Mayo Clinic Diet Journal recommends that we should break 5 habits to lose weight effectively. 

1. No eating while watching TV—and you can only watch as much TV as the time you spend exercising. Watching TV is a sedentary activity, so break this habit and get moving. Also, some people tend to mindlessly eat, especially at night in front of the TV or another type of screen. This habit is not only associated with burning fewer calories, but it also can be associated with increasing your calorie intake from eating. 
2. There are various ways to break this habit. For example, put a note on the TV: “No TV while eating” or “TV time equals exercise time.” If you have an exercise area in your house, you can walk on the treadmill or ride a stationary bicycle while you catch up on the news or watch your favorite program. 
3. Another option is to look for alternatives. Many people find that if they turn the TV off, especially while with their family, the conversations around the dinner table are much more enjoyable and can contribute to good family dynamics. 
4. No sugar, except what’s found naturally in fruits. Sugar contributes calories that are very easy to ingest—it’s high in energy density—which can contribute to weight gain. In addition, we need other nutrients to metabolize carbohydrates, such as sugar. Also, there are some direct negative effects of sugar, such as dental cavities. Furthermore, if you’re consuming drinks such as soda that contain sugar, you may not be consuming other healthier drinks, such as milk. 

››Alcohol counts as a sugar, so avoid it to decrease calorie intake, at least in the Lose It! phase. Also stay away from artificial sweeteners during this phase because they may increase your cravings for sweets. 

››You can reduce your intake of added sugar and artificial sweeteners in many different ways. For example, drink unflavored, carbonated water. In baking, try substituting a fruit puree, applesauce, or something similar for sugar. 

3. No snacks, except for vegetables and fruits. The snacks that people often eat are not that healthy, high in calories, and difficult to stop eating. That means the calorie intake from snack foods can be very high. Vegetables and fruits should be the main snacks to consume, but a small amount of nuts could be a good choice if you crave a more traditional snack. 

4. Moderate meat intake and use low-fat dairy. Meat is associated with increased calorie intake, weight gain, and poorer overall health. From a health standpoint, less is better when it comes to red meat, and especially processed meat. 

Low-fat dairy contains the same nutrients as full-fat dairy except for the fat content, and the saturated fat in full-fat dairy just adds extra calories and contributes to increased cholesterol levels. 

DID YOU KNOW? 

In the United States, a large amount of sugar has been added to the food supply. Sugar has been shown to contribute to increased calorie intake and increased weight. 

Try to eat just one serving—about the size of a deck of cards—of meat daily. Eating less meat increases the opportunities to eat a wide variety of other foods, such as whole grains, pasta, fish, vegetables, or tofu. 

5. No eating at restaurants unless the meal fits the program. When people eat out, they’re not in control of what they’re eating. Many of the dishes served in restaurants may taste good, but they may also be very high in calories. It can be hard to know since you’re not in charge of portion size or cooking techniques. 

If you can find things on a restaurant menu that fit the overall program, that’s okay, but be careful when eating at restaurants while losing weight. Research shows that eating out is one of the factors associated with increased calorie intake and increased weight. 

When you do eat out, keep in mind that restaurants are often willing to change recipes or modify them to your needs. Don’t be afraid to ask restaurants to change the way a food is prepared or the amount that’s served. 

Mayo Clinic Diet recommends to add five habits to lose weight. Today, let us understand, and hopefully, implement them in our daily lives. 

