Louisville Gets Healthy

Photo: © courtesy of the City of Louisville

The Wakeup Call

On Christmas Eve 2005, headlines in the Louisville Courier-Journal screamed "Louisville Checkup Sees a Sick City." Indeed, the stats were scary: Heart disease deaths were 19% higher than the national average; lung cancer deaths, 36% higher. A year earlier, another survey had found that 60% of Louisvillians were overweight or obese, 78% ate fewer than five daily produce servings and 35% never exercised.

That unhealthy news prompted then-mayor Jerry Abramson to launch the Healthy Hometown Movement. He started with small, inexpensive changes, including hosting citywide "Hike & Bike" events and urging residents to "Move It, Louisville" by being physically active at least five times a week. He even kicked off a physical activity challenge for city workers and engaged in a friendly rivalry with Lexington, Kentucky, mayor Teresa Isaac to see who could log the most steps in a month. (Mayor Abramson won.) A five-year, $200,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation helped the town build more sidewalks, gardens and parks, and Louisville's Health Department awarded $80,000 in city funds to dozens of neighborhood groups for fitness and wellness activities.

Grab-and-Go Produce

Perhaps the most innovative change has been setting up "Healthy in a Hurry" kiosks that sell subsidized produce in neighborhoods where a juicy apple or crisp bunch of broccoli is hard to find. Three kiosks—located in grocery stores and food marts—have opened so far and six more are in the works. "We've underwritten new refrigerators, shelves and the cost of some of the produce," says Susan McNeese Lynch, communications liaison for the Healthy Hometown Movement. "Making healthy food accessible and affordable is what's going to help people eat better."

Early Successes

Within a year of the movement's start, the number of African-Americans in downtown Louisville who ate at least five produce servings a day rose 20%. Thousands of people turned out for Hike & Bike events. And an estimated 75% of Metro Louisville residents got the health message via public service announcements and by attending events.

Fast-Forward to 2011

"Our annual Hike & Bike event is now one of the largest noncompetitive events in the nation," Lynch says. "Cycling groups are also on hand at the events to check people's bikes to make sure they're in good shape and teach families about safe urban biking so more people can enjoy it. As a result of events like these and additional bike lanes, there is clearly more bike traffic on the roads," she adds. Louisville has also purchased four new bike-toting city buses and increased the number of bus stops at city parks. Students at 20 elementary schools will help tend schoolyard vegetable gardens this year to provide fresh produce for school lunches; a school greenhouse will supply herbs to public school cafeterias to help cut sodium in lunches by 5% and added sugars by 10%. In the fall of 2011, all city schools will have a three-times-a-week gym class, and each session will devote 20 minutes to moderate to vigorous activity for all (no standing around!).

The "Healthy in a Hurry" kiosks are changing the eating habits of adults and children. "It used to be that the only produce I could find in my neighborhood was withered, moldy and expensive," says Keishanna Hughes, 33, a single mother of four children ages 12 to 15. "But ever since a 'Healthy in a Hurry' kiosk opened in my dollar store, I buy salads, fresh fruit and carrots instead of chips to keep around as snacks, and I plan time to cook," she says. "At first my kids didn't want to eat this way, but now they see how much better they feel." Says former Mayor Abramson, "This is more than an initiative, it's an ongoing movement that's helping people make lifelong changes."

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Oklahoma City Gets Healthy

Photo: © courtesy of Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum

Getting Personal

"This city is going on a diet," Mayor Mick Cornett told the residents of Oklahoma City on New Year's Eve 2007. The challenge: Drop 1 million pounds—and it was about time. One in 4 residents of Oklahoma County (which includes Oklahoma City) were obese; 1 in 3 got virtually no physical activity; 1 in 10 had diabetes; and Fortune magazine had dubbed the city the "Fast-Food Capital of America."

"I used to think obesity was some other city's problem," Cornett says. "But then I realized it was my city's problem—and my problem. I was 40 pounds overweight. After I lost the pounds, I knew I had to get a citywide conversation going about weight and health. We're polite people here. We don't talk about things like that, and it was getting us into big trouble."

