[CHANGES] campus announcment & more

[Sandra Ahten]

The Reasonable Diet “Changes Newsletter”
9/12/05

This issue contains:

1. Some Inspiration: “Is Dieting Right For You?”
2. Healthy Living Tip:  Smoothie King
3. UI Campus Announcement: Wednesday Group
4. Too Busy? Try the TeleGroup


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1) “Is Dieting Right For You?”

Copyright 2005 by Sandra Ahten. This column appeared in the News Gazette on 
August 23, 2205

Perhaps it is because you have an overly busy life in a society the serves 
up fast but fat laden food. Maybe you simply love delicious desserts that 
are a little too readily available. Whatever the reason, if you are on a 
roller coaster of unhealthy eating you know you need to apply the brakes. 
You need to allow a time for your mind to clear and recognize that there are 
other possibilities for satisfaction.

Weight loss plans that give specific directions - what I call directed diets 
- often get a bad rap. But they do have very real benefits. Waking up to 
other possibilities is a definite benefit. People who start them realize, 
“Oh, I can do something different. I can change. There are things other than 
what I was eating that will satisfy me.” But with directed diets we tend to 
be either on them or off of them and when we are off of them - look out! We 
are off of the solid ground of sane eating and back on the roller coaster. 
But remember that the euphoria of over-indulgent eating is temporary - you 
can’t live on a roller coaster - and this particular ride returns you again 
and again to remorse, sluggishness, and a tight waistline.

A directed diet should just be an interruption to the ride. It should then 
be thoughtfully modified or replaced as we tune into what is right for our 
own bodies and lifestyles.

We are all on a diet, making choices about what we eat. The question I’m 
posing is this: Is your current diet helping you meet your goals in life? If 
not, are you willing to have an interruption? If so, should that 
interruption be a directed diet?

The first criteria for deciding if a directed diet is the answer for you, is 
determining if the diet is more sane and healthy than how you’ve actually 
been eating. When I first needed to lose weight I chose a directed diet for 
myself. Although I was primarily a vegetarian and I believed I was eating 
fairly well, I was gaining several pounds a year. I found I needed the 
education that reading labels and counting calories imposed. But perhaps a 
directed diet isn’t for you. Make up your own diet. One gentleman did and 
lost 40 pounds in 2 years. He called it the No S diet. The rules: No sweets, 
no snacks, no seconds. Except on days starting with S. (www.nosdiet.com)

You could just aim for a few guidelines that address your most problematic 
areas. For example: No eating after 8 PM; eliminating sugar; or including 
five servings of fruits and vegetables every day.

Whichever interruptions you choose make sure that you:
(a) Write them down for accountability.
(b)  Plan a specific time each week when you are going to reevaluate.

This reassessment time is when you modify your plan based on what did and 
didn’t work in the previous week and a realistic look at your upcoming 
schedule. It is a time to make specific plans, including when to shop, where 
to eat, and whose help to enlist. You will face daily obstacles and 
challenges. Just calmly reassure yourself that your commitment can be 
modified at the end of the week.

Will you lose weight? The answer is yes if, at your weekly reassessment 
time, you look for small steps you can take to adapt your current diet in a 
healthy way. These are steps on solid ground. Spend a little more time on 
solid ground and little less time squealing on the roller coaster and you’ll 
be on your way to healthy stable weight.

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2) Healthy Living Tip:  Smoothie King

Smoothies vary greatly in calories. At Smoothie King, 616 E. Green in 
Champaign, you can get a 20 ounce Strawberry Smoothie called “The Hulk” with 
a whopping 953 calories; or a Slim-And-Trim Chocolate at 270 calories. There 
are even lower calorie options but this one has 12 gram of protein, which is 
important for hunger satisfaction. All of the nutrition info for each 
smoothie is posted in their stores or you can get it online.
http://www.smoothieking.com/

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3) UI Campus Announcement: Wednesday Group

I will be offering Reasonable Diet classes through the University YMCA’s 
Communiversity on Wednesday’s from Noon-1pm. Just as is all my groups, you 
will be getting AIM (Accountability, Information, and Motivation).

There are three sessions. Each session is two weeks and costs $24. The first 
session starts this Wednesday, Sept. 14.  Here is a link to register online 
and to get all the info.

http://www.universityymca.org/

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4. Too Busy? Try the TeleGroup

If you are not in the Champaign Urbana area or are just too pressed for time 
to leave your home or office, this is the group for you! Web, email, or 
phone reservation required. You will get a pin number to participate.  
Members will use only their first names and must be willing to have their 
participation subject to monitoring or broadcast. You can use your cell 
phone or a LAN line!

Friday PM	 		12:00 Noon (11:55 check-in)

New members pay $20 registration fee and $75 for a six week session. (Five 
sessions plus one free missed week.) Pay only $75 for continuing six-week 
sessions. Email me or sign up on my website.
http://www.reasonablediet.com/enroll.htm

Kind Regards,
Sandra Ahten