Healthy Behavior: Making Diet Changes that Last

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Healthy Behavior: Making Healthy Diet Changes that Last

Posted by Susan Bowerman, M.S., RD, CSSD, CSOWM, FAND – Senior Director, Worldwide Nutrition Education and Training

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Daily choices create desired results.

A couple weeks ago I posted my Top 10 resolutions for a healthier New Year. Maybe you’re already doing many of the things on the list toward more healthy behavior. In that case, your list of resolutions will look a little different from mine. But as you’re thinking about your own health and fitness goals for the upcoming year, I’d like to add a few words of encouragement—with some thoughts on how you can make promises to yourself that you can actually keep.

If you look over my list, you’ll see that it’s really top 10 healthy behavior list. I wrote the list this way for a couple of reasons. First, I think too many people make resolutions that focus on the end result (“I’m going to lose 25 pounds this year”), rather than on the behavior changes (“I’m going to eat more fruits and vegetables”) that will help them get to where they want to go. Secondly, the behavior changes I’m suggesting are reasonable. They’re things that most people can do, and they’re changes that, taken together, can lead to a healthier you.

What that means is that while you focus on your goals—whether it’s to generally shape up, get healthier or get more fit—think of your resolutions as the behaviors that you think you can reasonably tackle and will ultimately lead you where you want to go. In other words, keep your focus on the trip, rather than the destination.

Too often, for example, I see people who are focused solely on getting their weight down. When they’re thinking only about how quickly they can lose the weight and get to their ‘destination,’ they might employ strategies they can’t reasonably employ day in and day out. They’re not focused on the trip.

If this sounds familiar to you, I encourage you to measure your progress not by what the scale says but by the positive and consistent behavior changes you’re making. When you begin to weave those behaviors into the fabric of your everyday healthy lifestyle, your weight will take care of itself. Keep your focus on how good you feel every day as a result of the positive changes you’re making. And consider the changes you see in your body and on the scale as an added bonus.

Susan Bowerman, M.S., RD, CSSD, CSOWM, FAND – Senior Director, Worldwide Nutrition Education and Training
Susan is the Senior Director of Worldwide Nutrition Education and Training at Herbalife, where she is responsible for the development of nutrition education and training materials, and is one of the primary authors of the Herbalife-sponsored blog, www.discovergoodnutrition.com. She is a Registered Dietitian and holds two Board Certifications from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics as a Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics, and a Certified Specialist in Obesity and Weight Management. Susan is also a Fellow of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Susan graduated with distinction in biology from the University of Colorado, and received her master’s degree in Food Science and Nutrition from Colorado State University. She then completed her dietetic internship at the University of Kansas. Susan has taught extensively and developed educational programs targeted to individuals, groups and industry in her areas of expertise, including health promotion, weight management and sports nutrition. Prior to her role at Herbalife, she was the assistant director of the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition, and has held appointments as adjunct professor in nutrition at Pepperdine University and as lecturer in nutrition in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Susan was a consultant to the (then) Los Angeles Raiders for six seasons, and was a contributing columnist for the Los Angeles Times Health Section for two years. She is a co-author of 23 research papers, 14 book chapters, and was a co-author of two books for the public: “What Color is Your Diet?” and “The L.A. Shape Diet” by Dr. David Heber, published by Harper Collins in 2001 and 2004, respectively.