Healthy Habits Blog
08 31 Temptations…Beware!
(five situations that can tempt even the best of us!)
For anyone who has lost weight, it is a known fact that it takes a lot of will power and the ability to form new healthy habits and attitudes when it comes to food. It is not that easy to make healthy food choices in certain circumstances and surroundings. Being aware of these diet danger zones and knowing what to do when temptation is present is the key to your success in maintaining your healthy weight!
Temptation 1: The Work Place!
Offices and other work places commonly have donuts, candy and other poor food choices to tempt us. And, if eaten often, will cause us to gain weight. Your best chance for success in adhering to your Take Shape program is to have a ready-made plan for the day and also enlist help from like-minded co-workers. Suggest bringing healthy foods to meetings, or ask the person in charge of bringing refreshments to choose healthier options that aren’t so fattening. If you are on the 5 and 1, remember your Medifast products at work so that you are never caught without a meal and you can keep on schedule!
Temptation 2: Happy Hour!
Sometimes it is fun to relax with co-workers or friends after work, but happy hour can set you up for failure, especially if you have had a stressful day. You will have more of a tendency to let down your defenses and have something that is not part of your plan. If you know you are going to join friends after work, make sure that you enjoy a Medifast shake or mango punch or pudding instead of drinking alcohol that adds carbohydrates and sugars and will kick you out of the fat burning state. Also drink plenty of water. Sometimes it is best to just say “no” and stay away from happy hour if too tempting.
Temptation 3: The Gym
Many gyms have smoothie bars and carb/protein bars and sport waters now. Beware of all of these products. Although they may look to be beneficial during your workout, they are usually packed full of calories and carbs which will kick you out of the fat burning stage! As long as you are eating every 2.5-3 hours and following your program properly, you do not need these products. Make sure that you drink alot water during your workout. Bring an extra meal replacement and water to enjoy after your workout.
Temptation 4: Vacation!
Vacations can be diet destructors, but they don’t have to be! Vacations are meant for you to take a break from the normal routine and relax and enjoy! As a result, many will totally forget their good eating strategies and “pig out”. All-inclusive vacations are the biggest culprits for forming this type of behavior. You can avoid packing on the pounds by having a plan before you go. I want you to have fun, so don’t try to lose weight on your vacation, but don’t go gaining weight either! Going on a simple maintenance plan will help you to make wise choices during your vacation, (consult with your health coach) and I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised and relaxed when you return home!
Temptation 5: Air Travel!!
Airports are full of tempting calorie packing foods to entice all weary and hungry travelers. You must be on full alert when entering airports. Make sure that you pack bars and shake packets that you can easily mix on the plan. Pre-bake Medifast brownies, cookies or muffins, bring along a shaker jar and bring no excuses! Have your lean and green meal while at the airport to keep you from choosing to eat the peanuts or pretzels on the flight. Be careful when you order a vegetarian meal: it will most likely be pasta!
Temptations pop up daily… Name some that are a concern to you…
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What plan can you have ahead of time to help you steer away from these temptations?
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08 26 Summer is Over!
So, summer is over for some of us and just about over for the rest. Kids are back at school and all the fun, vacations, picnics, and summer time relaxing is just about over. For those of you who have enjoyed the Habits of Health through out the summer and are now realizing a more fit and fabulous you…Congratulations! For those of you who maybe took the summer time activities and vacations as a reason to relax and eat whatever was put in front of you, then you may be feeling a bit out of shape and tired. Well, Take Shape for Life and Your Health Coach is there for you if you are ready to get going again.
Here are some tips to get motivated:
- Start re-reading Dr. A’s Habits of Health and start the workbook. A great place to begin is to take the health assessment in Chapter 5. You can download this assessment by going to Habitsofhealth.net and click on take health assessment.
- Make a new structural tension chart with your current reality and your goal. Then write down all the things you will do to reach your goal, no matter what. Set a time line and look at it often
- Start a daily journal
- Make the decision to communicate with your health coach at least once a week.
- Listen to the support calls on Monday and Wednesday every week, either live or the recording.
- Don’t look back…keep your focus on the prize and don’t let anything get in your way. Make the rest of your life the best of your life!
08 25 Identifying Eating Triggers
By identifying what triggers our eating, we can substitute more appropriate techniques to manage our emotional problems and take food and weight gain out of the equation.
How Can I Identify Eating Triggers?
Situations and emotions that trigger us to eat fall into five main categories:
Social: Eating when around other people. For example, excessive eating can result from being encouraged by others to eat; eating to fit in; arguing; or feelings of inadequacy around other people.
Emotional: Eating in response to boredom, stress, fatigue, tension, depression, anger, anxiety or loneliness as a way to “fill the void.”
Situational: Eating because the opportunity is there. For example, at a restaurant, seeing an advertisement for a particular food, passing by a bakery. Eating may also be associated with certain activities such as watching TV, going to the movies or a sporting event, etc.
Thoughts: Eating as a result of negative self-worth or making excuses for eating. For example, scolding oneself for looks or a lack of will power.
Physiological: Eating in response to physical cues. For example, increased hunger due to skipping meals or eating to cure headaches or other pain.
To identify what triggers excessive eating in you, keep a food diary that records what and when you eat as well as what stressors, thoughts, or emotions you identify as you eat. You should begin to identify patterns to your excessive eating fairly quickly.
How Do I Break Myself of the Habit?
Identifying eating triggers is the first step; however, this alone is not sufficient to alter eating behavior. Usually, by the time you have identified a pattern, eating in response to emotions or certain situations has become a pattern. Now you have to break the habit.
Developing alternatives to eating is the second step. When you start to reach for food in response to a trigger, try one of the following activities instead:
- Watch television
- Read a good book or magazine or listen to music
- Go for a walk or jog
- Take a bubble bath
- Do deep breathing exercises
- Play cards or a board game
- Talk to a friend
- Do housework, laundry or yard work
- Wash the car
- Write a letter
- Or do any other pleasurable or necessary activity until the urge to eat passes
What If Distracting Myself Isn’t Enough to Keep Me From Eating?
Sometimes simply distracting yourself from eating and developing alternative habits is not enough to manage the emotional distress that leads to excessive eating. To more effectively cope with emotional stress, try:
- Relaxation exercises
- Meditation
- Individual or group counseling
These techniques address the underlying emotional problems and help resolve the original problem as well as teach you to cope in more effective and healthier ways. For more information on these techniques, contact your doctor.
As you learn to incorporate more appropriate coping strategies and to curb excessive eating, remember to reward yourself for a job well done. We tend to repeat behaviors that have been reinforced, so reward yourself when you meet your nutrition management goals. Buy that blouse, take that vacation, or get that massage to reward yourself to increase the likelihood that you will maintain your new healthy habits.
08 07 Burn More Calories!
The 30 easiest ways to burn more calories:
- Reach for water before you reach for a snack. It’s the cheapest, safest appetite suppressant there is.
- Keep the cupboards bare. You’ll save both money and temptation. By cutting back on the amount of food choices you have around, there will be less impulse snacking.
- Do something inspiring. A cheap incentive is sticking a picture of a dress you’d really love to wear where it will motivate you. For those with a wild side, get your belly button pierced.
- Use spices liberally. Ginger, cayenne, jalapeno peppers and Tabasco sauce can boost your fat-burning ability by up to 25%, according to a researcher at Kyoto University in Japan.
- Sleep for weight loss. Getting enough sleep does more than keep you from eating for energy. The University of Chicago recently found that a woman’s metabolism rises 40% when she gets enough sleep.
