apple slices, and raisins instead. Keep a water bottle at your desk and be sure you're getting enough to drink (at least eight glasses a day). Switch from whole-milk to skim in your cereal or lattes.

Do your homework. If you don't know what a healthy diet is, find out. Use credible resources like AARP, the American Heart Association, or USDA for printed and online nutrition information.

Watch your portions. Many of us eat too much food. We've gotten used to big portions. Try down-sizing, not super-sizing.

Check your weight. Find out what your healthy weight should be for your height and frame. Determine how many calories you should get each day. Your doctor can help you. You also can find healthy weight charts online.

Take your time. Avoid any diet that promises "overnight success." A safe goal is about a pound a week.

Get moving. One of the main reasons Americans are gaining weight is that they're not active enough. About 34 percent of us over age 50 get no physical activity. Physical activity burns calories and can help you keep weight off by building muscle and increasing your metabolism. Combining regular exercise with a balanced diet is the healthiest, most efficient, and most sensible way to lose weight, and keep it off.

Change your lifestyle. If you go back to old habits after you've reached your weight-loss goal, you'll gain it back. The lifestyle changes that helped you lose weight have to stick like glue. Adopt a healthy diet and regular physical activity plan for life.

Here are some other tips diet experts suggest:

Don't skip meals, especially breakfast. You'll only feel hungrier, which will make you overeat at the next meal.

Drink plenty of water. A glass or two before a meal will fill you up so you eat less.

Eat bulky foods that are filling and low in calories. These include fruits and vegetables, which have lots of fiber and water but not a lot of calories.

Keep a food journal. Writing down everything you eat and when you eat it will tell you where your calories are coming from and where you need to cut back.

Don't give up. Sometimes we have to try something many times before we succeed. For many people, this is especially true of losing weight for good.

Making major lifestyle changes – quitting cigarettes, having a healthy diet, exercising regularly – takes time and determination. But if you stick with it, you'll achieve your goals. And you'll be glad you did!