GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – People might be starting their New Year’s resolutions with a lot of exercise to get back in shape or shed some weight, but you can’t out-run a bad diet.
There’s a lot more to being fit than simply running and lifting weights every day. Bellin Health Performance Nutrition Specialist Lee Hyrkas says to pay attention to what you’re eating.
“Whether you’re tracking your food intake, or even tracking your exercise and sleep, that can be a good tool because those play a big role in how much we eat as well,” Hyrkas said.
You can easily track all of those details either through an app, a plethora of wearable fitness monitoring devices, or just plain-old pen and paper.
The most common discussion Hyrkas has, is in regards to people wanting to hit a certain target weight in a certain time frame. But he reminds everyone that it takes more than a few weeks of a crash course to make a real difference.
“I usually tell people to view it more as a habit change to set your resolution around, because that habit change will eventually get you to that goal weight that you’re looking for,” Hyrkas told WTAQ News. “You start small, and then that way we know we can consistently do that for a long period of time, for the rest your life if possible. So if we pick something that we know is realistic, we can hopefully carry that goal long-term, and not just for 12 weeks…Stay realistic, start small.”
So what are the more specific recommendations? It starts easy with the basic level of cutting down on high-calorie foods and drinks.
“The one I’ve seen a lot lately is a lot of use of coffee creamer or even specialty coffees. So if we can swap those out for things that are a little bit lower calorie, or even using bottled protein drinks as creamer in coffee, that can be a way to to kind of cut some calories out,” Hyrkas said. “Keep filling foods in your meal plan, so some of those are going to be like berries, beans, eggs, or lean proteins like chicken, fish, beef. Things of those nature are going to keep you full longer, so hopefully you can stay consistent with being on that meal plan you started.”
If you need help tailoring a plan, find a local dietitian for guidance.
