| For most people who are overweight, overeating is | | | | can see the destructive patterns, but when you're in |
| the result of habits formed over a lifetime. But the | | | | the moment, all your attention is focused on feeling |
| good news is, if you can take aim at those habits | | | | better and your habitual belief is that food will make |
| and see them for what they are the overeating and | | | | you feel better. It's not until the 'crisis' is over that |
| ensuing weight gain will end. | | | | you are able to look back and say, "Doh, I did it |
| Humans are creatures of habit. Most of what we do | | | | again." |
| in our life is because of habits we formed in our | | | | Here are several suggestions to help you change |
| 'formative' years. That's why they call them our | | | | your eating patterns: |
| formative years. It's the time in our lives when we | | | | -Take a week and write down what you eat each |
| form habits and patterns to guide us through the | | | | day, and any physical activity you do. I know, I know |
| rest of our life. | | | | you hate to keep a log. Part of the reason we hate |
| But often when the habit is being formed, the | | | | doing it is we hate seeing what we do. And yes, I |
| ramifications of that habit aren't felt for some time. | | | | know, you want to lose weight not keep logs. But |
| These habits start with little changes; many times we | | | | you may be surprised how easy it is to keep. It only |
| don't even notice we've made them. They solve an | | | | takes a few second to log in what you're eating, and |
| immediate problem and all is well. However, it's often | | | | when you begin doing so, you'll soon see the |
| much later when they've become a habit we realize | | | | benefits. |
| the problem we've created for ourselves and the | | | | -Quitting a habit you've had for years is extremely |
| situation is very difficult to resolve. | | | | difficult. Replacing a habit you've had for years is |
| Many overweight people have any number of habits | | | | relatively easy in comparison. Don't focus on stopping |
| that together make what we are today. It's usually | | | | the old habit; focus on replacing a destructive habit |
| not as simple as, oh I just need to give up soda and | | | | with a good one. |
| other than that I eat a healthy diet. No usually, if we | | | | -Remember, you've probably had these bad habits |
| have one thing we need to change, we have several. | | | | for years; it will take time to resolve them. Be |
| And if our habits have been in place for some time, | | | | patient with yourself. Chances are you'll slip up |
| we may have spiraled into such a state it may seem | | | | sometime on your road to recovery, but take heart; |
| like the insurmountable challenge to correct the | | | | it only takes 28 days to develop a new habit. |
| seemingly endless list of bad habits needing to be | | | | -Focus on one habit at a time. You didn't develop all |
| corrected. We eat food of poor nutritional value, | | | | these habits at the same time, and you won't be |
| which fails to nourish our bodies, so we're hungry and | | | | able to fix them all at the same time. If you try, you'll |
| eat ever increasing amounts of food in an attempt | | | | be setting yourself up for failure. Determine which of |
| to keep ourselves satisfied. | | | | your habits is the most detrimental to your health |
| For instance, do you often find yourself eating in | | | | and diet success and focus on that one habit for the |
| reaction to a particular feeling you have, a situation or | | | | time it takes to replace it with a new healthy |
| state of mind? Many people eat if they're sad and | | | | alternative. Once you've established a new habit to |
| depressed. Loneliness makes us want to eat a row | | | | replace the old one, move on to the next. |
| of Oreos, but often being happy makes us want to | | | | No matter where you are in your quest to improve |
| do the same thing. Our emotions can trigger the | | | | your health and diet, remember to keep your eye on |
| need to eat. | | | | the goal. It's not about the discomfort of the |
| These habits triggered by our emotions are often | | | | moment when you'd like to grab those Oreos or that |
| the most difficult for us to break because we are | | | | slice of pizza. It's about that healthy body in great |
| simply unaware they exist. Even when we do identify | | | | shape you'll have when you succeed. Once you |
| them, realizing we are in the emotional state that | | | | replace your unhealthy habits, staying in shape and |
| triggers eating in time to 'highjack' and resolve the | | | | eating healthy will come naturally. You'll be one of |
| habit is almost impossible. | | | | those naturally thin people. |
| As they say, hindsight is 20/20. After the fact, you | | | | |