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Emoms at Home has a great article today. She talks about struggling with depression and feeling inadequate. You’ll be surprised at what you can really do, or “you can do more than you think you can…”

Thinking about this in terms of your health and weight loss, think about what you’ve accomplished already. What changes have you made. How are you taking better care of yourself now than you were a few months ago?

I believe that the biggest hurdles we face are often our own negative thoughts. As long as you think you won’t be able to do something, you won’t. On the other hand, believing you can do something is often 90 percent of the battle. Unfortunately, we continue to tell ourselves we can’t do the things we want, and we allow other people to do the same to us.

Spend some time today reminding yourself of all the things you have done, and can do. If someone, including you, tries to say differently, don’t listen.

So, what can you do?

It’s been a tough week and a half. I’ve felt awful, and for a few days I had trouble getting anything at all down. When I’m not feeling well, I forget about watching what I eat and just eat whatever  I can.

When you’re sick, the first priority is to take care of yourself, not lose weight.  Here are some tips that may help you if you come down with something nasty.

• Cola syrup. You can get this at some pharmacies. It’s a very concentrated syrup that you pour over crushed ice. This is great for nausea.
• If you can’t find cola syrup, flatten a pepsi or coke and pour that over crushed ice.
• Ginger ale is another choice. I prefer mine warm and flat when I’m sick (yes, that sounds gross).
• Eat whatever you think you can stomach, even if it seems odd. This time around, fruit was the only thing I could reliably eat.
• Use a heating pad for body aches.
• Try to get up and move around, even if you just feel like lying down. I think it makes you feel better in the long run.
• Head to the doctor. If you catch the flu in time, you can take medicine to lessen its effects. Unfortunately, I wasn’t lucky enough to catch it in time.
• Your family can also take medicine (like Tamiflu) to prevent catching the flu from you. This is especially good for family members who are older or in poor health.
• Stay off from work if at all possible. There’s no need to make yourself suffer, or share the misery.

Stay well!

Taking good care of yourself can help you to lose weight, both directly and indirectly.

Have you noticed that when you’re tired you eat more? How about when you’re stressed or not feeling well? You probably eat more and exercise less, right? Here are a few steps you can take to keep yourself feeling well all the time, which can help you avoid bingeing and keep you on track with your exercise.

• Get plenty of sleep. When I’m overly tired, I tend to compensate by snacking.
• Stay hydrated.  Often we can mistake being thirsty for being hungry.
• Take mini-breaks during the day. Get up from your desk, walk down the hall, step outside your office. I’ll take a short 5-10 minute walk, and I feel much better when I return to my desk.
• Take mental breaks too. Your mind needs to rest as much as your body does. Shut your door and spend a couple minutes relaxing. Chat with a colleague. Read the news online. I like to shut my door and put a little music on. I’ll stand up and stretch, make myself a cup of tea, etc.
• Don’t let yourself get too hungry. You’ll just feel rotten and then eat something you’d rather not. Keep something healthy handy for snacks. I keep a piece or two of fruit in my office for when I get the munchies.
• Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. This is one of the best things you can do for your health and well-being. Find ways to sneak them in to your diet if you’re not crazy about them in general.
• Avoid junk food. The high salt and high fat content will often make you feel worse. These high-calorie foods also don’t fill you up long, so you end up eating again soon.
• Avoid over-eating in general. Feeling stuffed can make you feel even more tired and exhausted. You know what you feel like after a huge meal; it’s not fun, is it?
• Get a little exercise. Even a fifteen minute walk can make you feel rejuvenated.
• Deal with your stress. Stress is a trigger for overeating, but it can also lead to more serious ailments. For me, it’s a huge trigger for overeating, so it’s something I have to deal with.
• Do something for yourself every day. Our lives are busy, and it seems that there’s never enough time to do what you need to, let alone what you want to. That needs to change. Taking time to do things for yourself is as important as eating right and exercising. It took me a long time to realize that, but I try to practice what I preach.
• Delegate! Ask for help with household tasks. There’s no law saying you have to do it all alone.
• Re-evaluate what’s necessary. Look for ways to take shortcuts and save time and energy. For example, you may be able to avoid most laundry by folding your clothes as soon as the dryer stops. Run several errands at once to save time overall. Shop once a week to keep from having to make several trips.

While you are probably trying to lose weight, your bigger goal is likely to be getting healthier. Work on doing some of these small things, and you’ll find that as you feel better, you’ll find yourself reaching for the “wrong” foods and overeating less and less often.

