Weight Loss: One Day At A Time

Written by Virginia Bola, PsyD


Most of us are aware ofrepparttar AA axiom of "One day at a time." It speaks torepparttar 137381 secret of any long term goal - concentrate on takingrepparttar 137382 right step andrepparttar 137383 journey will take care of itself. Likerepparttar 137384 alcoholic who facesrepparttar 137385 urge to drink at every turn,repparttar 137386 overweight fataholic must also steer a narrow passageway throughrepparttar 137387 shoals of temptation andrepparttar 137388 deadly barrage of food advertisements, ubiquitous drive-throughs, social occasions, and office treats.

While no one would suggest that a recovering alcoholic has it easy,repparttar 137389 plain fact is that controlled eating is more difficult because we can't stop cold turkey, at least not on a permanent basis. We must eat to live (but how many of us live to eat?) else die of starvation.

Sometimes, cold turkey seemsrepparttar 137390 easiest way to go. Talk to anyone who has been on a fast and they will enthusiastically describe how after about three days, they no longer even wanted to eat, felt no hunger, and blissfully enjoyed their new sense of freedom and independence from food.

But even a fasting proponent will admit that, at some time, eating must be restored, preferably in a measured, controlled sequence. Returning to real life can be a jolt! This real world living of ours demands that we make it through each day with as few lapses as possible, demanding an arsenal of weapons to help us fightrepparttar 137391 good fight against our powerful and omnipresent enemy: fat.

Here are some tools to help you get through each day. Mix, match, add others you find, as needed.

1. Consistent Awareness.

Never, ever, (is that strong enough for you?) allow even a seed to pass your lips without being consciously aware of it. You may choose to eat something or you may elect to skip it. The important concept is that you are making a choice and that you control that choice. How many of us pop something into our mouth absentmindedly, almost unaware of what we are doing? How often have you set a second cookie aside and when you reach for it it'' gone? We don'' even remember eating it so we can'' say we enjoyed it. What a waste --of both an innocent cookie andrepparttar 137392 pleasurable taste it provided.

2. Substitute delay for denial.

It is sometimes just too hard to say no. If that'srepparttar 137393 mood you're in, tell yourself you'll wait a little bit and have it later. Chances are that your mood will change, your better self will regainrepparttar 137394 upper hand, and you'll elect not to have it at all. (And if you do eat it, do it with full awareness and identify your emotional state for recording in your journal).

3. Avoid hot button situations.

If your coworkers pork out on mid-afternoon treats, schedule your beak for that time and go for a walk. You'll feel so virtuous and re-energized byrepparttar 137395 fresh air that when you return to your desk, evenrepparttar 137396 remaining scraps will not merit a second glance.

4. Avoid public discussions.

Don't fall intorepparttar 137397 habit of discussing your diet with coworkers. Everyone is on a diet, it seems, and everyone is trying something different. Before you know it,repparttar 137398 pros and cons are being earnestly discussed,repparttar 137399 forbidden and allowed foods debated, andrepparttar 137400 whole crew is totally focused on food - a sure recipe (forgiverepparttar 137401 pun) for disaster! We want you to concentrate on that significant portion ofrepparttar 137402 world that has absolutely nothing to do with eating. Don't think food, don't talk food, don't visualize food, andrepparttar 137403 likelihood of avoiding eating increases dramatically.

5. Drive pastrepparttar 137404 drive-throughs.

No matter their marketing claims, fast food doesn't belong on your diet, any diet. Evenrepparttar 137405 salads are drenched with fatty dressings and perked up with extras. Everything else is fried - food cooked in animal fat that barely has to change its chemical composition to turn into human fat. If you're stranded onrepparttar 137406 road, find a good deli.

5 Tips To Losing Weight With Convenience Food

Written by Tony Newton


While it would be ideal to make all of our own snacks and meals from scratch everyday,repparttar plain and simple truth is that most of us simply don't have that kind of time. This is where we turn to convenience foods to meet our dietary and weight loss needs.

However,repparttar 137367 right convenience foods inrepparttar 137368 right amounts can easily be integrated into almost any diet.

TIP 1 - Shop Smart

Never shop on an empty stomach. This will only make it harder for you to make choices that are in your best interests. Always be prepared with a thorough shopping list and do not divert from it. If an aisle is full of tempting goodies but has nothing on your list, simply walk right by it, instead of down it.

TIP 2 - Read Labels

All convenience foods are notrepparttar 137369 same. Depending on your chosen diet, some will fit much better into your routine than others. This is why it's important to become an informed consumer and never place anything in your grocery basket unless you've readrepparttar 137370 label and determined it's in your best interests to buy it.

TIP 3 - Trim The Fat

Just because a macaroni and cheese frozen dinner is oozing extra cheese doesn't mean you have to eat it. A common sense approach to preparing and consuming convenience foods can go a long way to making them healthier. When you take a frozen meal out halfway to stir it, remove or blot away any excess oils and fats. Transfer to a real plate when finished, so you can discardrepparttar 137371 excess sauces.

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