No More Excuses

Here is the latest email from Dr. Jacobs.

Excuse-Proof Your Life
January 4, 2010 12:00 AM by Mehmet C. Oz, MD, and Michael F. Roizen, MD |

Whether you want to change your weight, your eating habits, or your physical activity level, it's easy to make excuses not to do it. Well, not any more. Use these workarounds to deflate your favorite excuses faster than you can pop a party balloon:

• Excuse: I have no time to exercise.
Bust it: You need only 30 minutes a day to walk and 30 minutes a week to do some resistance training in order to boost your health and possibly reduce your waist. The newfound energy you'll get will enable you to do more than just sing "Celebration."

• Excuse: We're headed to a buffet.
Bust it: No need to lose control and gain weight. About 25 minutes before you eat, have a handful of nuts (6 walnuts works, as does 12 almonds or 20 peanuts) and a glass of water. Then, have 1 or 2 cups of soup before you eat anything else. That will fill you up so you eat sensibly. Limit yourself to one trip to the buffet by using a 7- or 9-inch plate, and keep it to single-story servings.

• Excuse: I have foot pain and can't walk.
Bust it: Try biking or swimming (there's more than one way to get your heart rate up!). See a podiatrist to diagnose what's wrong.

• Excuse: I travel all the time and have to eat on the road.
Bust it: Rely on more snacks instead of pigging out on big meals. Travel with easy-to-carry baggies of snacks, including nuts, cut-up apples, or baby carrots, to take the edge off your hunger.