Health on a Shoestring

The mayor rolled out an interactive website ( ThisCityisGoingonaDiet.com) where residents could track their weight-loss progress. Community centers hosted free healthy cooking and wellness classes to help America's "heaviest users" of fast food learn how to eat better (research showed that residents were visiting fast-food restaurants an average of 21 times per month).

"We didn't have a lot of money," says Cornett. "We formed partnerships with local businesses who helped out in ways like building the website for free." Thankfully, the budget's gotten bigger to allow for bigger changes: The city has now pledged future tax revenues to fund a $140 million facelift that will add better sidewalks, bike lanes and more lighting in downtown streets. "We're tearing up and rebuilding every street so it will be more walkable and bike-friendly downtown," Cornett says.

Fast-Forward to 2011

Oklahoma City residents have collectively lost more than 750,000 pounds and are expected to reach the 1 million milestone this summer. Among the biggest losers: Amy Petty, 44, who's dropped 187 pounds since logging on in 2008. "I weighed 350 pounds, was on the verge of becoming diabetic, and took blood pressure medication," says Amy, who is chief operations officer for a credit union and mom to an 11-year-old son.

The community approach is exactly what inspired Amy to get healthier—and helped her stay that way once she reached her goals. "I've become the unofficial wellness coach at work, keeping everyone on their toes to stay active," she says. "We had our own weight-loss contest and we've run marathons and even done triathlons together." Amy continues to log her weight on the city's diet website every month or so. "I bike to the gym about three mornings a week, then ride 12 miles to the office," she says. "I would never have lost the weight—and kept it off—without the bike lanes."

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Seattle Gets Healthy

Photo: © Marvin E. Newman/Getty Images

An Unhealthy Surprise

Although Seattle has a reputation for being a relatively fit and healthy city, this wasn't the case in all neighborhoods. The southern part of Seattle and neighboring communities in King County had strikingly unhealthy statistics: In 2001, diabetes deaths among African-Americans there were higher than those in the nation's 10 largest counties; 82% of adults didn't exercise regularly; 75% didn't eat the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables daily; and 54% were overweight or obese.

Alarmed by these numbers, local public health officials spearheaded a coalition that included researchers from the University of Washington, Washington State University, local government officials, hospitals and health insurance companies, who started working together to make changes. The first meeting of about 200 people outlined obstacles to healthy eating and exercise—like buildings with locked stairwells, subdivisions without sidewalks, and offices without lockers or showers for employees who want to bike to work.

"When we saw the opportunity to bring resources into the unhealthiest areas, we jumped at the chance," says James Krieger, MD, MPH, chief of chronic disease and injury prevention at Public Health-Seattle & King County. So with $9.5 million in funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Public Health-Seattle & King County established Steps to Health King County. With Dr. Krieger as the director, Steps to Health funded dozens of programs aimed at making physical activity and healthy eating easy, ranging from bike safety classes and diabetes and heart-health programs in churches to swim aerobics programs at community centers free of cost.

Bringing Healthy Cooking Home

One cornerstone of the movement is a network of 16 community kitchens in which neighborhood residents meet to cook healthy food. Nurse Diana Vergis Vinh, a program manager in the Steps to Health initiative, was one of several people involved with starting the kitchens. "You get a group together cooking and interacting to show them how easy, fun and enjoyable healthy eating really is."

Nutritionists and community members who lead the kitchens also show residents how to make healthier versions of their traditional cultural foods so they'll have more options for cooking healthy at home. (King County is very ethnically diverse, with residents speaking at least 59 different languages.) "The ethnic foods are a draw, bringing people back to cooking foods they know and like," says registered dietitian Leika Suzumura, RD, who leads the Rainier Valley kitchen.

