FEEL LIKE EATING?

Your feelings can alter from one experience to the next. There are going to be times in our life when things happen that we may not be too happy about—but recognize that emotions are fleeting. And when they go you will still be here. Ready to experience the next one. Emotions are momentary and should not dictate what we are going to eat, or how we feel about ourselves, health etc.

Eating a bag of chips or cookies will not make the "feeling" go away. It may change your focus for ten minutes, but you can change your focus by engaging in any activity. The truth is covering your feelings by eating something unhealthy will only make you feel worse. You are causing yourself to be trapped in a cycle. Whatever is troubling you WILL change. But the consequences of what you choose to do about it may linger for much longer. You are intelligent enough to recognize food is not the answer. Food is not a solution. It is energy for your body. But it doesn't solve a problem (unless the problem is nutrition or hunger)

And of course you never know what adventures await you. Just because an event may seem like “things aren’t going your way”—well, that may not be true. It could be the event that leads you to something new. Like getting in control of your health.

FOOD IS ENERGY

Eating is not a horrible and evil act. Food gives us energy, it is meant to be enjoyed. Putting your focus on what you “should” or “should not” do only creates an obsession. When you become obsessed about something the tendency is to do more of it not less. You should take pleasure in the foods you chose and eat; it doesn’t mean you have to eat all of it. Healthy slim people recognize they will eat again. There’s no notion of depravation or a sense of saying goodbye to an old friend that they will never see again. Eat to live.

WASTE FULL

Yes I know mom constantly told you to finish everything off your plate. And now it is your duty to not be wasteful with food. When I think of the word wasteful, I recognize that is exactly what it is—a waste full.
Don’t eat because someone else wants you to or because it’s a big holiday. Say, “I’d rather not. But thank you.” If you are concerned that you may hurt someone’s feeling s because you are declining their baking goods, know that those same people are not going to be around when you’re trying to lose ten pounds.
You can engage in many social activities, go out to restaurants, and have insistent mothers who cook---and yet still be healthy and thin. Why? Because you can say “I’m not hungry.” And “I don’t think I can finish this.” Eat when you feel hungry and stop eating when you are full. That’s it.
But the battle cry for some overweight persons is typically “I don’t want to deprave myself” or “you have to live”. May I suggest that if having a piece of pie is the highlight of your life, perhaps you need to re examine your life. And what are you really depraving yourself of? Think about it? What has over eating really cost you?

WANTING "IT" IS NO JOKE

“A guy calls a company and orders their 5-day, 10 lb. weight loss program. The next day, there's a knock on the door and there stands before him a voluptuous, athletic, 19 year old babe dressed in nothing but a pair of Nike running shoes and a sign around her neck. She introduces herself as a representative of the weight loss company The sign reads, "If you can catch me, you can have me." Without a second thought, he takes off after her. A few miles later huffing and puffing, he finally gives up. The same girl shows up for the next four days and the same thing happens On the fifth day, he weighs himself and is delighted to find he has lost 10 lbs. as promised. He calls the company and orders their 5-day/20 pound program. The next day there's a knock at the door and there stands the most stunning, beautiful, sexy woman he has ever seen in h is life. She is wearing nothing but Reebok running shoes and a sign around her neck that reads, "If you catch me you can have me". Well, he's out the door after her like a shot. This girl is in excellent shape and he does his best, but no such luck. So for the next four days, the same routine happens with him gradually getting in better and better shape. Much to his delight on the fifth day when he weighs himself, he discovers that he has lost another 20 lbs. as promised. He decides to go for broke and calls the company to order the 7-day/50 pound program "Are you sure?" asks the representative on the phone. "This is our most rigorous program."
"Absolutely," he replies, "I haven't felt this good in years." The next day there's a knock at the door; and when he opens it he finds a huge muscular guy standing there wearing nothing but pink running shoes and a sign around his neck that reads, "If I catch you, your ass is mine." He lost 63 pounds that week.”
It’s a funny joke because what it actually illustrates is that if you want something bad enough you’ll do it. The guy in the joke always had the ability to lose weight, he just didn’t do it. The same can be said about all goals. The question is not whether or not you will get your goal but how bad you want it and how hard you are willing to work for it.

THE NEXT TIME

The other morning I was backing out of my office parking space and managed to hit a cement pole. The result was a very minor scratch on the front bumper. Immediately, I began to bombard my thoughts with what I "should" have been doing. It didn't change what happened. It only made me feel worse.

In that moment I recognized that this was similar to what some overweight people do. Let's say you were to binge and then afterward feel "bad" about it. Typically the "feeling bad" is followed by reprimanding oneself verbally. The cycle continues as one feels bad and continues to punish oneself. Never recognizing that this obsession is the problem.

Being healthy is not about beating oneself up after making a not so wise choice. It is the decision you will make afterward. What will you focus on?

Even if the damages to my car were more severe, my punishing myself would not change what already happened. What really was necessary is what I was going to do to rectify the situation and that I learned to pay more attention the next time.