Hi all! Coach Jeri here!
We all have a vision of what success looks like. Many of us have achieved success in so many areas of our lives and yet find it difficult to conquer this one thing that affects everything else we do in life. When we experience success in our weight loss we feel great. When we are over eating and not tracking or following the weight loss plan, we are overcome with feelings of guilt. As a self-professed “repeat offender”, I thought it might be helpful to share some of the key takeaways that I’ve found in my weight loss journeys.
1. Know your danger foods. It sounds simple but sometimes it’s that one pretzel or that one scoop of ice cream that leads us down the wrong path. Your family can live without it, and they will understand it just needs to be out of the house.
2. Look at your past journeys. What worked when you were successful? What was it that caused you to slip? Many people will say it was some stressful event, if that is the case then you need to learn how to deal with that in a better way. We will all have unexpected tragic events, things you can’t change, but what you can control is your food. Change your emotional pattern before the stress enters the picture.
3. Track your food, even when you go over your BITE allotment. Research has shown that tracking good and bad food seems to lessen the damage. Or at least provide self awareness. Every time we say no to that extra bite we feel stronger.
4. Be proactive when it comes to going out. Most restaurants have an online menu so you can help in the decision process. I have told my family many times a particular restaurant was not good for me. Ask the waiter for substitutes. If it is a dollar more, maybe it’s well worth it for your peace of mind. Share desserts and appetizers. If you are using a second metric like calories this will help you with menus that have calories posted.
5. Make a list of the foods you can live with and those you can live without. Most people can live without hot fudge sundaes and devil dogs. I can’t live without cheese or bread. Learn to pair foods, mix and match, be open to trying new combinations.
6.Read labels. Nutrition labels are based solely on serving size. A small bag of chips may be 3 servings. This is very important for tracking properly.
7. Progress not perfection. No one is perfect. There will be days you eat a little extra. Don’t let it consume you with guilt. Track it and move on. Keeping a realistic mindset is key.
8. Stop looking for miracles. We spend thousands of dollars on gadgets, books, pills, and expensive programs. Most of us that have tried all these things have gained back the weight. If we are to lean on something we need to learn to lean on ourselves. We all know what it takes, tracking, weighing, measuring and incorporating healthy food into our lives.
Success in changing comes when you are willing to change old habits and discover alternative paths and use resources in new ways. Combine adaptability with an active mindset. Progress comes step by step. Little successes lead to big success. Day after day you are moving towards your goal, today is just another step in your journey towards a happy, successful healthy life.