Fast-Forward to 2011

"Steps to Health laid the groundwork for ongoing changes in our community," says Dr. Krieger. As of 2009, the number of children in the Steps to Health areas eating five servings of produce daily was 20% higher than in the rest of King County, while the number who were buying soda and snack foods at school was 17% lower. Eighty-three percent of people in church-based diabetes and heart-health programs are eating healthier and getting more physical activity. 
And perhaps the best part: Many programs developed under Steps to Health, including a revamped physical education curriculum and healthier school menus, are being rolled out in all Seattle public schools, and others, like the kitchens, are still going strong. Says Dr. Krieger: "The initiative proved to us that one of the most effective ways to help people be healthier is to change the environment they live in."

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8 Ways to Make Your Town Healthier

Photo: © Thinkstock

If you were inspired by the way the people of Louisville, Oklahoma and Seattle used their communities to achieve their own weight-loss missions, perhaps it's time to encourage your own town to do the same. Start with these eight steps from award-winning health and science writer Sari Harrar.

1. Rethink the bake sale. Though school lunches have gotten healthier over the last few years, foods sold in vending machines, at fundraisers and at school events like sports matches haven't. Research has found that the unhealthy food available at these places contributes to childhood obesity. Offer to host a healthy-foods fundraiser (fruit kebabs, veggies and dip) or work with the parent group that runs food sales at events to find healthy alternatives. For more tips, go toDoSomething.org/ActNow/ActionGuide/Healthy-Bake-Sale.

2. Start a neighborhood walking group. Ask friends on your block to join you, then reach out to others. The camaraderie will keep you committed, and the sense of belonging to a group is a great health bonus. For a how-to-start video from the AARP, go to WalkingInfo.org/Videos/pubdetail.cfm?picid=54.

3. Organize a "walking school bus." If your child's school is within reasonable walking distance, volunteer to escort the kids on foot. Arrange with other parents along the way to pick up their kids at a set time and place. Go to CDC.gov/NCCDPHP/DNPA/KidsWalk/Resources.htm for a step-by-step guide. Also check out the National Center for Safe Routes to School ( SafeRoutesInfo.org), which helps parents, communities and schools develop safe and effective ways to get more kids (including those with disabilities) walking or riding 
bikes to school.

4. Turn the office "doughnut day" into fruit day. Instead of bringing in baked goods to "treat" everyone, pick one day a week on which everyone brings in a different fruit. Research shows that eating a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables is the best way to get disease-fighting antioxidants.

5. Connect your school with local farmers. Start by contacting local farms or farmers' market managers and talk to the principal and head of food services at your school to see if a program might be feasible. Then put together a "Farm to School" meeting. You can get meeting materials, including a sample agenda, from the National Farm to School Network ( FarmToSchool.org). There are also companies like Revolution Foods ( RevFoods.com) that provide healthy meals and nutrition education to schools; talk to school officials about them.

6. Bring health mentors into your high school. An organization called HealthCorps (HealthCorps.org) trains young adults and places them in high schools to help kids incorporate healthy habits into their lives. They teach a hands-on HealthCorps curriculum, which includes showing kids how to make healthy food choices and get enough physical activity. The mentors also work with school officials and students to make healthy changes in the community—such as creating school gardens, starting local farmers' markets, bringing healthier food to school vending machines, and more.

7. Become a community health worker. In the Steps to Health King County program, participating hospitals and clinics referred patients with diabetes or asthma to community health workers—local residents who have experience in managing these conditions (for themselves or a family member) and are trained to help others do the same. CHWs meet with patients to see how well they're doing and strategize improvements (by making sure they're using the inhaler correctly or helping them figure out how to fit more exercise into their day). They also help patients keep on top of doctors' appointments and refer them to community resources. Check with local and/or state health departments, hospitals and medical centers to see if they have a CHW program.

8. Start a community garden. Gardening is not only great exercise, it also encourages residents to incorporate the healthy herbs, fruit and vegetables they're growing into their diets. Find ideas on how to get started by visiting the American Community Gardening Association's website (CommunityGarden.org).

America's 10 Healthiest Cities
Want to get in shape? Check out one of these places!

