How to Change Your Conditioned Responses to Certain FoodsWritten by Caryl Ehrlich
When trying to lose weight, there are certain foods that each person is more attracted to than other foods. Some find morning cup of coffee quite addictive. To others it is bread. Many cannot have dinner in a restaurant without having an alcoholic beverage. With me it was always something sweet. Tally A good first step is to tally number of times you consume each category of food in a seven-day period. Then, after next seven-day period, do it again. Making a list of foods such as bread, salad, starch, dessert, beverage, and alcohol is a good idea. You can compare each week with previous to see if you are achieving some of your goals. Addiction Model You’re not only trying to lose weight and to feed smaller person you are becoming, you are also trying to reverse progression of addiction model here. In a progressive addiction, portion-size and frequency of usage keep escalating each time you build a tolerance for a particular food. The amount you need increases and usage becomes more frequent. As you begin to lose weight, portion-size of food and frequency-of-usage diminish in size, and number of hits. Diminish Number of Times Each Day The most frequently chosen items are bread, beverage, dessert, and alcohol. Some items may tally anywhere from zero to 15 and even 20, each week, or, anywhere from one to four times each day. If, for example, you choose any one item four times a day, cut it to three, then to two, then to once a day. One of Four Or None Strive to achieve having either Bread or Beverage or Dessert or Alcohol, picking only one of four or none per meal. If you are trying to eat a wide variety of foods, much of this will happen naturally. Mental Repatterning Talking to yourself is helpful as you choose each item less and less frequently. Think: “instead of another piece of bread, I’ll have a vegetable.” Or, “Instead of another cup of coffee, this time I’ll have a cup of hot water.” Remind yourself, hourly if necessary, “I want to weigh __________ pounds.” Remember some of action steps you can take to help you get there. The moments do pass. A helpful goal: Be pro-active rather than re-active. If you weren’t thinking of an item two minutes before seeing it, you’re responding to a visual stimulus rather than an actual physical hunger. Portion Size Get rid of that oversized mug and pour your coffee into a regular-sized cup. Perhaps you’ll feel fine with a few segments of grapefruit; a few bites of coleslaw. As you lose weight and your stomach shrinks, you should be filling up sooner and will require less of everything than you did when you were a bigger person. Pick One No-Coffee Day As item usage diminishes to once a day, next step might be to pick one no-coffee day and/or, one no-bread day and/or, one no-alcohol day and/or, one no- __________ day. (Fill in your most frequently chosen item.) Writing your intention into your agenda book (or calendar) will be a reminder of what you’re trying to accomplish. If there are many items you choose more than three, four, times each week, pick one at a time and practice not having it one day a week before moving on to next item. For example, Sunday could be a No-Coffee Day, Wednesday a No-Bread Day, and so on. No Multiples Another technique to aim for is No Multiples – no second cup of coffee, no second drink, not another piece of bread after first, and no second or third helpings, even if it is Thanksgiving. Remember, in a restaurant, you’d never say to waiter: “Maurice, is there another chicken leg in kitchen.”
| | Your Health Resolutions for a Healthy Chinese New YearWritten by Maricon Williams
Chinese New Year The Chinese New Year does not fall on same date each year, though it is always in January or February. This year, Chinese New Year will start on February 9th this is because it is a new moon day, first day of first Chinese lunar month in Chinese Lunar Calendar system. How is it spent? Brace yourself and I’m going to take you to a wonderful 15 day adventure…The first day in Chinese New Year season is said to be “the welcoming of gods of heavens and earth”. Chinese fast from meat to ensure long and happy lives for them. On second day, they pray to their ancestors as well as to all gods. They are extra kind to dogs, because it is believed that second day is birthday of all dogs. Third and fourth days are spent to pay respect to their parents-in-law. On Po Woo, fifth day, people stay home to welcome God of Wealth. No one visits families and friends because it is believed to cause bad luck. During sixth to tenth day of season, they go visit their friends, relatives and temples to pray for good health and fortune. Farmers display their harvest on seventh day. They also make a drink from seven types of vegetables to celebrate. This day is considered birthday of human beings. Noodles and fish, as symbols of longevity and success, are eaten. Eighth day is spent for a family reunion dinner and at midnight, they pray to Tian Gong, God of Heaven. Ninth day is for offerings to Jade Emperor. On tenth through twelfth days, friends and relatives are invited for dinner. On thirteenth day, simple rice congee and choi sum (mustard greens) are served to cleanse system. The fourteenth day is for preparations to celebrate Lantern Festival. On eve of fifteenth day, most exciting part of event, anticipation creeps in. Midnight festivity makes me feisty, it makes me chant: Chinese lanterns hanging everywhere, swaying gracefully with air, jaunty rhythm fills my brain, my heart’s pounding wildly like rain. Happy people glow with glee, my family’s with me and where will you be? Dancing dragon invites you to dance, he keeps murmuring “Don’t miss this chance”. Fortune cookie don’t lie to me, give me a note of what my future will be.. From afar raging firecrackers emits a deafening holler, it made me sigh, it made me utter –brand new year, brand new adventures for me! Literal and symbolical The festivity is both literal and symbolical. The annual reunion dinner is held on New Year's Eve. This is a vital part of celebration. Families come together and eat together. They start year complete and united. Ties are nurtured and bad experiences are left behind to start anew. Symbols are used to convey something. Use of fireworks is to drive away bad spirits. Cleaning of entire house is said to take away bad luck. Nian gao, New Year's Cake is always served. It is believed that higher cake rises better year will be. Typically red meat is not served and one is careful not to serve or eat from a chipped or cracked plate. Fish is eaten to guarantee long life and good fortune. Red dates bring hope for prosperity, melon seeds for abundance and lotus seeds for prosperity through time. Oranges and tangerines symbolize wealth and good fortune. Resolutions to Keep
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