For those who have made small changes, could you share what some of them are?

I've lost 14 pounds since 12/17 by counting calories (from an all-time high of 286.5). In February, I stopped counting. Life got busy, juggling school, a vacation and two parties. I had originally planned to be off plan for just two weeks until my routine settled down again but I have not been able to get back on board since then.

Rather than diving back in and failing like I've been doing lately, I want to begin making small changes, but I'm not sure how to go about it. Is there a book I should be reading? Should I make changes daily, weekly or monthly? Exactly what changes should I be making? I figured I could start with drinking more water and then adding exercise. But where do I go from there?

Please help!

WaistingAweigh

Small changes are great because there IS no set book, procedure...just small things you can do.

I'd make changes weekly...one new thing a week. If that starts feeling overwhelming, do every 2 weeks. You could make a list of all of the changes you'd like to make and just add a new one every week or two weeks. Before you know it, you'd have a whole set of really healthy habits to work with!

Why not start now by making a list? You can use this thread if you want. Then just jump in with one of them, and you're on your way.

I started out with the idea of making small changes because I read Ellie Krieger's book, Small Changes, Big Results. I didn't do everything she said, but it kind of got me started. If you like to read, get it from your library. In fact, get lots things from your library and read for inspiration.

I think a list is a good thing. My lists have to be very specific. Instead of "exercise more", it has to say "park away from my building and walk back to my office". Instead of "no snacking", it has to say "No eating peanut butter out of the jar". Otherwise, my mind will play games with me about what I am supposed to be doing.

Another great book that has goes with the "small changes" approach is Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think by Brian Wansink. It's insanely informative and entertaining - he introduces his reseach into food decisions and why we make them. It's not a diet book per se, but it's full of great tips - stuff like try to be the last person at the table to start eating, eat from smaller bowls and plates, etc. While I do like this approach, I still rely on counting and tracking calories for now - and I find that it gets easier and I can get it done pretty quickly by now on Dailyplate. I imagine that just jotting the food down without figuring out the calories can help too, and that can be done in 5 min. every evening or the next morning - that might even be a good small change?

Oh, P.S.: When I was looking up Wansink's name right now I saw that he has a pretty neat-looking website as well (mindlesseating.org) with tools such as a checklist for keeping up with three small changes per month.

I wish you the best of luck!