The American College of Sports Medicine tabulated the health status of the 50 largest metropolitan areas in their annual American Fitness Index 2010 report. Their ratings analyzed levels of chronic disease, community resources and policies that support physical activity, access to healthcare, and how many residents engaged in stay-healthy habits including exercise.

1. Washington, DC

2. Boston

3. Minneapolis-St. Paul

4. Seattle

5. Portland, Oregon

6. Denver

7. Sacramento, California

8. San Francisco

9. Hartford, Connecticut

10. Austin, Texas

Read each city's success story here: How Three Cities Got Healthy.

Sari Harrar is an award-winning health and science writer whose work has appeared in numerous publications.

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The Key to Diet Success

Photo: © Shutterstock

What comes to mind for you when you hear the word diet? If you're like most people, you probably imagine eating carrot sticks, going to bed hungry, and giving up your favorite foods—and that's why so many diets fail. Most people just can't tolerate those kinds of restrictions for very long.

The more you try to eliminate your favorite foods, the more feelings of discomfort, deprivation and resentment build up. This can result in bingeing on all the foods you've been denying yourself, undoing all your hard work in a single day. But even if you can avoid that problem, are you willing to eat like a rabbit for the rest of your life?

Studies show that 95 percent of people who follow a highly restrictive diet to lose weight will put the weight back on when they return to "normal" eating again. So what's the alternative? How do you manage to lose weight without eliminating the problem foods and problem behaviors that made you overweight to begin with?

The alternative is moderation —in your eating and, perhaps most importantly, in your thinking.

What is Moderation?

On the surface, moderation simply means avoiding extremes. It involves finding strategies and habits that can be maintained over the long-term, without cycling between one extreme and the other.

At a deeper level, moderation is a commitment to balance and wholeness. It is rooted in the recognition that each person has many different (and often competing) needs, desires, abilities, and goals. Living up to your full potential means finding ways to incorporate all of them into your decision-making processes and choices.

Practicing moderation in your weight loss program begins with practical strategies, such as counting calories, measuring portions, learning about your nutritional needs, and planning healthy meals. Achieving a reasonable rate of weight loss (about 1-2 pounds per week) by combining a tolerable calorie restriction with exercise is the moderate way to go. Fad diets, eliminating food groups, severely cutting calories and using diet pills are just as extreme as completely denying yourself foods that you enjoy.

The idea is to follow a healthy, balanced, and enjoyable nutrition and fitness plan that you can stick with—for life. There's no "ending the diet" or going back to "normal" eating or anything that will cause you to regain the weight you've lost. When you reach your goal weight, all you need to do is gradually increase your caloric intake to a level where you can maintain your weight loss.

Sounds simple, right?

Like many things, it's not quite as easy as it sounds. Chances are…you want results quickly. And you probably know that your current routine is problematic in one or more ways—too much fast food, sugar, or fat and not enough physical activity. Your natural inclination is going to be making big, sweeping changes to your diet and activity level right away.

In short, everything in you is clamoring for a very anti-moderate approach. You're primed to play the extreme diet game, even though your odds of winning are less than five percent.

Moderate Your Thinking

To rescue yourself from your own impatience (and the clutches of the diet industry that feeds on it), you need to moderate your thinking. Here are two core concepts that will help you do that:

Concept #1: Food is not the enemy. There are no "good" or "bad" foods. True, some foods offer you a better nutritional deal than others. Refined sugar, for example, provides calories for energy but no other nutrients, while fruit is sweet but also provides vitamins and fiber in a low-calorie package. But refined sugar isn't evil or bad—it can have a place in a healthy diet. It's important to know what you need nutritionally and where you can find it, so you can take charge of balancing your needs for pleasure, nutrition, and fuel.

The Payoff: When you stop labeling foods as good or bad, diet or non-diet, you won't feel guilty when you eat a food that isn't on your "approved" list. Instead you'll have more energy to learn about nutrition and improve your ability to make informed choices. And you won't have to give up your favorite treats if you find ways to work them into your meal plans so they don't interfere with your health goals. Without the guilt and deprivation, you'll be able to break the pattern of cravings, emotional swings, and binges that defeats so many diets. Without all those "diet" rules to follow, you'll learn to trust your own instincts and make good judgments.

