Are you one of those who have tried almost everything to keep your weight down? Are you obsessed with having a slimmer silhouette and have gone on every diet and lose-weight fad that hit town? Are you like a friend of mine, half of whose books and videos are on weight loss diets from Pritikin to Atkins, Zone to cabbage soup, fruit juice to South Beach? But much to your utter frustration (like every dieter!), are you desperately losing your battle with the bulge? Now, here’s something you should try that might prove worthy of your time, efforts, and expectations. It could be the ultimate weight control secret and it is called — tadah! — Behavioral Weight Control. The basic tenet behind BWC is that it is definitely possible to lose weight or maintain one’s ideal body weight without drugs, pills, fad diets, injections or liposuction. The vital principle of BWC is that you need to modify your behavior towards food and change your eating habits to be successful in your weight control efforts.BWC is not a diet. In fact, you can eat everything you love but in a mindful, deliberate way. You don’t have to give up pastries, ice cream, potato chips, and pizza. (Hallelujah!) You lose weight by gaining control over your behavior. Most diets fail because they do not change a person’s eating habits. The dieter feels deprived and will eventually gorge on all the foods he missed (when no one is looking!) and end up even heavier than before. (Ugh!). BWC boasts no pills, no drugs, no injections. Huh? Yes, eat write — you’d need only a pen and a small notebook to religiously record every instance of food intake and how much of it, even if it is just a candy, a snack, a soda or an innocent bite-sized taste of whatever. The results are quite astounding (and revealing!) when you look at the list of foods you’ve eaten at the end of the day. Most people are not aware of what they eat. While watching TV they could be munching on potato chips. While walking, they could be chewing non-sugar-free gum. While working, they could be downing tons of coffee loaded with sugar and cream, etc. Most people are constantly eating and are not even conscious of it. Being forced to log down your food intake on paper helps you monitor calories and control your eating habits.
One mother realized that whenever her kids left food on their plates, she would automatically eat such leftovers, an unconscious result of her own mother’s mental conditioning about “people starving in India,” a concept that has finally found home in her hips. Another dieter realized that she was adding cream and sugar to her tea because it was a social practice until she realized that tea had the same soothing effect without the extra calories from the cream and sugar. In BWC, awareness is key. You have to be conscious of what you are eating, when you are eating, how you are eating, and even why you are eating.
Eating Habits To Modify
As much as possible, don’t eat while doing something else. If you are on the computer, avoid the munchies; at the movie house, watch the film and not load up on junk food. If you like to multi-task, don’t add eating to whatever things you are doing. When at home, limit your eating to the dining room; yes, make it a habit to sit down comfortably whenever you eat. This means you shouldn’t have breakfast in bed (even if that seems romantic) or grab a quick bite by the refrigerator (even if it’s convenient). Arrange your food in the fridge such that the healthy, low-calorie foods are in front and easier to reach while the fattening ones are towards the back or at the bottom where they are more difficult to get. Monitor also how fast you eat. In this fast-food age, we are always in a hurry. It is a good habit to stop and look at the food in front of you to check it out first, enjoy its presentation and color. Then take time to enjoy, chew, masticate, and truly savor your food. Cut up the food into the smallest pieces possible and eat only one piece at a time. Try to steer clear of eat-all-you-cans or smorgasbords, but if you find yourself in one, be choosy with the food you put on your plate and refrain from eating like there’s no tomorrow.Three major issues to deal with regarding food are: Are you eating because you are hungry? Are you eating as a reward? Or are you eating to drown your problems? If you are eating because you are hungry, make sure you ingest foods that give you energy and keep you healthy.
If you are eating as a reward, you should consider rewarding yourself with other non-food incentives — a walk in the park, a manicure, a new CD, a shiatsu massage or buy yourself jewelry. (Hahaha.) If you eat to forget your problems, you are headed for trouble. Comfort yourself through other fulfilling activities — volunteer for the community, take up a sport, sing at a karaoke, or have an outing with your friends.With Behavioral Weight Control, you can gain control over your attitude and behavior towards food, curb bad eating habits, and finally reveal that elusive healthier, slimmer, fitter, sexier you!
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