After you have successfully reached your healthy weight and discovered optimal health and wellbeing, the next step on your journey is to optimize and maintain your ideal weight by eating healthy on a consistent basis. Remember, if you aren’t ready to transition at this time, it’s okay! Simply stay focused on your health and wellness journey, stay connected to your OPTAVIA Coach, and continue your journey until you reach your own goals.

In Your LifeBook, Co-founder and independent OPTAVIA Coach, Dr. Wayne Scott Andersen provides a breakdown of the various portion included in a healthy meal — vegetables, fruits, protein, and grains. Each portion should be evenly divided to fit the entire plate; however, Dr. A notes that vegetables can occupy as much as 50% of your plate, while fruits should be less than 25% of the plate.

Dr. A’s recommendation for a healthy meal consists of:

• Veggies. Since vegetables comprise more than half of your Lean & Green meal, selecting low-glycemic options is crucial. Brainstorm and then make a list of your favorite and/or new low-glycemic vegetables you want to try before your next visit to the market!
• Fruits. Congratulations! You’ve successfully reached a healthy weight, so now you can add fruit back to your diet! Remember that fruits should compromise less than 25% of your plate. Berries are a great low-glycemic (and delicious) option to incorporate into your meals!
• Protein. Eating fish one to three times per week can positively impact your wellbeing, check out the recipe below to get started! Lean poultry is another healthy choice to enjoy but note that red meat consumption should be kept to a minimum. After cooking, your protein portion size should fit into the palm of your hand.
• Grains. Healthy grains are a nutrient-rich source of energy. Some healthy starches include whole wheat bread, quinoa, wild rice, and sweet potatoes. (Although potatoes are vegetables, they act more like starch due to their higher-glycemic and higher-carbohydrate content.) The portion size of your grains should be equivalent to a tennis ball.

This breakdown provides the right amount of healthy nutrients to balance and satisfy your hunger. Remember, creating and utilizing a strategy to maintain proper portion control is essential.

Work with me, your independent OPTAVIA Coach, during this phase of your transformation. Let’s partner to determine the best plan of action so you are set to eat healthy for life!

We’re excited to announce a new, four-part series for OPTAVIA Clients called, "You in Charge of Yourself." We will touch on a four-step process to help you build and maintain the Habits of Health and set yourself up for success! This four-step process can be used for the rest of your life and will allow you to take control of your health and wellbeing. Let's get started!

The first part of the series is about creating structural tension. What exactly does that mean? According to Co-founder and independent OPTAVIA Coach, Dr. Wayne Scott Andersen, structural tension gives you a direct, visual way to compare your current reality with your desired outcome. The relationship between where you are now and where you want to be created a dynamic tension that serves as a powerful motivator.

The best way to create structural tension is to develop your own “chart” to follow. Get started with these steps:

• Define your current reality. When you are self-aware and recognize your current state, you will have a much easier time deciding your future desired outcomes. As your independent OPTAVIA Coach, I recommend writing down your weight, waist measurement, or anything else you would like to focus on!
• Select your MacroHabit. Optimal health and wellbeing are built on six primary areas that together create a healthy lifestyle. These foundations of health are the MacroHabits. Choose which of these areas you want to focus on first. (Tip: most people begin with the Habit of Healthy Weight Management)
• Select your action steps. These are the choices and behaviors that support reaching your desired outcome. So, if you’re focusing on Habits of Healthy Weight Management, your action steps could be following plan, eating five Fuelings and one Lean & Green daily, drinking at least eight glasses of water a day, and working on portion control!
• Define your desired result. Your desired result is your future desired outcome. So, now that you've defined your focus and your action steps, it is time to define your end goal! Whether it is to achieve a healthy weight, increase your daily motion, or get more sleep, I am here to guide you!

Next week, we will expand upon part two of this series, where we will discuss how to create a habit loop. Stay tuned!

Schedule time with me, your independent OPTAVIA Coach, as you begin to create your structural tension chart. If you have questions, or need guidance, I’m here to help support you on your journey!

Juntos hacia una vida major – Together to a better life

While looking back on her life, Ramona knew her diet was not healthy. "Being Puerto Rican, my diet consisted mostly of fried and high-carb foods. In my 40’s, my weight was creeping up, despite exercising and what I thought was a balanced diet. It was embarrassing and I did not want to go anywhere. I was always shy, but this humiliation made it worse.

At first, Ramona was nervous about getting on plan, but eventually decided to give it a chance!

“I lost 65 pounds, went from a size 18 to a small*, and was learning to keep the weight off. It was a new me!

After experiencing incredible change, Ramona and her husband decided to become independent OPTAVIA Coaches themselves so they could share OPTAVIA as a vehicle to achieve optimal health with others, especially with the Hispanic Community.

“My husband’s fluency in Spanish helps us impact the lives of our Spanish-speaking Clients and Coaches. Together we've shown them that eating healthy can be delicious too. We are looking forward to the future, growing more, connecting with more people, and showing our teams all the possibilities.

Ramona and her husband love being a part of the OPTAVIA community and live by the slogan ‘Juntos hacia una vida major’ meaning, ‘together to a better life.’