MAKE OVER YOUR WEIGHT LOSS STRATEGY

IF SLIMMING DOWN IS YOUR GOAL, THE MOST POWERFUL, EFFECTIVE THING YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR BODYAND FOR YOUR MINDIS SHIFT THE WAY YOU THINK ABOUT FOOD

- LISA BAIN

That's true when it comes to losing weight, of course-no pounds will be dropped if you don't adjust your lifestyle-but it's also true when it comes to how we approach weight loss in the first place. If you aren't happy with your past experiences, thinking about it the same way you did before won't get you to a new place.

Considering what we eat is at the crux of slimming down, but it's our feelings about food that really drive how we eat. "Food means so many different things to people," says Anne Poirier, director of behavioral health at Hilton Head Health, an integrated wellness and weight-loss resort in South Carolina. "Food can be love, it can be family, it can be rebellion." Her goal is to help people recognize their relationship with food in order to make lasting change. "How do you create a friendship with food where it becomes something that works for you rather than against you?" she says.

That's a powerful goal, for reasons beyond losing weight: Eating in a healthy, nourishing way is good for your heart, brain, muscles, and immunity. If you're ready for change, these fresh ways of thinking will help you make real progress.

Look at WHAT YOU EAT

Remember that being healthy is possible at many sizes and doesn't necessarily mean being thin. When you focus on the foods you're eating and what they do for you (and don't), you set yourself up for mind and body wellness. Make these your new what-to-eat guidelines:

■ GET ENOUGH FIBER.