Motivation

IS IT IN YOUR HEAD?  Are you often hungry just because it’s “time” to eat.  You see or smell something that triggers the feeling of hunger.  Outside influences sometimes tell your brain when and what you want to eat.  

IS IT IN YOUR HEART?  Your hunger comes on suddenly.  You tend to eat in response to your moods.  Unlike true hunger, those that come from your heart are likely driven by emotions like sadness, frustration, anger and boredom.  Long-term weight-loss success lies in the ability to identify and control emotional eating.

IS IT IN YOUR STOMACH?  Your tummy is growling  Your head hurts, or you feel slightly spacey.  Physical hunger signals are the real deal, and they come with their own set of physical warning signs.  When you’re hungry, your stomach contracts.  The trick is to listen to your body and identify the signs.  True hunger comes on more slowly than the other types, giving you more time to make better choices. 

Source: Weight Wathers Magazine Sept./Oct. 2010

 

“I’m proud of what I see in the mirror and of what I’ve become.”

“Being in control of my weight and health is the most amazing, powerful feeling.”

DECLUTTER YOUR MIND

If you acknowledge your emotional clutter (the unhealthy habits that lead you to overeat) and find ways to deal with it, the weight will fall away.  But as soon as you let your emotions – be they depression, anger, or joy – make your eating decisions for you, the weight will creep on.  Do some personal spring cleaning to break the habits that steer you in the wrong direction.  use this checklist to get started.

1) Do a reality check: the fat didn’t appear overnight and won’t disappear overnight.

2) Imagine the life and body you want and hold that idea in your mind; refer to that mental image when you’re swayed by unhealthy foods.

3) Organize where, how, and what you eat – it’s the first step toward achieving your ideal body.  Take time to plan out your meals.

4) Determine what your goal is for your body (to fit into your favorite jeans or be able to run a mile, for example) If a food doesn’t help in your efforts toward achieving that goal, don’t eat it.

5) Live in the present, not the past or the future.  If you’re eating for emotional reasons, home in on why Anger? Despair? Fear?

6) Make mindful eating a way of life.  If you don’t, the fat will creep back on.  Celebrate every meal; it will remind you of the gret things a meal provides, beyond food.

 

INCREASING YOUR WILLPOWER

* Eat on schedule – Eat meals and snacks at consistent times every day.  Sticking to a regular eating schedule will make it easier to fend off the hunger that can cause you to overeat and lose your ability to make good food choices.  Also, be aware of what you eat.  Processed, sugary foods can leave you feeling unsatisfied, leading you to abandon your resolve later in the day. 

* Try not to overestimate your ability to resist certain foods.  Those who put their self-control to the test by surrounding themselves with temptation often lose their willpower. 

* Distract yourself.  The next time you feel like raiding the kitchen, boost your restraint with a distraction tactic.  Acts like taking a bath, calling a friend, painting your nails, – anything that keeps you from eating – will keep you occupied and out of the kitchen.  

* Try not to overestimate your ability to resist

*Use positive words.  Statements like “I should work out today” make exercise seem like a burden, so swap the word should for want.  When you tell yourself that you want to go for a bike ride, doing it will feel like a reward – not a chore.  Source: Weight Watchers Magazine Sept./Oct. 2010

* Be excited about your efforts!

* It’s the small things that make the biggest difference.

* Recognizing your accomplishments can be a major source of inspiration.

* In the pursuit of a goal, one of the basic needs is the need for appreciation.

* Recognizing success is “FUEL” for future achievements.

* Positive reinforcements make you feel good about your achievements and reinforces the behavior and attitudes that lead to the achievements. 

* Research shows that it takes 60 days to form a habit, so circle a date on your calendar that’s 2 months away.  Choose an activity and start doing it daily.  By your target date it should be second nature.  Source: Weight Watchers Magazine Sept./Oct. 2010

* Anything worthwhile is worth the sacrifice.

* It’s definitely a choice every day – and one that I am willing to make.

* You must decide what matters MOST.

* It’s that split-second decision that makes all the difference.

* Don’t let your lapse turn into a collapse.

* You will never find the time to exercise.  You must make the time.  You will never regret the time you spend exercising.

* Don’t exchange what you want most for what you want at the moment.

* The price that MUST be paid for success is discipline.

* Stick with it!  If you have a bad week or day, pick yourself up and keep going forward.

* Physical hunger – need vs. hunger   STOP – REST – ASSESS     Pause to see if you really are hungry.

* It’s not easy – but it is rewarding.

* Make a conscious choice to make the right choices.

* Recognize – what hinders and what helps.  Remove trigger foods from your environment.  Replace  with healthy options that you love.

* Making an effort  1) promotes focus  2) provides standards  3) reveals roadblocks  4) prepares us for success  5) stimulates  motivation.  These new improved habits CAN become your identity.

*  Don’t shop when you are hungry or emotional.  “I deserve to have this because …blah, blah, blah” NO!