1. Eat a healthy breakfast—but not too much. Evidence shows that people who consume breakfast tend to have an easier time controlling their calorie intake and managing their weight. One of the theories behind this is that if people eat breakfast, they may be less hungry later on. Conversely, if people don’t eat breakfast, they may be much hungrier later on and snack more or eat more at subsequent meals. 
2. There are a number of things you can do to eat a healthy breakfast, all based on personal preference. These include grabbing some fruit, a whole-grain bagel, a yogurt, or a breakfast wrap as you walk out the door in the morning. To save time, you can prepare breakfast the night before. For example, put the cereal in a bowl on the counter. If you have more time, you can make a smoothie. 
3. Eat vegetables and fruits. Try to shoot for four or more servings a day of vegetables and three or more servings a day of fruits. There’s no limit on the amount of fresh or frozen vegetables and fruits, in their natural form, that people can eat. 
4. There are different things you can do to increase your intake of fruits and vegetables. Make smoothies with fruit. Add fruit to a dish, such as cereal, or even to a salad. Vegetables are good by themselves, or you can prepare them in different ways, such as making soups or adding them to casseroles. 
5. In general, the key is to eat fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables without high-calorie sauces or dips. Frozen fruits and vegetables can be just as healthy, and in some cases healthier, than fresh ones because some vitamins, such as vitamin C, degrade with time. If vegetables sit on a shelf for a long time, the vitamin C content and other nutrients may slightly decrease. Most frozen vegetables are frozen very soon after picking, which can help preserve the nutrients. 

Don’t indulge in dried fruits and fruit juice too much. Those are more concentrated sources of calories. 

3. Eat whole-grain carbohydrates, such as brown rice, oatmeal, whole-wheat bread, or whole-grain pasta. This habit is both for health and for weight reasons. From a weight standpoint, whole grains contain fiber; therefore, they’re bulkier. This can contribute to satiety, or the feeling of fullness. Whole grains are lower in energy density than refined grains. 

You can do many things to increase your intake of whole grains, such as swapping whole-wheat bread or pasta for the regular versions. 

DID YOU KNOW? 

Studies have shown that people who eat more vegetables and fruits tend to weigh less and gain less weight over time.

1. Eat healthy fats, such as olive oil, vegetable oils, and nuts. Fat intake doesn’t correlate with weight as much as people think, as long as you’re burning calories through physical activity. The key is to eat healthy fats, such as nuts. Nuts are particularly filling; they cause us to feel satisfied if we listen to our bodies. People are able to have a small amount of nuts, become satisfied, and then eat fewer calories from other foods.
2. It’s true that you can eat too much fat. However, if you’re reducing your intake of less healthy fats, such as high-fat dairy products or high-fat meats, then there’s room to include some healthy fats in your diet. You can do this in many different ways. You can use nuts as a snack, or you can use them on salads and in other dishes. You can sauté foods in oil, such as canola oil, if you don’t want a strong flavor. If you want the olive oil flavor, olive oil is great for marinades and to use as a dressing. 

DID YOU KNOW?

Studies have shown that people who eat a diet that’s higher in fiber tend to weigh a little bit less over time.

5. Move. Try to walk or do some other type of physical activity or exercise for 30 minutes or more each day. If you’re not very active, you may want to build up to this. Start slowly and gradually work up to 30 minutes, and certainly don’t overdo it. Talk to your health-care team before starting a physical activity program. 

Don’t do something that is painful or not enjoyable. Instead, try to work regular physical activity into your everyday life. Throughout the day, take the stairs, for example. You can even chunk up the time by walking the stairs for 10 minutes at a time. Or schedule your exercise session if it helps you to do that. 

It’s human nature to want to decrease physical activity and take the shortcut. But our environment has markedly changed since the days when those who ate the most and did the least survived. These days, we have to outsmart our inner brain and look for opportunities to get activity. 

There are simple ways to do this. Park farther away from your destination. Look for excuses to get more physical activity. Try games and apps that promote physical activity if they interest you. 

If you’re going to exercise, choose something you enjoy, make it a priority in your schedule, and focus on continuing it in the long term. Don’t do something that you can’t keep up in the long term or take on too much too fast. 

Often in life, something comes along and knocks your exercise off schedule. If this happens, one option is to change the time around: Sometimes exercise in the morning, sometimes at noon, and sometimes in the evening. 

Reference: Mayo Clinic Diet Journal 

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In Chicago’s Mercy Hospital, a gunman killed Dr.Tamara O’Neal right in the hospital along with a pharmacist and a young police officer.

The doctor’s offense was she cancelled off her wedding plans with the shooter.

Gone are the days when hospitals enjoyed a sacred status where guns are not allowed. For the modern man nothing is sacred including human life.