Handout - Your Heart, Your Life, A CHW Manual

Session 6 Handout Doña Fela's Healthy Lifestyle

Losing weight means making long-term changes. Here's how Doña Fela found success.

“I have had diabetes for 25 years. I used to weigh 200 pounds. I was able to lose weight by eating smaller portions of the foods I like. I also eat fewer fatty foods and sweets and more fruits and vegetables. After I lost my first 25 pounds, my back and foot problems left me. Now I stay at a healthy weight and control my diabetes while still enjoying what I eat.”

Try these tips to get started:

Eat fewer foods that are high in saturated fat – such as fried chicken, pork rinds, and sausage.

Cut down on cakes, pastries, candy, and soft drinks.

Eat more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

Make stews with lean meat and vegetables.

Serve small portions, and eat salad if you are still hungry. Don't skip meals.

Aim for 60 minutes of physical activity each day.

Make your personal pledge to do what the Ramírez family is doing! Look at these examples:

When shopping
Read labels to choose foods lower in calories.

When cooking
Bake meat instead of frying it. Use vegetable oil spray instead of greasing the pan with oil.

When eating
Have green beans and rice with one piece of chicken instead of three pieces of chicken alone.

Get active
Walk for 10 minutes three times a day. Dance with your family for 20 minutes. Lift weights before work for 10 minutes.

Write the changes you will make this week. The health of yourself and your family is priceless. Make an investment in it!

Information on this page is taken from the English print version of “Your Heart, Your Life, A Community Health Worker's Manual.” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, NIH Publication No. 08-3674, Originally Printed 1999, Revised May 2008.

Last Updated March 2012