Concept #2: Progress—not perfection—is important. To be successful, you don't have to always make perfect decisions and have perfect days where things go exactly as you planned. If you eat more or exercise less than you wanted to one day, you can make up for it over the next several days if you want, or you can just chalk it up to experience and move on. Remind yourself that what happens on any one day is not going to make or break your whole effort. This is not a contest or a race, where every little misstep could mean the difference between winning and losing. It's your life—and you'll enjoy it a lot more when you can keep the daily ups and downs of your eating and exercise routine in perspective.

The Payoff: By refusing to be a perfectionist, you can take most of the stress out of weight loss. You'll see small problems as what they are—very small problems, not major calamities that mean you've blown it. You'll be able to find pleasure and satisfaction in the fact you're learning as you go and doing a little better all the time. No more making things worse because your perfectionism caused you to write off the rest of the day or week after one little slip.

There are many more ways practicing moderation can help you both with weight loss and with creating your healthy lifestyle. Be sure to check out the new Wellness Resource Center for additional ideas on how to balance your life and meet all of your needs.

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Healthy Eating With Him

Whether you've been married for 25-plus years or just started dating, you've probably figured out that going from being single to being part of a couple can really change how and what you're eating. See ya, salad with grilled chicken and dressing on the side; hello, cheeseburgers and french fries. As you've settled into couple-dom, chances are some of your healthy eating habits have started to slip. But the reality is that most women simply can't eat like guys do for very long without packing on the pounds. Here are four of the most common pitfalls to watch out for.

Pitfall: You're eating as much as he is—and not realizing it.

You may be equals in the relationship, but men are taller and more muscular, so they can simply eat more than women without gaining weight. To maintain a healthy weight, men need between 2,200 and 2,800 calories a day, whereas women need only 1,400 to 2,000. That means your guy can handle the equivalent of an extra slice of pizza, two cocktails and dessert without doing damage. How can you stick to healthy portions while he's piling his plate high? One of the biggest problems is that men tend to be speed-eaters. If you try to keep up the pace, you're not giving your stomach time to register that it's full—which happens at least 20 minutes after you've started eating. So stay on track with a few mindful eating tips: Put your fork down between bites, sip water often and make a conscious effort to chew your food thoroughly. It's not always easy, but it is doable. And once he sees you doing this, you can nudge him to follow suit so he can slow down as well.

More pointers that can help you keep portion sizes in check: Use a smaller dish than he does. A 4-oz piece of chicken, 1/2 cup rice and pile of veggies may seem measly on a platter-size plate, but it looks like a veritable feast when served on a salad dish. When dining out, consider ordering a salad and an appetizer (or two appetizers) as your whole meal. Or divvy up the dishes in a different way: You order an appetizer but then also have a small amount (about 1/4) of his main dish. Restaurants notoriously serve portions that are way too big—even for him—so this will help you both eat less. Then take a few forkfuls of his dessert instead of ordering your own.

Pitfall: You're matching him glass for glass.

Sorry, but it's no coincidence that you can't hold your liquor (or wine or beer) as well as he can. Women produce less of the liver enzyme that breaks down alcohol, so alcohol stays in our system longer. And premenstrual hormonal changes make matters worse, causing your body to absorb alcohol even faster than usual. (Birth control pills and other medications containing estrogen can also slow the rate at which your body eliminates alcohol.) As a result, we're also more susceptible to alcohol-related health problems, like liver damage. Excess alcohol may also raise your risk of developing breast cancer, possibly because it may increase estrogen levels, which can fuel the development of tumors.