It’s difficult, but over time you can change your habits and improve your health. It doesn’t happen overnight, but it can happen. When I think about what my habits were like a year ago as compared to now… well, things have changed quite a bit!

First off, Zen Habits has a great article on easy ways to build better eating habits. I have a couple ideas that I’d like to add as well.

No seconds

As I’ve said here before, giving up second helpings is one of the best things I’ve done, and I credit it with my nearly 25 pound weight loss over the last year.

This is simple; stop going back for seconds, ever. When you’re accustomed to that, add to that a small, gradual reduction in portion sizes. The beauty of this technique is that you still get to eat whatever you want, and you’re still cutting back.

Half it

Eat only half of whatever is on your plate. I don’t do this all the time, but I do it a lot with treats and more fattening foods. I was in the mood for a fast food breakfast this morning, so I got one, and ate a little less than half of it. I still got the greasy sandwich and hashbrowns I was in the mood for, but I didn’t have a 600 calorie breakfast.

When you order in a restaurant, consider splitting an entree with your partner. If you’re treating yourself to a dessert, split that. Even better, ask the waitress if they’ll serve you a half portion of dessert, and then split THAT with your partner.

Results

You’d be surprised how quickly these habits take hold and become second nature. I don’t even think about going back for seconds, and I often find that I feel full well before I’ve finished. Since I’m “allowed” to eat pretty much whatever I want, there’s less temptation to binge.

No, I’m not dropping weight as quickly as most dieters, but I am gradually losing weight, and I’m doing it without feeling deprived.

Do you have any weight loss or healthy eating tips you’d like to share? What’s working well for you?

If you’re like me, stressful situations send you to your favorite comfort foods. In my case, stress is often the single biggest factor in causing me to blow my eating plan. You’ve probably heard all sorts of tips for avoiding stress eating, but I have a different approach I’d like to share.

Focus on eliminating the stress, not the stress eating.

I often eat to cope with stressful situations. I may be upset, worried, depressed, whatever…. So I tend to eat to make myself feel better. I could focus on not eating during those times, or doing something else instead, but in the past that hasn’t worked well for me.

If you’re a stress eater, has it worked well for you? I’m going to bet that it hasn’t. It’s hard to give up old habits. Besides stress eating is at least partially rooted in our biology anyway. (The effects of stress on body weight, Stress, Eating and the Reward System.)

I’ve come to think that fighting that response (at least for me) tends to be a bit of a lost cause. Instead, I’m trying to work on my causes of stress instead. It stands to reason that I can reduce my stress eating if I reduce my stress, right?

Here are a few things that I’ve been trying.

• I take a few minutes of quiet time to calm myself. I’m lucky at work — I have an actual office. I shut the door and take a few minutes of quiet time.  If I’m home and things are hectic, I’ve been known to shut myself in the bathroom to get that bit of quiet, personal space.
• I get up and move around. I might take a walk down the hall, head upstairs to put in a load of laundry, etc. I don’t mean run out for a two-mile walk (although that would be good too). Sometimes just getting up and moving gives me a different perspective.
• I try to recognize what’s bothering me. After I focus on what has be upset, then I remind myself that eating isn’t going to help that. Sometimes just taking a minute and allowing myself to be upset helps.
• I ask myself if I’m really hungry or just stressed. Believe it or not, it can be tough to tell sometimes. If I’m not sure, I’ll have a cup of tea or coffee and see how I feel in half an hour or so.
• If something is really bothering me, I may try to ask someone else to handle it. This is especially useful if you’re feeling overwhelmed at home; ask for a hand with some of the household chores. At work it can be tougher to ask for help, but consider it if you feel that you’re really carrying more than a fair share or if you’ve been overwhelmed by extra tasks.

What are your tips for dealing with stress? Do you find that stress impacts your eating and exercise habits?

If you missed these last years, here’s another chance to read some of this blog’s most popular posts. Enjoy!

Change a Habit

Diet Motivation

Tips for Holiday Weight Loss

Sleeping and Weight Loss

Vacation and Exercise

Is there any more depressing time of the year if you’re trying to lose weight?

The television bombards us with commercials for diet products and programs. There are dozens of quick fixes, pills to take and crazy diet plans to sign up (and pay) for.

So, here are my tips for getting through this rough time of the year and staying focused on healthy eating, exercise, and gradual, maintainable weight loss.

