Post by SusieQ on Feb 8, 2005 8:06:33 GMT -5
"I've got to lose 25 pounds by bathing suit season."
"Thirty pounds by Christmas!"
"I've got to be in a size 12 by the wedding!"
These "gotta lose by" numbers and dates are markers for impatient losers. And impatient losers DON'T LOSE. If they DO manage to lose, they frequently don't maintain those losses. How come?
[glow=red,2,300]The idea isn't to lose pounds on the scale by a certain date. The idea is to change your relationship with food and exercise and establish behaviors and habits that support and maintain a healthy weight.[/glow]
When a person grits their teeth and suffers through a "diet" to reach a goal defined by the number on the scale, then when that number is reached, the efforts stop. The person, who has not changed how they think about food and exercise, now goes back to the fat-promoting behaviors, and BOOM! Before ya know it, the prom/wedding dress/bathing suit doesn't fit anymore, and the fat is back.
[glow=red,2,300]It's important to take the time to slowly establish new patterns of thought and behaviors that lead to habits that support health.[/glow]
When I began my journey to health and fitness, I began very slowly. The first thing I did was to work on mindful eating. (I actually took a seminar series called "Mindfulness, Meditation and Weight Loss.") I learned to eat slowly and mindfully. I learned to taste and chew my food. I practiced these skills for about six weeks before I took on another habit: exercise. And I started slowly there, too. I started with a half an hour Leslie Sansone Walk Away the Pounds video every other day.
The last step was to join WW. And that came a year-and-a-half into the journey, and after I'd lost 25 pounds on my own.
S-L-O-W-L-Y. One habit, one step at a time.
There are two times when it's critical to take on change in little bitty steps. The first is in the beginning, when we feel overwhelmed by our "last straws" and when the amount of weight we might have to lose appears daunting and impossible. At the beginning, instead of thinking about how much weight to lose, it's better to think about what habits to establish. Choose one or two little behaviors, and start there. Then cheer yourself each and every time you do the new behavior, make the healthy choice. Even if that's all you do! It's a start! It's a building block! It's GOOD!
The second critical time to focus on small things and small steps is during a plateau. When the scale doesn't budge for a while, it can be disheartening. It can lead to thoughts like, "Oh, why should I bother? I'm working so hard and I'm not losing weight! I might as well eat whatever I want and not lose weight!" Phooey on that one!
During a plateau, you must tell yourself that you are doing good things for yourself by your health-building habits. And then you examine those habits, your behaviors and choices, and you MAKE ONE LITTLE CHANGE.
Listen to me carefully here. You cannot underestimate the power of one little change. Here's an illustration of why:
It takes 3500 calories over our energy expenditures to store one pound of fat. Let's say that I am eating 100 calories a day MORE than I need for my energy requirements. That means I'm packing away 3500 extra calories every 35 days...which translates roughly into a pound of weight gained every month. Over 12 pounds in a year....just from a little 100 cal/day excess!
Do you SEE the power of a small change? You have to move roughly through a mile to burn 100 calories. There's 100 calories in a thick slice of bread. You can easily amass 100 extra calories just with a ladleful of salad dressing from the salad bar! If you did nothing else but make a single 100-calorie change, you'd lose 12 pounds in the coming year. Wow! How painless is THAT?
So during a plateau, you are looking to make one little change at a time. Examine your habits, behaviors, and choices. Find a place to make a little change. Maybe move a little more....take the stairs instead of the elevator. Take a walk around the block after dinner. Stop eating after 7pm. Learn to relax with a cup of tea instead of that extra serving of whatever. There are dozens and dozens of ways to make little changes, most of which are painless. Yet they add up to big, big losses.....IN TIME.
Which is the whole point. It's important to take your time in order to give the LITTLE CHANGES a chance to work their magic. Keep at them. Keep looking for opportunities to burn off little calories, or shave them off your intake. Little, teeny-weeny, almost imperceptible 100 calorie changes.
Take your time, and let the power of one hundred calories work its magic!
