Advice To My Waiter…A Weight Loss Elevator Pitch
Ever heard of an elevator pitch? Any entrepreneur with a new service, product or idea develops and practices an elevator pitch, a quick speech designed to describe their concept to an important contact before the elevator doors open and they go their separate ways. In Boston, at Obesity Week (a medical conference), I stopped at a seafood restaurant for dinner where I met Michael, my delightful waiter. While I can wax on for hours about approaches to weight loss, I struggled to quickly narrow the choices and offer up a true elevator pitch when he asked for advice.
So Michael, this one’s for you. Here are 10 quick & basic things you can do for weight loss and maintenance. This list is neither comprehensive, nor brief enough for an elevator pitch, but I hope you’ll like it nonetheless.
Rethink your drink. Don’t drink soda or other sugar sweetened beverages. Water works great to quench thirst.
Create a weekly wellness plan. You schedule your job hours, meetings, appointments and your to do list. You can do this! Grab your calendar and schedule your exercise and other tasks related to your health. Spend time on Sunday to schedule your meals for the week and create a grocery list.
Eliminate (or reduce) sugar and refined carbs/processed foods from your diet.
While there is not one best diet for weight loss that works for everyone, I recommend a diet with more plant than animal based proteins, lots of vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, fish, olive oil, avocados and whole grain carbs. A glass of wine with dinner is fine.
You might lose weight without exercise, but only about 7% of people are able to maintain weight loss without it. Brisk walking is great exercise and you can start by scheduling 10 minutes daily. Build up to an hour most days of the week.
Track your weight, your nutrition and your exercise. People who track do the best with weight loss. Consistency with a food diary is more important than capturing every detail.
Don’t walk down the chip, candy, cookie or ice cream aisles in the grocery store. Just don’t do it. Shop the perimeter.
Think about your health values. Write them down. Spend time with people who share those values.
Keep a small baggie of nuts in your car, briefcase, purse, backpack for an emergency snack. Often our worst dietary choices are made based on convenience when we are hungry and rushed.
Don’t restrict too much. Focus on eating delicious & healthy foods in adequate quantities and you won’t need to count calories.
Bonus hint. Get enough sleep, eat mindfully and manage your stress!
Thanks for listening and I wish you the best of health!
