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Habits, good or bad, are formed by repetition.
Eating habits are no exception. If you are in the habit of snacking when
you watch TV, you were reinforcing that habit until finally it became
a part of you. Other habits are formed in the same way. Some of these
habits are: eating while reading, eating the minute you come in the house,
eating when the kids come in from school, eating when you come in from
a date, or eating while cooking dinner.
We also find that certain moods and circumstances cause us to eat
even if we are not hungry. For example: anger, boredom, fatigue,
happiness, loneliness, the kids are finally in bed, our spouse is
out for the evening or out of town, nervousness, anxiety, our spouse
brings home candy or ice cream, etc... all may trigger an eating
response. The list is endless. Habits are hard to break. We must
not only break old habits, but we must make our goal to form new
ones in the same manner through repetition. Make some daily commitments.
Work to meet these commitments each day whether you feel like it
or not. Your daily commitments will help you form good habits. Remember: "It
is easier to act your way into a new way of feeling than it is to
feel your way into a new way of acting."
Resisting temptation is difficult. However, if you succeed in resisting the
first time, it becomes easier to resist the next time. Before long, you will
have formed the good habit of resisting temptation every time it confronts
you. If you yield to that temptation, you will find it easier to yield the
next time.
Because of the human weaknesses mentioned, we must use what has become known
among weight control groups as behavior modification. It simply means changing
your behavior. These techniques work only if you consistently repeat them,
so that they become a part of you.
NEW HABITS
1) Eat three meals a day. Have two or three planned snacks daily.
2) Prolong your meals by: eating slowly putting down your eating utensil between
each bite do not pick up your eating utensil until you have swallowed the bite
hesitating between bites, even if you're eating finger foods
3) Choose a specific place in your home or office to eat all of your meals.
This will become your "designated eating place" and should not be changed.
Try not to eat at your desk at work. This would make you prone to eat all day
long and not just at meal time.
4) Do not do anything except eat when you sit down for a meal. Do not read,
watch TV, talk on the phone, work, etc. Make yourself aware of the food you
are eating. Focus on the conversation and enjoy your meal.
5) Do not keep food in any room in your house except the kitchen. Do not keep
food such as cookies out on the counters. Do not store items in "see-through" containers.
6) Do not buy junk food. Neither your mate nor your children needs it.
7) If possible, serve individual plates from the stove and do not serve family
style on the table. If this is not possible, put the serving dishes on the
opposite end of the table.
8) Serve yourself on a smaller plate.
9) Develop a habit of leaving at least one bite of each item on your plate.
If you can master this, it becomes easier to stop eating when you feel full.
You will be used to leaving food on your plate.
All of the above are eating techniques that aid in behavior modification. Other
behavior modification techniques not related to eating are to substitute activity
for eating, which means exactly what it says-- substitute another activity
for between meal snacking. If you are in the habit of going straight to the
kitchen and eating every time you walk in the house, try to change this habit
by going to another room of the house when you come home. Delay going into
the kitchen until the desire to eat is gone. When you are tempted to eat, try
to use one of the following substitute activities:
Take a walk
Take a long bath
Call a friend
Get out of the house
Write a letter
Read a book
Or busy yourself with a hobby such as:
Cross-stitch
Painting
Floral arranging
Ceramics
Wood working
Gardening
Genealogical research
Sports
Surf the Web
Catch up on your email!!!
Contributed by Skip.
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"The
heights by great men reached and kept
Were not attained by sudden flight,
But they, while their companions slept,
Were toiling upward in the night."
~~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
In order to take advantage of losing weight and being successful,
you must be prepared--that means " paying your dues."
Nothing is more frustrating than to see that you are gaining weight again.
Be in a position to benefit from your failure. It pays to be prepared, and
that comes down to plain, hard work. It's not usually glamorous. It's not always
exciting. It's not always fun. It is, however, always necessary.
By being prepared, you have to create a game plan to get back on track right
away without beating yourself up and devastating your self-esteem. My game
plan is taking it a bite at a time. What's your's? Maybe it's taking it a day
at a time, going back to your diet tomorrow. Maybe it's getting angry and becoming
more determined then ever to succeed.
Have you ever been at a Weight Watchers or TOPS meeting and noticed several
people there who are slim and trim? What about those Jenny Craig and Nutri/System
ad's with their before and after pictures? They make losing weight look so
effortless, but remember, in reality, these people have been dieting for years.
Without effort and action, you will not succeed. You can't wish your weight
away. You have to work at it and be prepared for those times when you slip,
so you can pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and move on...
Losing weight demands preparation, effort and commitment to come to fruition.
Submitted Rita Katlin. Used with author's permission.
Behavior Modification
Losing Weight
Takes Effort
100 Painless
Ways to Cut 100 or More Calories
Where
Diets Go Wrong
Focus
On The Healthy Stuff
The Dangers
of Excess Body Fat
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