Make Simple Swaps for Big Results

I love reading stories in magazines about how someone cuts out pop from their diet and easily drops 15 pounds. Or, the well-meaning article on how to swap your supersized meal at McDonald’s for a regular hamburger, water and side salad to save a thousand calories. The author usually goes on to calculate that a pound of fat is approximately 3500 calories, and if you make a simple swap once a day, you can effortlessly shed 1-2 pounds per week without trying.
I use the word ‘love’ with some irony. After all, it is wonderful that people can get fast results when they are starting out with a few simple swaps. Getting results when first making lifestyle changes will greatly reinforce positive changes, and help to make those behaviours stick.
But what about the rest of us? What about those people who are already getting at least 30 minutes of exercise per day, drinking only water and the occasional glass of wine, and dines at fast food restaurants once or twice a year?
My inspiration for this article came from two of our clients. Last week one client shed 3 pounds in two weeks by cutting out plum sauce and ketchup. How much ketchup and plum sauce? You may not want to know. Another client was baffled that he shed 2 pounds in a week. After much thought, he remembered that he had swapped his regular lattes for black Americanos.