Goals Archives – Dr. Bishop's Ottawa Weight Loss Center

3 05, 2021

Effective Goal-Setting

Doug Bishop2021-05-03T14:21:42-04:00May 3rd, 2021|Motivational Letters|

Goal-setting can be frustrating. This has been especially hard for many of us through the covid-19 pandemic. Many of us make ‘goals’ or ‘resolutions,’ and then falter before achieving them; this creates a pattern of negative thoughts that make us believe we 'can never accomplish them.' The problem is that we have trouble following a 'self-imposed' goal versus a goal set by our boss, school or profession. (You might study hard to pass a course in school, but be less likely to be diligent about ongoing learning when it's something that is important for you but not imperative.) People who [...]

7 03, 2021

Immunity, Aging and Metabolic Health

Doug Bishop2021-03-07T22:53:28-05:00March 7th, 2021|Motivational Letters|

Immunity, aging and metabolic health are topics that all fuse together; but, we tend to focus on the scale or seeking a smaller body size. We forget that body composition and weight are intimately tied into our immune health and being healthy at an older age! During these trying times of lockdown and fear, we forget that we have a significant amount of control of our immune health. We have the ability to improve it to combat viruses, the signs of aging, and chronic diseases such as Type II Diabetes, Alzheimer's, heart disease, and even cancer. Thus, our choices of [...]

2 02, 2021

Reflect and Correct

Doug Bishop2021-02-02T15:49:29-05:00February 2nd, 2021|Motivational Letters|

During these times of lockdown, with all of us enduring increased stress, less exercise, and less ability to be with friends and family, it’s no wonder that I see people snacking more, not losing weight and getting frustrated. I'm right there with you. IDENTIFY THE THINGS IN YOUR CONTROL THAT MAY HELP STOP MINDLESS EATING: Lack of refreshing sleep; if we are tired, we snack more. Our desire for simple processed carbohydrates worsens. Whatever you can do to get proper sleep, do it. (Step one is to stop watching the news on TV—nothing but negativity.) Read a book, do a [...]

18 12, 2020

Planning is Key for the Holidays

Doug Bishop2020-12-18T14:10:25-05:00December 18th, 2020|Uncategorized|

If we attempt to eat ‘perfectly’ during the holidays we’re more likely to fall into that all-or-nothing trap, and overindulge without restraints after the first “mistake”. By preplanning treats, you are less likely to feel a loss of control. Plan in advance how you will conduct yourself and what you will eat (not what you will NOT eat, since you must plan positively). This will generate a feeling of self-control and self- confidence that will do wonders for self-esteem. This is the best advice to counteract the feelings of helplessness and guilt that accompany impulse eating. Your pre-planning should include [...]

4 12, 2020

Now is Not the Time to Give Up

Doug Bishop2020-12-04T15:03:57-05:00December 4th, 2020|Motivational Letters|

I suppose it’s the stress and frustration of isolation, dealing with all the rules and regulations around this pandemic, along with changes in plans to visit family and friends, or looking forward to a holiday; whatever it is, more and more people are finding it difficult to stay on track. They use phrases like, ‘lack of motivation” or, ‘lack of energy to do anything.’ I get it. However, if there ever was a time to boost your immune health through proper eating and exercise, it is now. We can do a lot for our immunity by concentrating on simple lifestyle [...]

22 11, 2020

Learning from Lapses

Doug Bishop2020-11-22T14:09:57-05:00November 22nd, 2020|Motivational Letters|

There was an excellent statement by Dr. Robert Schuller who said: “Success isn’t the opposite of failing. A runner may come in last, but if he beats his personal previous best record, he succeeds.” You see, many of us will consider ourselves failures at times because of subjects we failed at school, failing to make a team, previous “diet” failures etc. Failing means only that you were not as prepared as you could have been; so, keep trying because you are never a failure until you completely give up. A lot of my motivation comes from the efforts I see [...]

6 11, 2020

Where is my Willpower?

Doug Bishop2020-11-06T12:13:50-05:00November 6th, 2020|Motivational Letters|

I was reading a good article by Melinda Watman in “Weight matters” magazine, and I was struck by how she wanted us to stop using the word ‘willpower’ and substitute it for what is really happening when we give into the temptation to eat when we aren’t hungry. Let’s start with this sentence: The study of willpower is fraught with controversy and conflicting research, with the consideration of whether or not willpower works for weight management. When it comes to willpower, there are likely some common questions floating in most of our minds: Does willpower exist? Do I have it? [...]

19 10, 2020

How Do I Get Motivated?

Doug Bishop2020-10-19T11:29:06-04:00October 19th, 2020|Motivational Letters|

There is a great quote by Anais Nin: "…and the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." You see, there is no magic motivation pill to make us eat better, or exercise or de-stress. For most of us, it is exactly what Ms. Nin said; that we are uncomfortable where we are, and to stay there and do nothing is more difficult to our psyche than to work on changing habits which we know will create a sense of empowerment. Having said that, I also know, [...]

8 10, 2020

Helplessness or Optimism

Doug Bishop2020-10-08T15:11:05-04:00October 8th, 2020|Motivational Letters|

As I was tidying up the other day, I came across some old lecture notes from an Obesity Medicine conference we attended about 9 years ago. I remember feeling privileged to listen to a keynote lecture by Dr. Denis Waitley. He is a Psychologist, and at that time, was an advisor to the American Olympic team. His talk was on how we, as individuals, have choices: emotional choices. We can listen to the internal voice of helplessness or turn our minds towards optimism. He noted that it takes about 600 days for an athlete to develop a consistent habit of [...]

28 08, 2020

Move

Doug Bishop2020-08-28T11:54:31-04:00August 28th, 2020|Motivational Letters|

Since the beginning of COVID it has been interesting to observe behaviours in myself and others. When everything began, we searched for some sort of exercise and to just get some exposure to sun (knowing natural vitamin D improved our immune function.) For me, I would do some simple push-ups and burpees throughout the day, along with an indoor kayak machine. For others they might follow yoga or you tube exercise videos and ensure they got out for a ‘social distance’ walk. However, even as things open up, I find a lot of us have backed off somewhat in consistent [...]

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