Don't worry: I'm not going to suggest that you abstain completely. Just keep it moderate—meaning no more than one 5-oz glass of wine, 12-oz beer, or 1 1/2 oz of hard liquor per day— particularly around your period, since that's a time when you can get drunk faster. And keep in mind that imbibing has a caloric price tag, so if you drink regularly, you'll probably need to cut back on other treats like chocolate and ice cream. Five ounces of wine will run you 120 calories, a 12-oz bottle of regular beer clocks in at about 150 calories (100 for light beer), and a 1 1/2-oz shot of hard liquor has approximately 100 calories (and that's without any added juice or soda). Also be warned that a study showed that mixed drinks containing artificial sweeteners were absorbed more quickly into the bloodstream. So it's probably best to stick with a mixed drink made with zero-calorie club soda and a splash of fruit juice rather than one with diet soda.

Pitfall: He doesn't eat your healthy dinners.

When you were single, you may have chosen calorie-conscious ingredients and used healthier cooking techniques. But when a guy enters the picture and isn't keen on a veggie or chicken stir-fry, chances are you start catering to his preferences. Now, you're cooking (and eating) more fried foods, red meat and cheesy pastas. My advice: Forget forcing steamed chicken and broccoli on him, and start by making small switches like replacing the regular mayo with reduced-fat, using low-fat cheese instead of the regular stuff, or cooking with ground turkey instead of beef.

You can also learn to make slimming versions of some of his favorite recipes. Chicken parm sandwiches and chips were both staples in my hubby's diet before we got married. I replaced the regular greasy chips with healthier ones, and a new and improved version of chicken Parmesan is now a Bauer family staple. A few more favorites-made-healthier tricks: baked "fried" chicken, ziti with meat sauce using lean ground turkey and a whole-wheat-blend pasta, and homemade pizza made with a wholewheat crust and reduced-fat cheese. You can even make lower-fat meat loaf. For a meat loaf recipe that my husband and brothers adore as well as my healthy chicken Parmesan, go to WomansDay.com/JoyRecipes.

I also recommend figuring out which healthy foods he actually likes—keep serving those salads and veggies and he's bound to show a preference for at least one—and make those more often. And if it helps keep the peace, make one of his more fattening favorites once a week. (Just limit yourself to a smaller portion.)

Another option is to cook the same thing for everyone but make his main dish be your side (or vice-versa). If he's craving pasta for dinner, let him have a big bowl with a little chicken mixed in while you have a piece of chicken with a little pasta on the side.

Pitfall: He's the cook. And boy, does he pile on the cheese and oil.

I know, I know, it seems downright ungrateful to complain about this. How can you criticize a guy who just took the time and effort to prepare dinner? Try appealing to his ego as well as his problem-solving nature. Tell him how much you appreciate his culinary skills, but add that you're worried that all the delicious food he's making is going straight to your hips. Then, instead of offering specific tips, say something like, "How can we lighten up that chili without sacrificing the flavor?" If he enjoys experimenting in the kitchen, he may happily take this on as a challenge.

If you don't see any changes, or if they're too small to make a difference—say, he's using low-fat cheese in the grilled cheese but coating the bread in butter—consider taking a collaborative approach. Suggest that the two of you research some new healthy recipes, and maybe even take a cooking class together. That will give you the chance to discover some new, lighter meals. Or you can offer to split the cooking: When it's your turn, make some of the healthy substitutions you're hoping he'll pick up. When he eats those mashed potatoes with cauliflower added in (to cut calories and carbs), be sure to point out how the healthier version tastes just as good!

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Is Your House Making You Fat?

Between enticing eats in the grocery store checkout line and coworkers' birthday treats at work, it seems as if we're bombarded with temptations every time we step out the door. But did you know that many reasons those stubborn pounds won't budge may actually be inside your own home? Whether the type of plates you use is causing you to eat more than you realize or your bedroom isn't letting you catch enough zzz's, learn how your house may be sabotaging your weight-loss plans.

Your serving plates are too large.

