Building Your Network for Success

While much of the work to make your weight-loss program succeed is up to you, finding proper support can certainly improve your chances for success. Think about the following descriptions, and then for each one, name one or more people in your life who could play that role in your "support network":

• The Listener and Guide: Someone who will listen when you need it and can give advice when appropriate without being judgmental.
• The Kindred Spirit: Someone who is "on the same wavelength" as you and shares experiences similar to your own.
• The Helper: Someone who can lend a hand in practical ways, such as taking on a chore like shopping or watching the kids so you can have time to work out.
• The Partner: Someone who will exercise or make other lifestyle changes with you.
• The Motivator: Someone who will cheer on your successes and help you look on the bright side during rough patches.
• The Soul Mate: Someone who knows you, understands you, and has your physical and emotional well-being at heart.
• The Expert: A professional you can turn to for technical advice on exercise, nutrition, health concerns, and breaking old habits. Experts who may help include personal trainers (look for a trainer who has an exercise-related degree and certification from the American College of Sports Medicine or the American Council on Exercise), dietitians, and qualified health-care providers.

Remember, always be as clear and specific as possible when requesting help from your support network. Instead of a vague request like, "Can you help me lose weight?" try saying, "Can you watch the kids on Monday and Wednesday evenings from six to seven so I can join an exercise class?" or "Will you help me shop for and prepare healthy dinners three nights a week, so I can cut back on going out to eat?" The better you communicate exactly how the members of your network can help, the more supportive they can be.

There Is Such a Thing as Good Fat!

There's a reason avocados are sometimes known as butter pears — their smooth, luscious flesh and nutty flavor are as unique as their rough-textured skin and oval shape. There's a fair amount of fat in avocados, so you want to use them sparingly; however, the fat is a good kind — monounsaturated — that helps lower cholesterol. I like to add avocado to this quesadilla recipe because it's just plain delicious.
Avocado Quesadillas
Ingredients
1 ripe avocado, pitted, peeled, and finely chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon finely chopped jalapeño pepper (wear plastic gloves when handling)
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 reduced-fat whole-wheat tortillas (8-inch diameter)
1 cup shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese
Preparation
In a small bowl, mix the avocado, tomato, green onions, cilantro, jalapeño, and salt.
Fill 1 tortilla at a time. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the cheese over half of each tortilla; top with 1/2 cup of the avocado mixture. Fold the tortillas over to form half circles.
Heat a nonstick griddle or 2 large nonstick skillets over medium-high heat until a drop of water sizzles and bounces when dropped on the surface. Away from the heat, spray the surface with cooking spray just before using.
Place the tortillas in the pans and press down slightly. Cook for 2 minutes; carefully flip with a nonstick spatula. Continue cooking for 2 minutes more. To serve, cut each tortilla in half.
Makes 4 quesadillas
Per quesadilla: 270 calories, 29 g carbohydrates, 12 g protein, 13 g total fat, 15 mg cholesterol, 5 g dietary fiber, 783 mg sodium

Eating Healthfully While Traveling

When you're traveling for business or pleasure, it can be tempting to take a vacation from your eating plan. Even if your intentions are good, it can feel as if you're surrounded by nothing but fast food, junk food, and other unhealthy snacks in airports, hotels, convention centers, and tourist areas.

But wait — it's possible to travel and still eat well. Keep these ideas in mind when eating on the road:

Pack your snacks: You don't have to worry about healthy choices not being available if you plan ahead and bring your own. Some portable options include nuts, fresh or dried fruit, pretzels, low-fat granola bars, and mini carrots.

Fill up before you go: Don't travel on an empty stomach. If you have a healthy and sensible meal before you go, you'll be less tempted to reach for something to eat in desperation.

Search out your options: When you arrive at your destination, take a few minutes to locate some nearby restaurants and shops with healthy eating options. When it's time to eat, you won't have to worry about where to go.

Remember, vacation calories count: Don't fall into the mind-set that your trip can be a vacation from your goal to eat well. Remember to keep track of calories on the road, just as you do at home. If you're a Duke Diet & Fitness Online member, you can print blank copies of your Food Log to take with you.

Order on the side: Control portions of high-calorie extras by asking for salad dressings and condiments like mayonnaise on the side, or requesting that they be left off altogether. Most cooks use far too much of these fatty sides, adding calories and fat you don't need.

Indulge in moderation: Part of the joy of traveling is experiencing new cuisines. Don't deprive yourself of a taste of the local flavor — but do keep your portions in check and make healthy choices whenever you can.

Keep moving: Remember to squeeze some activity into your trip, too. Walk around the airport terminal while you're waiting for your flight, stroll along the sidewalks in your destination city, go for a swim in the hotel pool. Staying active will help keep you on track.

Boost Your Own Confidence!

