Dr. Foster’s damn-good diet, Pt. 5
by Mira and Charles on February 5th, 2010Personal and life-style issues
OK, here we are, close to the last stop on Dr. Foster’s damn-good diet train. Today we’re going to work on overcoming the personal and life-style issues that get in the way of losing weight. We’ve already talked about getting support and making yourself accountable as I launched my own diet right on live TV, about figuring out just how to get on track and stay on track for optimal weight loss, about motivation, the emotion fuel to keep you going with your weight-loss program, and about the emotional issues that prevent you from losing weight.
The person and life-style issues I want to talk about are all over the place, from skipping breakfast in the morning, to eating in the car, to snacking late at night. So let me get to the bottom line right away. Tip: your diet will succeed only if you custom tailor it to you and your life. That means you have let go of the idea of being better than you are. You are fallible, but in your own special way. And that’s all right. We all are. It’s just that you have to understand your frailties if you want to succeed. People who succeed at losing weight aren’t better than the rest of us. They’re just like us. They’re just better at dealing with their weaknesses.
So what are your weakness?
Mine? I’ve got a lot of them. Not being able to leave a store without picking up a snack. Liking to eat in the car. Eating too much too late at night. Not controlling portions. Not having control over certain foods like nuts. Liking desserts. And, which I’ve already talked about, emotional eating.
But everyone is different. Some people keep falling victim to stuffing themselves at family dinners. Snacking at the TV. Being taken over by the chocolate monster. Drinking too much beer. Not being willing or able to keep track of what they eat. Working in an office where it is hard to control what food is available.
So here’s what you have to do.
First, list all your trouble spots. It’s okay. This list might seem daunting, but it is actually your way of preventing you from getting in trouble.
Second, try not to rely on will power alone. Will power is a funny thing. It’s all powerful when it works. But it’s brittle. Just when you least want it too, it can snap.
So, third, support your will power with practical solutions. Every trouble spot has a practical crutch that can help a lot. For example, I can avoid picking up snacks if I have a meal before I go run errands. I can avoid eating bad stuff in the car if I bring a bag of baby carrots with me. I can plan ahead with my last meal so I don’t wing it and get into trouble.
Fourth, let someone in your life help you find solutions. We are often so close to the trouble spots that obvious or really clever solutions just elude us. So find someone in your life who is clever and supportive and discuss with them each trouble spot. Ask them to come up with solutions. You’ll be amazed at the great suggestions that can turn a trouble spot into a safe spot.
And then just stay with it. Remember, every problem has a solution. It really does.
And suppose you do get into trouble. Suppose you fall off the wagon. Suppose you have a bad day. Then what? How do you deal with that?
Tune into our next blog for the answers.
Warmly, Charles
