How to Secretly Help Your Family Lose a Little Weight

Does your family groan and complain when you mention diet and exercise? Do they snort in disgust when you add a few more vegetables at the dinner table? Could you all benefit from losing a little weight? Most folks can, and truth is that sometimes helping your family get in shape requires a little covert action.

1. You Start

The first step to beginning to help your family to lose a little weight is to start on a diet and exercise program yourself. If you need their support, then tell them you’re starting a program. Otherwise, just begin it and let them watch you lose weight and enjoy the results. Sometimes the best way to make a change is to be the change. They’ll see you feeling and looking better and it’ll help show them what’s possible.

2. Don’t Preach

Preaching has the tendency to turn people off. They shut down and stop listening. Instead of preaching about what your family should be doing and why, simply start doing it. No discussion, only action.

3. Modify Your Habits

Do you all sit down on the weekend to watch movies and laze about the house, or do you get outside and move your body? Start changing your habits one by one. For example, instead of heading to the mall on a Saturday afternoon, head to your local recreation center for some swimming or basketball. And on your way to the gym, don’t tell your family that you’re doing it to be healthy and lose weight. You’re doing it because it’s fun.

4. Discover Their Interests

What does your family enjoy? What interests do your children have that you can take action on? For example, maybe your youngest is interested in rock climbing and your oldest likes drama. Take the family rock climbing one weekend and to the local arts festival the next.

5. Make Veggies Part of the Meal

There’s a three-step process to getting your family to eat more fruits and vegetables. The first step is to hide the vegetables in plain sight. Simply start adding more vegetables to each meal. Serve a salad and green beans with your meatloaf. Serve fruit salad with breakfast and apple slices with lunch.

The second step is to really hide them. When the opportunity presents itself, hide vegetables inside the meal. For example, cauliflower or turnips can be added to mashed potatoes. Zucchini can be added to spaghetti and you can add a number of veggie purees to meatloaf, meat balls and other main dishes.

The third and final step is to buy more fruits and vegetables and less junk. If your family is hungry, those healthy foods are what they have to choose from. You may hear a little bit of grumbling in the beginning, but they’ll get used to it and eventually eating healthy will become a habit.

Helping your family lose a little weight isn’t easy. It takes a bit of strategy and planning. It definitely takes persistence. However, helping them live longer and healthier lives is certainly worth the effort.

That’s it for now. Until next time Divas, wear your heels well and Be Blessed!

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