This is the time of year where it is easy to put on a few pounds. Here are 10 easy to use ideas how to keep the pounds off and keep them off.
She was attractive, about 40, and around 50 pounds overweight. She told me, “I don’t understand it, I don’t really eat that much, how I can be so heavy?” We talked about what she eats, her exercise activities as well as her levels of stress. After the discussion she found that she wasn’t exercising enough, she was eating about 600 or 700 extra calories a day more than she was burning and much of what she was eating was hard to burn food.
Most important what she found out is that you don’t have to gain a lot of weight to become a lot heavier. If at 20 years old you gain two and a half pounds a year over 20 years means you will be 50 pounds heavier at age 40. Like most things, weight gain doesn’t happen all at once, but a little at a time.
Most of us gain around two or three pounds over the holidays. Here are a few ideas that may help you thwart the holiday weight gain blues. Not only can these ideas help you now, if you continue to use these ideas and make them habits, you can continue to move toward your ideal body image.
1. Use Negative Visualization
You can use negative visualization to imagine how you’ll look and feel if you gain two or three pounds this holiday season and every holiday season for the next 20 years. Go in front of the mirror and imagine what you’ll look like with 40 extra pounds. Imagine how you’ll feel, carrying around that extra weight, feel the extra strain on your knees, the extra work your heart will have to do, how much warmer you’ll feel with your extra insulation. Now, ask yourself, “Is this how I want to feel? If the answer is no, read on.
2. Just Say No
The easiest way to not eat so many candies, cakes and other goodies is to just say no when you go through the grocery isle. I know that if I have chocolate in my house it gets eaten. Maybe it’s the same for you, except for you its donuts. By not having these types of temptations around it makes it a lot easier to eat sensibly. That leads us to the third idea.
3. Keep Healthy Snacks to Munch On
Keep carrots, apples, cherry tomatoes, oranges, and anything else that you like that’s healthy around the house to munch on. Serve bowls of low or no butter popcorn rather than chips. Serve baked and whole grain chips from the health food store rather than the usual deep fried, artery clogging, thigh busting chips.
Eating candies, cakes and other goodies happens for two reasons. The first is that they are there. We will eat what is available. The second is that they are what we eat habitually. They make us feel good. To make new habits you need to have something to replace the old ones. In this case that means keeping healthy snacks to substitute for the not so healthy ones.
4. Eat at Home (as much as possible)
One of the easiest ways to not watch what you eat is to eat out. When we are busy rushing around it’s easy to decide to stop for a quick burger and fries when we get hungry. If you find yourself at one of these high calorie eateries you can choose to eat a meal with fewer calories. These include things like a salad or a chicken sandwich without any cheese or dressing. Better yet when you can eat before you go out or plan a stop at home. Not only will it de-stress you it will allow you to be more choosey about what you eat.
5. Eat Slowly and Chew Your Food
Probably your mother told you “chew your food!” Well mother was right. Chewing your food completely and eating slowly makes you feel full and help you achieve your ideal body image. It takes between fifteen and twenty minutes for your stomach to tell your mind that it is full. By chewing and eating slowly you allow your gut time to give your mind the information it needs to register that it is full.
6. Exercise
If you don’t have one already, start an exercise program. Your exercise program should include both cardiovascular exercises and strength building exercises. One of my favorites is Tai Chi, which gives you both while being easy on your joints. If you are San Diego contact me for our New Year’s Tai Chi class schedule.
One of the easiest cardiovascular exercises is walking. You can walk almost anywhere. It is easy on the joints and doesn’t need any extra equipment. Here are some suggestions to put more walking into your daily routine.
Park your car as far from the entrance of your destination as possible.
Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
If there is a store in your neighborhood, walk to it when you just need a few things.
When you have a few spare moments, like at lunch, take a walk.
7. Drink Water
The best refreshment you can drink is water. Eight glasses a day and more if you live in a hot climate. Water clears your skin, helps make your muscles suppler and helps you feel full and eat less. Avoid sodas, beer, wine and other beverages that are high in sugar, they just have empty calories, and lots of them. Also avoid diet drinks.
8. Use Positive Visualization (Keep Your Eyes on the Prize)
In order to achieve anything you have to maintain your focus on what you want to achieve. A great way to do this is by visualizing what you want. By actually “seeing” yourself as you would prefer to be you begin pulling yourself in the direction of your ideal body image. Keep your eyes on the prize!
9. Decide
If you are overweight you have to decide on a plan that will take you in the direction of your ideal body image. Your plan needs to include both healthy eating habits as well as an exercise program that you’ll stick with. If you’re in San Diego and you have had problems in the past either establishing or keeping a program that moves you in the direction of your goals you can contact me. (See IdealBody4u.com) Together through the use of hypnosis, NLP, visualization techniques and proper breathing we can develop a plan that will help you move in the direction of your goals.
10. Take Action
Of all the ideas you’ve read so far, this is the most important. This is the secret. Here it is – you need to take action. After you decide that you want to take control over your eating and exercise habits you need to take action. After you decide what you want to look like you need to take action. After you decide that you want to live and maintain a healthy life you need to take action. All of life’s changes begin as a decision and then you need to take action to begin this new lifestyle. So what are you waiting for? Start today!