1. Like yourself the way you are. You don’t withhold love from your family and friends until they lose a few pounds, do you? Why are you doing it to yourself. Do something nice for yourself today.
2. Focus on your health, not your weight. I hear you, “But my weight affects my health.” That’s true, but too often we try to take shortcuts to weight loss that are bad for our health. Focus on taking good care of yourself.
3. See you doctor. How long has it been since you had a checkup? Talk to your doctor about your health, your diet, and exercise. Get some advice and the go-ahead to change your lifestyle.
4. If it sounds too good to be true, it is. While writing this, I saw yet another ad for a pill that will make you lose weight without changing your eating or exercise habits. Yeah, and you can get rich by quitting your job and going into debt too. Right….
5. The only way to lose weight is by diet and exercise. Work on making healthy changes to the way you eat and live. You’ll feel better AND lose weight.

Wow, Thanksgiving is around the corner, with all the great food and family that comes with it. If you’re trying to watch your weight or even (gasp!) lose weight during the holidays, this one can be a real diet-breaker. Face it, what’s more traditional that eating a huge meal and falling asleep on the couch later?

Here are some tips for you to keep in mind to mitigate the damage!

1. Fill up your plate once, and don’t go back for seconds.
2. If you’re eating at someone else’s house, don’t bring home leftovers. If you’re having people at your house, then plan on sending leftovers home with everyone!
3. Fill up your plate with lower-calorie items like vegetables, fruits, and lean turkey before adding on the more fattening items like stuffing, mashed potatoes, etc.
4. If you have any control over the timing of the meal, try for mid afternoon so you won’t be eating both lunch and dinner.
5. Buy fat-free gravy in a jar rather than making homemade.
6. Make other “smart” substitutions like using lower-fat milk, sour cream, mayonnaise, etc. in your cooking.
7. Whether you’re cooking the entire meal or only a dish or two, try to fix something that you really like AND that’s lower in calories. You’ll have something that feels like a treat and that won’t blow your diet.
8. For dessert, try fruit or cranberry salad instead of heavier desserts.
9. If you must have a “real” dessert, skip the whipped cream. Eat the pie filling and not the crust.
10.  Drink diet soda, water or coffee with the meal.
11.  Take a walk afterwards instead of a nap!

Even if you eat more than you really ought to, relax. Don’t let one day turn into several days of overeating.

Recently, I wrote about how we often sabotage our own efforts at weight loss. I’m sure that you also know that others do their part in sabotaging us as well.

First of all, remember that it’s rarely done on purpose or out of spite. In fact, usually the person doesn’t realize it at all, so don’t get angry. The best option is to recognize it, examine the reasons behind it, and deal with it from there.

Let’s talk about those people who make it difficult without meaning to or realizing they’re doing it. Maybe they bring donuts several times a day or show up in your office with their latest baked goodies. Instead of getting frustrated, try something like, “Everything you bring is so good, I find I can’t resist it. Since I’m trying to lose weight, would you help me by not offering? I just can’t say no to your homemade goodies!”

Others will insist that you socialize with them by eating out. If that’s the case, stick with appetizers or something light. Drink diet drinks and avoid the alcohol; it’s loaded in calories. Offer to be the designated driver.

Still others will try to convince you that you don’t need to lose weight. These may be genuine compliments or just the person’s way of being nice. Accept it as a compliment but explain that you want to do this for you.

You’ll also need to deal with others’ fears. If you lose weight, will your partner feel threatened or jealous? Will your best friend feel self-conscious? If you lose weight, others are bound to look at you differently, and that can be scary for them. If you find that your family and friends are less than supportive, recognize that it’s likely fear that’s motivating their behavior. You may have to reassure them that even though your body is changing, you won’t.

There are lots of reasons that we fail to lose weight, but I think one tends to stand out, and I bet it’s not something you’re thinking of.

Is fear of success holding you back?

Think about it for a minute. How many things do we put off until we lose weight? Maybe you’ll get a new wardrobe, job hunt, take the family on that great vacation, or finally go to a high school reunion. Whatever it is,  you’re going to do it just as soon as you get some weight off.

What if the weight is just an excuse to not do it? What if you’re scared to find a new job, or maybe you don’t feel that you’re successful enough to face your high school rivals. Isn’t it easy to avoid it by not losing weight?

If you lose weight, what will happen to your relationships? Most people might assume they’d get better, but will they? You’ll feel more attractive, right? Presumably, more people will be attracted to you. Is that what you really want? Are you avoiding weight loss to avoid some bigger relationship issues?

Whether it’s success in general or regarding something specific like weight loss, changes can be frightening. You may want to lose weight for many reasons, but I bet there are also some reasons why you don’t want to. Unless you think about, and face, those reasons, you’ll find yourself sabotaging your own efforts without realizing it.