Making Healthy Eating Work for You

Changing your eating habits is not always easy.

Maybe you don't feel confident that you can do it.

If that's true… try thinking about a time when you've had some success, even if it was something small.

Remembering that time may help build your confidence.

[Man] "I'm a little overweight… Okay, maybe more than a little.

But I've got a lot of stress in my life.

Eating is one part of my life where I can do what feels good to me.

And nothing feels better than a juicy burger with a side of fries.

Or a big bowl of ice cream with chocolate sauce on it.

These are little gifts I give to myself.

Turns out my blood pressure and cholesterol are both high.

Those things can lead to serious heart problems.

The doctor said I could help avoid some of those problems by eating healthy foods.

I thought to myself, 'Oh man!

I have to give up something that makes me feel good?' Then I got to thinking: What if those little gifts I'm giving myself are actually making me sick?"

[Woman] "I have a husband and two fantastic kids.

We're all pretty healthy and I want us to stay that way.

But we didn't always make the best choices.

A lot of the time it was just easier to bring home a tub of chicken or a pizza.

Then my husband and I started talking about the lesson we were teaching our kids: that dinner comes in a bag or a box.

So we decided to eat more healthy foods… and to lead by example.

The kids fought us pretty hard.

But we remembered other challenges we'd faced as a family… like moving here from out of state.

It was a big adjustment at first.

But we knew it would be good for all of us… and it was.

Now we're eating less fast food and more stir-fries and salads.

Our food choices aren't always perfect… but we've tackled big challenges before.

We can do it again."

[Host] What will make healthy eating work for you?

Maybe you could find ways other than food to reward yourself.

Maybe you need to think about why it's important to you and the people you care about.

Or, maybe you just need to clean out your kitchen and start the week with a good meal plan… or start writing down everything you eat… or call a friend for support.

You have the strength to do this.

What small steps could you take tomorrow to get started?