Susie
"Thirty pounds by Christmas!"
"I've got to be in a size 12 by the wedding!"
These "gotta lose by" numbers and dates are markers for impatient losers. And impatient losers DON'T LOSE. If they DO manage to lose, they frequently don't maintain those losses. How come?
[glow=red,2,300]The idea isn't to lose pounds on the scale by a certain date. The idea is to change your relationship with food and exercise and establish behaviors and habits that support and maintain a healthy weight.[/glow]
When a person grits their teeth and suffers through a "diet" to reach a goal defined by the number on the scale, then when that number is reached, the efforts stop. The person, who has not changed how they think about food and exercise, now goes back to the fat-promoting behaviors, and BOOM! Before ya know it, the prom/wedding dress/bathing suit doesn't fit anymore, and the fat is back.
[glow=red,2,300]It's important to take the time to slowly establish new patterns of thought and behaviors that lead to habits that support health.[/glow]
When I began my journey to health and fitness, I began very slowly. The first thing I did was to work on mindful eating. (I actually took a seminar series called "Mindfulness, Meditation and Weight Loss.") I learned to eat slowly and mindfully. I learned to taste and chew my food. I practiced these skills for about six weeks before I took on another habit: exercise. And I started slowly there, too. I started with a half an hour Leslie Sansone Walk Away the Pounds video every other day.
The last step was to join WW. And that came a year-and-a-half into the journey, and after I'd lost 25 pounds on my own.
S-L-O-W-L-Y. One habit, one step at a time.
There are two times when it's critical to take on change in little bitty steps. The first is in the beginning, when we feel overwhelmed by our "last straws" and when the amount of weight we might have to lose appears daunting and impossible. At the beginning, instead of thinking about how much weight to lose, it's better to think about what habits to establish. Choose one or two little behaviors, and start there. Then cheer yourself each and every time you do the new behavior, make the healthy choice. Even if that's all you do! It's a start! It's a building block! It's GOOD!
The second critical time to focus on small things and small steps is during a plateau. When the scale doesn't budge for a while, it can be disheartening. It can lead to thoughts like, "Oh, why should I bother? I'm working so hard and I'm not losing weight! I might as well eat whatever I want and not lose weight!" Phooey on that one!
During a plateau, you must tell yourself that you are doing good things for yourself by your health-building habits. And then you examine those habits, your behaviors and choices, and you MAKE ONE LITTLE CHANGE.
Listen to me carefully here. You cannot underestimate the power of one little change. Here's an illustration of why:
It takes 3500 calories over our energy expenditures to store one pound of fat. Let's say that I am eating 100 calories a day MORE than I need for my energy requirements. That means I'm packing away 3500 extra calories every 35 days...which translates roughly into a pound of weight gained every month. Over 12 pounds in a year....just from a little 100 cal/day excess!
Do you SEE the power of a small change? You have to move roughly through a mile to burn 100 calories. There's 100 calories in a thick slice of bread. You can easily amass 100 extra calories just with a ladleful of salad dressing from the salad bar! If you did nothing else but make a single 100-calorie change, you'd lose 12 pounds in the coming year. Wow! How painless is THAT?
So during a plateau, you are looking to make one little change at a time. Examine your habits, behaviors, and choices. Find a place to make a little change. Maybe move a little more....take the stairs instead of the elevator. Take a walk around the block after dinner. Stop eating after 7pm. Learn to relax with a cup of tea instead of that extra serving of whatever. There are dozens and dozens of ways to make little changes, most of which are painless. Yet they add up to big, big losses.....IN TIME.
Which is the whole point. It's important to take your time in order to give the LITTLE CHANGES a chance to work their magic. Keep at them. Keep looking for opportunities to burn off little calories, or shave them off your intake. Little, teeny-weeny, almost imperceptible 100 calorie changes.
Take your time, and let the power of one hundred calories work its magic!
Susie
. But it will be a challenge to get in the other two slots. I'm gonna do it, though, especially because I've hit a mini-plateau.
