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Love the one you're with
August 27, 2007As I am leaving soon for a few days in the Rockies, I was at a clothing store over the weekend looking for some long-sleeved shirts and jackets to keep warm at the near-10,000 foot elevation where I'll be staying. I am happy to report I'm now in smaller shirt and pants sizes!
So, like any warm-blooded woman cheered on by success, I was happily making my way through the store picking out exciting and cute things to try on. I rounded a corner and overheard something that made me stop and really think about how outlook affects your weight loss efforts.
Two women were browsing and I heard one say "I'm so mad at myself for gaining weight, but the crazy thing is, I am just so hungry all the time that I can't stop eating."
I wanted to run over and talk to them, happy as I am with my own success so far, but I didn't want to look like a nut jumping out at them from behind a rack of clothes. So I kept my mouth shut and kept walking. But if I had been more cheeky, I would have told them a few things.
First, getting mad at yourself, beating yourself up or any other type of negative self-speech is not only sad, but also quite detrimental to success. You wouldn't tell a friend you're mad at her for gaining weight, I thought to say, so why tell yourself those kinds of things?
Second, by saying she's so hungry she can't stop eating, the woman is basically making such a huge problem that it is obviously out of her control.
Take the big problem and figure out a way to break it down into more manageable pieces that you can solve. First, journal your food intake for a week. Write down when, where, what and how much you eat. Then look at it and see if you are depriving yourself at one time during the day (for many of us, it's the first meal of the day) and overindulging at another time. Maybe you need to eat six small meals each day. Maybe you just need to start eating breakfast. Whatever it is, journaling is an easy, small step you can take to start fighting the battle against overeating, because it makes you aware of your actions, and puts you in the driver's seat instead of being a passenger on the food superhighway.
The bottom line is, negative thoughts and failing to act combine to become hopelessness for many of us, quite often stopping us from achieving the results we seek. You've got to love yourself and want to change your actions for the better, and you've got to know you can. So, faithful readers, this week, give yourself a mental "hug" by telling yourself you are worth it, you are good enough. Try to quiet the negative voice in your head. Once you do, you'll find eating less and moving more only natural, because you are well worth the effort!
Posted by Stacy Horany at 09:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