Those oversize restaurant-style plates make a dramatic statement on your dining table, but have you ever considered the effect they have on your waistline? "The size of your plate influences how much you serve yourself," says Brian Wansink, PhD, author of Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think. "By switching from a 10-inch plate to a 12-inch plate, people will serve themselves 22 percent more." Think you'll notice if you accidentally over-serve yourself? Think again. According to Dr. Wansink, on average, people eat 92 percent of the food they serve themselves, so it's worth it to downsize your dishes. Or, as Linda Mintle, PhD, author ofPress Pause Before You Eat recommends, use your salad plates for your entrées. Similarly, notes Dr. Wansink, when you use a larger serving spoon—a two-tablespoon version instead of a single-tablespoon size—you'll dole out 14 percent more food. So skip the giant serving utensils in favor of traditional cutlery. Photo: Thinkstock

Your drinking glasses are the wrong shape.

If your go-to glass is short and squat, it may be responsible for your similarly shaped figure. Dr. Wansink's research has shown that we end up pouring an average of 25 to 30 percent more liquid into short, wide 16-oz glasses versus tall, thin 16-oz glasses because, he says, our brains tend to over-focus on the height of objects at the expense of their width. That means when people pour drinks into tall glasses, they assume that they've reached their drink quota sooner, since they overestimate how much a tall glass can hold. So while your stumpy glasses may be perfect for guzzling down more water throughout the day, serve the sugary stuff in something else. Photo: Thinkstock

It's too easy to eat in front of the TV.

When your dining room table becomes a drop-off spot for mail, backpacks and other non-food-related items, it can be tempting to gather around the television for dinner or scarf down breakfast while checking your email. Avoid it, urges Dr. Mintle. "I always tell people to sit down at the table to eat their meals; it will slow them down. You eat more in front of a screen because you're multitasking and not concentrating on the feeling of fullness or enjoying the meal." Mike Moreno, MD, author of The 17 Day Diet, suggests making your television less visible. "The TV needs to be looked at as something that's an effort, as opposed to something that's in your face. Turning it on almost has to be a chore." So place it inside a media cabinet with doors or move it away from your comfiest couch so you aren't tempted to plop down and start snacking—especially since Dr. Mintle found that food commercials often prompt people to head for the kitchen. Photo: Shutterstock

Your bedroom isn't conducive to sleep.

Getting a good night's sleep is essential to keeping your weight in check. When you're tired, levels of leptin, which controls appetite, decrease, while levels of ghrelin, an appetite stimulator, increase. Dr. Mintle recommends working on your "sleep hygiene" to ensure you get enough zzz's. Swap your regular curtains for blackout shades, which will keep your room darker, or invest in a noise machine to cancel out distracting sounds. Even a too-soft or too-stuffed mattress can impede a restful night's sleep. For more tips on how to sleep better, check out " 10 All-Natural Ways to Get a Better Night's Sleep" and " 10 Foods That Can Help You Sleep." Photo: Thinkstock

Your snack foods are always within reach.

When you're hungry, you're going to grab what's closest, so if you take time to strategically arrange the food in your pantry, you can count on keeping off some of that excess weight. "You're three times more likely to eat the first thing you see than you are the fifth thing you see," says Dr. Wansink. Bury the unhealthy snacks in the back of the cabinet and place good-for-you foods front and center so they catch your attention first. And if you're in the habit of stockpiling family favorites from warehouse clubs, be sure to relegate the extras to the basement or garage. In a study documented in Mindless Eating, Dr. Wansink found that when people kept an excess of food and snacks in their kitchen—12 boxes of cereal instead of the usual two—they ate them at almost twice their usual rate during the first week. The surplus, suggests Dr. Wansink, encouraged them to finish up the food quickly so that the quantities would return to a "normal" amount. Photo: Veer/Woman's Day

The music you play while you eat is too fast.

You know how fitness experts recommend listening to up-tempo music while you work out so you'll increase intensity? The same logic applies to eating, but not in a good way. "The faster and more upbeat the music that's playing, the more you're going to eat," says Dr. Mintle. "It's an unconscious cue to pick up the pace at meals—think about fast-food joints that play these types of songs." On the other hand, she notes that nicer restaurants play slower music, which encourages you to linger and enjoy your meal. "If you eat slowly and enjoy every bite, your brain and stomach have time to talk and figure out that you're full before you overeat." So play some slow-tempo tunes to dial down your pace at the dinner table. Photo: Thinkstock

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