Building a healthier lifestyle starts with making small but sustainable changes. Ensuring your lifestyle modifications are small can help you stick with them every day and reach your goals without feeling deprived. 

Our Community Integrated Health team recommends trying these techniques to improve your lifestyle and reduce calories: 

• Reduce: Enjoy your favorite foods, but in smaller portions. If you normally eat a pouch that contains two toaster pastries for breakfast, try eating just one of the pastries. To avoid temptation, immediately place the extra pastry in a bag to save for the next day or share it with someone else.
• Avoid: Do you struggle with moderation and portion control? It might be best to stay away from certain foods altogether. If you find it too difficult to eat just one toaster pastry, avoid purchasing them at the store. 
• Substitute: Swapping high-calorie foods for healthier choices is a simple way to stay on track while still feeling satisfied. For example, if you normally enjoy a sandwich with potato chips for lunch, consider trading the high-calorie chips for an apple, carrots, or low-fat popcorn. This can help you feel full while reducing calories.

Find the small and sustainable change that works best for you and your lifestyle. It could be one tactic, or all three. 

Tips like these are a part of our Diabetes Prevention Program, which teaches skills focused on healthy eating, increasing physical activity and other behavior changes that can be incorporated into everyday life. For more information, call 816.285.8050 or email HealthyCommunity@KansasCityYMCA.org.