How many times have you promised yourself to change your
diet and exercise? One day you are eating a certain way
and possibly being sedentary; the next day you expect
yourself to make a 180 degree change by following a rigid
diet and exercising without fail. When we fall off the
wagon or slip up, we blame ourselves and feel like a
failure.
I would suggest to you that if you take on too much, you
become overwhelmed and when you slip up, you give up. Why
not make small changes that allow you to experience success
and build momentum. As the saying goes, "Rome wasn't built
in one day" and neither are true, long-lasting changes in
your life. Let's build momentum by being realistic and
make small changes that last.
Here are some suggestions for little changes:
1. As you lose weight, eliminate your safety net of
keeping your large size clothes. Promise yourself that you
will never see that size again. Donate your clothes or
sell them in a garage sale. As you get rid of your excess
weight, get rid of your large clothes that you'll never
need again. You get to replace the large size clothes with
new, stylish clothes that celebrate your weight loss.
2. Don't eat out of bags. Put your portion on your plate
rather than eat out of a bag. Mindless eating is a given
when you eat out of a bag. You lose the perspective of
what you've eaten when you don't provide the accountability
of seeing the portion and eating accordingly.
3. No platters. Downsize your plate to downsize your
body. Use smaller plates when you eat your meals. The
less food you put in front of you the less you'll eat.
Alternatively, the more food in front of you, the more
you'll eat, many times regardless of how hungry you are.
Rather than use dinner size plates which range from 10-14
inches, use salad plates which average 7-9 inches wide.
4. Eat in front of a mirror. To combat mindless eating
and provide built in accountability, seeing yourself as you
eat works. Having to look at yourself reflects back to you
some of your own inner standards, reminds you of your
weight loss goals, and reminds you of why you're losing
weight, and provides an amazing amount of accountability.
5. Don't eat white. Avoid white foods such as white
bread, white rice, and white flour. Foods that contain
large amounts of simple carbohydrates make your blood sugar
rise and crash, and play a large part in weight gain.
Substitute the white stuff for whole grain breads, brown
rice, and other complex carbs.
6. Eat at home. Eat 90% of your meals at home.
Restaurant portions are so large that many serve their food
on platters. In addition, your awareness and inhibition
tend to be skewed in a restaurant. You're likely to eat
more, eat more high-fat and high-calorie foods. By eating
at home, you know what's in your food. No hidden fats or
sugar. Eat at home to save money and calories.
7. Eat breakfast. Don't skip breakfast thinking you are
saving calories. You're not! Starting your day by revving
your metabolism by eating a healthy breakfast sets up you
for healthy eating the rest of your day. It is called
"break-fast" for a reason. As you've slept, you've fasted
and by eating breakfast, you break the fast. By providing
nutrition to your body regularly throughout the day, you
won't get overly hungry thus overeat.
Long-lasting changes rarely occur overnight. Make one
small change, one step at a time. Before you know it,
those changes create a momentum of success that move you
forward to your weight loss goals. Changes involve
commitment and dedication but you're worth it!
----------------------------------------------------
Cathy Wilson is a weight loss life coach. Cathy lost 147
pounds six years ago. Her passion is helping clients
achieve their weight loss and life goals. Cathy works with
clients to create a weight loss life plan that is
customized to each client. Cathy is a member of the
International Coaching Federation, International
Association of Coaches, and Obesity Action Coalition.
Visit Cathy's website:
http://www.LoseWeightFindLife.com
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