We all have what I like to call inner chatter — that voice in your head that says "I can't do this" or "Yes, I can do this!" What does the voice inside your head say about your efforts to get fit? Are the messages positive and encouraging, or just the opposite? Make a conscious effort today to take note of your inner chatter so that you can decide whether it's helping you succeed in your exercise efforts — or holding you back. If your inner self-talk is negative, it's easy enough to fix; it just takes some practice! Next time you're heading to the gym or deciding whether or not to go for a jog, take note of any negative messages you send yourself and replace them with a positive spin! Here are some ways you can change negative thinking:
Instead of thinking "This won't work," think "I can make this work!"

Instead of "It's a waste of time," think "It will be worth the extra effort!"

Instead of "It's not going to make a difference," think "I'll never know unless I try!"
Instead of "It hasn't worked before," think "I'll try again!"

Instead of "I've already tried that," think "I can learn from my mistakes!"

Instead of "I don't like that exercise" or "It sounds too difficult," think "I'm excited to try some new things!"

Instead of "That was painful! Never again," think "Wow, I just got through some hard work, and next time it will be easier!"
You can learn to be positive about getting fit — just practice having a more optimistic mind-set. Be your own cheerleader and boost your own confidence

Don't Drink Your Calories

Calories consumed in the liquid form of fancy coffee drinks, soft drinks, and alcoholic beverages can waylay you when you're trying to lose weight. That's because people don't seem to "count" liquid calories as part of their daily calorie total. Those extra liquid calories add up fast.

A 20-ounce soft drink packs 250 calories, a 12-ounce mocha coffee drink has around 300, the average mixed drink has 300, and a glass of wine or beer about 150. Multiply that by a few servings and you can see how the extra calories can spell trouble for your weight-loss efforts.

Even if you drink only one soft drink a day, over time those liquid calories will have a big impact. For example, imagine that you had a can of regular cola with your lunch every day. Over the course of a year, that would add up to nearly 55,000 empty and unnecessary calories — or a little more than 15 pounds!

What's the solution? Make water and unsweetened or artificially sweetened seltzer, iced tea, and coffee your beverages of choice. Each has zero calories (unless you add milk to your coffee, and if you do, be sure to use low-fat or nonfat milk).

If you must have a soft drink, reach for a diet version — at least you won't be drinking hundreds of empty calories. But remember that soft drinks contain sodium, which you won't find in water, tea, or coffee.

In time, you may find you lose your taste for high-calorie beverages. And you'll lose a lot of extra calories too!

Get an Appetite for Life!

When you take the focus of your life off food, it sometimes leaves behind a big (doughnut-shaped!) hole. So much of life revolves around meals and eating — shopping, cooking, entertaining. In a given day, you might go to a restaurant for lunch, meet your sister for coffee (and cake), then plan a special dinner for your kids. Suddenly, when you can't eat all the goodies you'd normally buy or make, it's hard to know what to do with yourself. It's difficult to make fried chicken for everyone but not have a piece yourself. When the aroma of your cobbler or cookies fills the house, how can you not break down and take a taste? Challenge yourself to get out of the way of temptation! You need to decide that until you meet your fitness and weight-loss goals, you'll let someone else whip up the goodies (even if they won't be as great as yours!). Furthermore, it's all right if you bring fruit salad instead of layer cake to a family cookout, or a plate of cut-up veggies and some light dressing instead of a baked macaroni and cheese to a party. You have the power to take charge of every situation, so use it! Don't be afraid to suggest buying coffee to go instead of sitting near all those muffins and scones at the coffee shop. Your sister or friend will understand and support you — she might even thank you!

Six Exercise Myths

Chances are you've heard all kinds of advice when it comes to working out. But are these maxims fact — or fiction? Don't believe these common workout whoppers:
Myth #1: Exercise should hurt. Whether you've been told "No pain, no gain," or that you should "feel the burn," the reality is that exercise doesn't have to be painful to be effective. In fact, pushing yourself too hard, too fast will most likely lead to an injury — not a fit physique!
Myth #2: You can target specific areas. Don't buy into the myth of spot exercising to reduce fat in a particular area. While it's true that strengthening exercises will target specific muscles — for example, crunches strengthen your abdominal muscles — no exercise can burn fat in a specific area.
Myth #3: To benefit from cardio, you have to do it for at least an hour at a time. It's just not true that if you don't have an hour to exercise, you may as well not bother. For weight loss, it's just as effective to work out frequently for shorter periods (such as 10 or 15 minutes). Remember, it all adds up.
Myth #4: If you strength train, you'll get bulky. Many people avoid strength training because they're afraid it will cause them to bulk up. The truth is, while resistance training helps you maintain your lean muscle mass, building substantial amounts of muscle is very difficult, especially when you're losing weight. Unless you're a bodybuilder following a program designed to increase your muscle mass, odds are you won't bulk up.
Myth #5: If you exercise, you can eat whatever you want. While exercise does burn calories, what and how much you eat still matters. For example, a one-mile walk burns about 100 calories — so you'd have to walk for 12 miles to burn off the typical 1,200-calorie fast-food meal of a hamburger, fries, and a soft drink!
Myth #6: There's a quick fix. When it comes to fitness, slow and steady wins the race. Don't buy into advertisements that promise certain fitness equipment or activities will get you in shape quickly or with no effort.