Archive for the ‘Weight Loss’ Category
Has this holiday season been a joy or a stressor? Have all the indulgences been worth it, or do you feel guilty about all the calories? Tip #1 for this season is to ask yourself these questions and to stay aware. No guilt! No shame! No punishment after the fact. The reality is that most women will begin new weight loss attempts in the first of January. Now is the time to simply become aware of what your biggest struggles are regarding food, so that when you are ready to take action in a few days, you know what your specific challenges and opportunities are. Beginning the difficult weight-loss journey by being well-informed first will help you succeed. Tip #2 is to be honest with yourself about what your struggles really are, and to know that however impossible those challenges seem, there is a way to move beyond them. From all of us at Women’s Way, have a wonderful holiday season!
The leaves are changing and are beginning to fall. The weather is cooling off and the rainy season has begun. This is a time of year when it is easy to fall back into a place that feels comfortable.
Falling back into old, comfortable habits is a normal part of the weight loss and weight management process. What can separate this time from all the other attempts is the loving understanding that falling back into old habits is an inevitable part of the process. It doesn’t mean you are a failure. If you notice yourself feeling ashamed, guilty, or embarrassed about reverting back to old habits, please take a minute to forgive yourself. Recognize that one of the most important things in weight loss and weight management is the ability to forgive yourself and then to get back on track and keep trying. You may go through this process dozens or hundreds of times during your weight loss journey. Get comfortable with it.
Once you have accepted this “falling back and then getting back on track” as an important part of your journey, the next step is to look at it non-judgementally and begin to understand when and why it happens. This process can become an invaluable opportunity to learn about yourself and about how to succeed at long-term weight management.
Spring is finally here…rain and all! It is time to climb out of our winter shells, breathe fresh air, and get our bodies into action once again. Remember that exercise does not have to feel like punishment. Just getting outside and wandering or working among spring flowers is a perfect way to awaken your body and spirit – and is a good start to burning off some of that winter fat. Tip: Go explore spring – get out of the house, away from the kitchen, and give your body a chance to move. Knoxville has a botanical garden that not many people know about – it’s a great place to explore spring on foot. Learn more at www.knoxgarden.org.
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When a baby learns to walk, she falls down a lot in the process. She ventures out to do something she has never done before, and then falls right on her face. She cries. She is loved and nurtured by someone. Then later, she tries it again. Soon, she will have tried and failed too many times to count. But something inside her pushes her to keep trying. She is able to do so because in between each new try, she is loved and nurtured and returns back to a state of contentment and security. It is then from this state of contentment and security that she has the courage and trust to again venture out and build on her past mistakes.
Trying to lose weight may take several attempts before you learn enough about the process and enough about yourself to finally succeed. When regression happens, and when you fall back into old patterns of food addiction, overeating, or binging, you MUST love and nurture yourself instead of beating yourself up. If you beat yourself up, you will not have the courage to believe in your success the next time…leading to a half-assed effort ending in failure. Recognize how you talk to yourself, and imagine you are dealing with a baby learning to walk. Nurture, nurture, nurture. Love, love, love. Have compassion, pateince, and understanding. Beating yourself help hurts. It is harmful. It induces nothing but pain and it in fact sets your projection for how you will behave.
Recognize how you talk to yourself. Try to love yourself. Pure love. Be your friend. Be your support. It is more important than you may ever realize.
‘Tis the season (to gain weight)…but does it have to be that way? Maintaining motivation during the holidays can be difficult, especially when you find yourself at a holiday party, cookie swap, or family gathering at every turn. Is it even worth trying to maintain your weight this month, knowing the worst of it is yet to come? Yes! Focus on the things you CAN do this holiday season instead of letting the overwhelming temptations that surround you lead you to give up completely. You can still control what you buy at the grocery store and what you bring into your home. You can still control what foods you prepare for yourself and/or your family on days that don’t include a special gathering. Maintain as much of your normal healthy routine as possible to counterbalance all of the extras over the next few weeks. It will make a difference, and may even make the difference of several pounds. Do what you can. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing this year.
What parts of the holidays make you happy? Being with family, buying presents, receiving presents, humming along to holiday tunes? Does holiday food ever make you feel happy? If so, this is a great time to think about the emotional ties you have to certain foods. Knowing your tendencies can be helpful in boosting your awareness of what and why you eat during the holidays. Especially this time of year, food can hold almost magical powers, transcending us to childhood or to a time that we shared with someone who may no longer be here. Recognize that these memories and these emotions may tend to override our logic when it comes to making healthful food choices. If there are certain foods on your danger list for these reasons, then go ahead and admit it. Knowing yourself and engaging in self-management is the first step to successful weight-management. Avoid bringing these types of foods into your house if you know that it will be impossible to resist the temptation once faced with the decision.
Thank you Paula, for your comment. You are right. You do deserve it. You deserve to be happy, to be fulfilled, to be healthy, and to be successful. Set your mind on what you want, and then follow-through with actions that will take you to your goal. Ask yourself (every day) what it is you are striving for. If you want to lose weight, then give yourself that gift. If you want to enjoy the tastey pleasures that life has to offer than give yourself that gift. Make the choice and go in which ever direction gets you closer to your goal.
Another important thing to remember is that food often serves as a symbol. In this case, the brownie is a symbol of your self-worth. Make sure your true needs (of self-worth) are being addressed in other ways.
-Siri
It is almost Thanksgiving and a lot of people are in a panic. Food! Desserts! Weird family dynamics and stress. All these tensions can really take away from the spirit of Thanksgiving – a time to stop and be grateful for what we have, even a time to stop and actually give thanks to those who deserve it. As a weight management coach, I understand how threatening this holiday can be to those trying to lose or maintain weight. So much temptation!! Here’s a thought to help make it through:
Pause. Stop. Rethink.
Think of how full you already are. Not full as in full of stuffing and green bean casserole. Full as in full of love, full of the richness of life, full of family, and fulfillment that doesn’t come from food, but from how you’ve lived your life. OK, so life is not perfect. No life ever is! Focus on the good, not the bad. Focus on what you already have instead of what you need. Once you feel this type of fullness, you will notice less of a need to stuff more in.
Aim for a peacefull rather than a panicked Thanksgiving!
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This is my first blog post. We had our first class last night that kicked off our 6-weeks course to prevent holiday weight gain. Wow! It was phenominal! We have an amazing group of diverse and devoted women and started our class last night discussing stress management and experiencing simple stretches, yoga postures, breathing exercises, and meditation. It was great!
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