7.Know your strengths.

We recommend taking StrengthsFinder profile ( www.susandunn.cc/assessments.htm ) and having a coach go over it with you. This unique assessment tells you tools you have for dealing with life that are innate to you. An inept manager will have you focusing on your weaknesses and will make you feel inept. It’s part of what they “do”.

8.Life skills.

Always be working on your personal and professional development. Just as you acquire degrees, skills and expertise in your field, you should be developing your emotional intelligence. Such competencies as stress management, leadership, interpersonal skills, quick and accurate reality-testing, communication skills, resilience and flexibility will help you in this situation, as well as any other you face. Learning EQ has long-term positive results.

9.Look out for yourself.

Guard your health – physically, mentally, and emotionally. You’ll be more stressed, more likely to take sick days, and more likely to become negative and pessimistic. Coaching can help bolster you at this time. Use your own social support network as well.

10.Be mindful of patterns in your life.

If this is last in a long series of impossible managers, it’s you. If you transfer to another department or job, and same situation occurs, it’s you. If you also have an impossible spouse, kids, relatives and friends, it’s you. Get coaching!

©Susan Dunn, MA, Certified Emotional Intelligence Coach, http://www.susandunn.cc . I teach individuals emotional intelligence through individual and group coaching, workshops, Internet courses and ebooks – http://www.webstrategies.cc/ebooklibrary.htm. ). A total program for personal and professional development. mailto:sdunn@susandunn.cc for FREE ezine. I train and certify emotional intelligence coaches. Email me for information.

To their credit, Atkins group have refined their diet guidelines from their original ‘eat all fat you want’ stance to ‘eat moderate amounts of good fats’. This is not only a heart healthy step forward but is also likely to help your weight loss efforts as essential fatty acids (the good fats) can help you actually burn more fat. However, when you consider that carbs are already limited on this diet, I’m not sure what you eat except grilled chicken breast, fat free cottage cheese and egg-white omelets. This effectively transforms diet into a high-protein, low-calorie diet which, if it becomes low calorie, will induce body to lower its metabolism.

But one thing you need to know about why Atkins diet brings about significant weight loss in first week is that it sends body into ketosis. Without getting technical, this is a body imbalance that causes your body to flush out toxins (ketones) through your urine like crazy! What you are losing then is primarily water – not fat. Over long term, restricting carbohydrate consumption to levels recommended in Atkins and other similar diets is that they overlook fact that your body needs carbohydrates to utilize protein you consume. Thus, just like low calorie diet, this diet cannot help you increase or even maintain muscle mass if carbohydrates are not consumed at a higher level than they recommend.

Finally, if you go off of low carb diet, your body will immediately stop burning fat as it’s primary fuel source. Adding carbs back into diet will usually cause weight gain as water weight loss comes back within days.

If you are committed to fat loss success, then you cannot overlook body’s need for sufficient calorie levels to prevent body from lowering its metabolism. You also need sufficient protein that body can utilize to have a shapely figure (this goes for guys and gals), youthful skin and great hair. Keep fruits and vegetables, permit yourself a serving or two of a whole grain bread or pasta, focus on high quality proteins and good fats, get calcium from low fat dairy products such as yogurt and your body will respond with a slow, steady and healthy weight loss.

Here’s to your health as well as your weight loss success!