Challenges

Today I was impressed with a gentleman who has been losing weight, and has been very diligent about not giving in to summertime temptations. He acknowledged the fact that denying himself ice cream and cupcakes at his son's birthday wasn't easy, but he realizes he must change habits otherwise he will re-gain his weight just as he has done on every other diet he has tried. However, it was the matter of fact, yet succinct, way in which he stated the obvious that intrigued me: "You know, it's really not hard to say to someone, ‘You go ahead and have [...]

People with weight problems face a difficult, even toxic environment. The temptation to eat is constant, powerful, and compelling. If you pause for a moment to think, you might be surprised by how we accept this without the slightest protest. Think of the number of fast food restaurants you can find within a 15 minute drive of your home. Most now have drive-thru windows, which make it easier and faster to get loads of calories and fat. Most now serve breakfast and some are open 24 hours. Nearly every service station has been closed and remodelled to contain a mini-market [...]

We emphasize the importance of journaling at all times. Mind you, if you are losing weight and seem to have a good grasp of size of portions, and the triggers that make you eat and have these under control, you may not need to journal regularly. However, if you are struggling or off track, journaling is the single most effective way to get your self back on track. Remember. There is no point in keeping a journal unless it is a genuine conversation with yourself - a confrontation, in which you can learn something about yourself. The most important first [...]

You have had a good week and feel totally in control. Now you are facing the long weekend with dread. Holidays, parties, and special occasions can present a challenge as quite often the focus is on food. The trick is to be prepared, avoid the anxiety that sometimes comes along with dieting and celebrate at the same time. The following are a few suggestions to help you have fun and still control your eating. ? Planning ahead is important. Try to anticipate what foods might be available and have a general idea of what you might eat. ? Try to [...]

Imagine for a second that your mind and body are sitting on one side of a teeter-totter. On your side is your desire to make healthy choices; you ‘want' to eat well, do regular exercise and become more thin and fit. On the other side however sits the unhealthy environment that we must overcome. Tilting away from you is the food environment which includes an abundance of foods, snacking, convenience stores, vending machines, processed foods, less cooking, eating out more, large portions, fast food choices, value meals, food courts and all you can eat buffets. Tilting away from your exercise [...]

These important words express the main rule of achieving success in weight control. Remember, no one is perfect. We must pre-plan our shopping, meals and exercise, but we will obviously not always carry out these plans perfectly. All is not lost when this occurs. Always focus your attention on the positive aspects of your behaviour. Don't use negative aspects for self-reproach; use them as a learning experience to inspire you to pursue productive and imaginative steps to achieve the goal of a lifestyle that leads to long-term weight control. GET RIGHT BACK ON TRACK means that every choice counts. A [...]

The following is a newsletter provides some more good tips on how to avoid weight gain during the busy holiday period. With the stress that comes at this time of year, the best thing we can do for ourselves is be mindful of our environment and triggers. Avoid falling into the trap of guilt, frustration and self-loathing...if you eat something that "wasn't on program," get right back to healthy food at the very next meal or snack. Realize that we should never forbid ourselves of treats or special occasions. Instead, if we can always balance these situations out with healthy [...]

Feeling discouraged is something we all experience at certain times in our life. It can be discouragement about family, friends, a job or living space, but more often than not it comes down to discouragement we feel within and towards ourselves. We are constantly at battle with our own minds. We think and think to the point where we feel mentally exhausted, and the battle between negative and positive still rages on. I've spoken with a few people lately who are feeling discouraged. Whether they are coming in for the first time or have re-gained some of the weight they've [...]

This is always a difficult time of year! We wake in the dark and go home in the dark. It feels like there are less opportunities, or a lack of desire to go for a walk in the evening time. I always hear about more snacking from patients, during the day, but especially in the evening. Today I met a woman, who says that “potato chips are my kryptonite”. She was at an event where they kept filling the bowl on her table with chips. Throughout the evening however, she kept talking to herself. She asked herself “do you want [...]

A lot of times, keeping a healthy lifestyle is not easy. I know most of us don't even want to think about what we should eat, or what exercise we should do. We get caught up in life's daily demands, work and family and simply forget to focus on ourselves. These thoughts however lead me to wonder how athletes get so good at what they do; or how some students simply seem to excel in their exams. Take a runner or swimmer for example. The formula is pretty simple. They show up at the track or pool and do the [...]