Challenges

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 [...]

It is difficult to plan for each and every situation that we have to deal with in life. While planning is extremely important when it comes to mindful eating, sometimes we can’t foresee the obstacles we will be facing or the choices we will have to make. It is for this reason that we must always be READY to make thoughtful decisions, rather than doing things impulsively that we may regret later. By repeating positive, confident thoughts to yourself about how you will approach a situation before even getting into it, you’ll have a much better chance of avoiding impulse [...]

We are sometimes under the perception that food gives us companionship, comfort, reassurance, a sense of warmth and well-being that we do not get at work or at home. This ‘comfort’ may be lifelong or it may be more recent, based on life events. For example, with the death of a parent we experience loneliness, and we attempt to soothe that loneliness with food. There is a void when we perceive a lack of fun, pleasure or good feelings; a sense of something missing, so we search for anything (usually food) to fill that emptiness. Often we are not consciously [...]

I am reading a book by Dr. Satchin Panda titled ‘The Circadian Code’. I listened to a podcast as he was being interviewed by Max Lugavere (https://www.maxlugavere.com/podcast-1/). Dr. Panda has spent his scientific life researching the circadian rhythms of plants and humans, fascinating stuff. As we learn more about our circadian rhythms, one realizes how complicated we are. More importantly, we need to understand the importance of following those rhythms for optimal health. One chapter is devoted to ‘time restricted eating’. This means that we likely need to eat over a certain time during the day, and nothing after. From [...]

All of us, on most days of the week I suspect, find ourselves in a motivational rut. We lose the desire to eat well and exercise, we put off cleaning that unforgiving room, delay doing our taxes, put off that report that is due very soon and a variety of other significant and not so significant issues that face us daily. Each of these tasks requires some degree of motivation to accomplish. Of all of the ones I’ve touched on above, I consider good eating to be one of the most difficult. Difficult because making good food choices requires strong [...]

On my holidays I read a powerful yet simple book that reflects each of us. I will leave the name of the book till the end, for reasons you will see when the title appears! It has lead me to this blog post. It certainly cannot replace the excellent prose by the author, however his, and my message, is clear. We have thousands of thoughts roaming around in our brain, especially the emotional area, which dictates how we behave and react. Whether we are facing decisions at work, at home, facing the dilemma of which food to choose, whether we [...]

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 [...]