Diet choices are endless. As you scan the newsstands, every magazine touts its answers to successful weight loss. Eat this, eliminate that. Some are extreme, some are fairly healthy, but most do not work long term. In fact, statistics show that 90 percent of those who lose weight regain. What then is the solution?
Successful weight loss and long-term maintenance require lifestyle changes. The most critical of these changes is your thinking -- the way you think about food, the thoughts that lead to eating.
Consider this: A thought becomes an action that becomes a habit. And a habit becomes who you are. Most every action in life is preceded by a thought. A few of the body's functions do not require thought, yet thought can affect them. Breathing, blood pressure, heart rate, digestion, even pain and healing can be influenced by thought. One's mind is the incredible power that enables the body to function. From birth, our minds have been programmed by experiences, knowledge and opinions. Many of our thoughts and attitudes also have been programmed into our minds.
Children will eat when hungry or as their bodies require. Sometimes children will eat ravenously, sometimes they will on pick, as they respond to the appestat (the body's internal trigger that signals the brain when we are full). When our children's appetites fluctuate (or they respond to their appestat), we are often uncomfortable thinking it's not healthy or normal. In addition to insisting that our children eat, we often choose the portions. We even threaten: “Thousands are going hungry” or “Sit there until your plate is clean.” We begin early to desensitize the body's appestat and regular eating patterns.
Our family's eating habits become ours, healthy or not. Food often becomes a partner with fun or a reward. A banquet is given in honor of accomplishment. As a treat, we go out to dinner. If a child is good, we promise a treat. Food becomes the focal point of everyday life, and we begin to live to eat.
With so much emphasis on food, compounded by the food industry, which makes the convenience of processed, packaged food so enticing, how do we change our lifestyle? How do we change our thoughts about food?
Our minds, like computers, can be reprogrammed. We can empty the old files and enter new data. We can change our thoughts.
Becoming aware of WHY we eat is the first step toward cleaning out and reprogramming the "computer." Do you eat when you are sad or depressed? Do you eat because you are bored? Or do you deliberately skip meals, leaving yourself starved and out of control at the end of the day? Do you eat to dull the senses, easing some of life's challenges much as an alcoholic does? Do you eat on the run or in a hurry, short-circuiting the appestat and therefore not acknowledging that you're full until you've overdone it.
Does guilt over "blowing" your diet lead to a binge? Do you give into grandma's pie to avoid hurting her feelings? Or maybe that craving ends in the consumption of too many unwise calories. A simple fleeting thought takes on a life of its own when we continue to dwell on it. A piece of this or that would sure taste good. And that thought becomes an overwhelming obsession as we give it more power and ultimately give in.
What we think about we bring about. The thoughts given the most time and attention become our reality. Those thoughts also may run toward our ability to lose weight. Been there, done that...failed. Maybe no one supported or believed in you. Or worse yet, maybe you've been told you come from "fat genes" or you're big-boned, so deal with it, accept it. You’ve tried every diet and your mind is flooded with frustration, discouragement and failure.
Let's turn it around. Become aware of your self-talk. What do you say to yourself? Are the words “can,” “will” and “choose” dominant in your thoughts? I've learned the way it hasn't worked. Now I choose to change my thinking, my actions and my habits.
You fill in the blanks with a new positive action remembering the motto “I eat to live.” When sad, I ______________. When depressed, I ________________. When happy, I celebrate by _____________________. Affirm daily, this thought: “I live a healthy lifestyle.”
Bottom line, your calorie intake must equal the calories you burn to maintain your weight loss, fewer calories to lose. Physical activity is critical to keeping the body healthy and the metabolism high. Our bodies are designed to move! Choose a healthy diet plan or create one that works for you. Know your motivation for losing.
Educate yourself about nutrition, eat healthy and in moderation. Find a buddy to support you. www.Weightlossbuddy.com is a great site to explore. Reward your successes and believe in yourself. Replace negative beliefs with the knowledge that you can and will succeed!
Remember, without a healthy body, the mind has no vehicle. Without your health, what is life?
YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR THOUGHTS!! YOU CAN SUCCEED!!
Barb Zercher conducts seminars and workshops and is a freelance writer and a life coach. She has studied and researched the psychology of success, self-improvement and communication for nearly 20 years. Barb is also a Certified Hypnotherapist as well as an NLP. When asked what she does, her response is, "I help others turn their dreams into reality." She may be reached at bzcoac@aol.com. Or check out her website www.BarbaraZercher-MindsinMotion.com
No comments:
Post a Comment