Lifestyle changes are very important because they
help you stick with your plan to pay attention to your diet
and increase your physical activity. To change your
lifestyle, you must first identify those thoughts, feelings,
and behaviors that contribute to habits of overeating and
under-exercising. Then, you can replace these thoughts,
feelings, and behaviors with new ones that will help you eat
healthfully and exercise regularly for the rest of your
life. These lifestyle changes should always be made together
with all other weight loss treatment options.
There are several techniques that you can use to make
good changes in your lifestyle.
They are:
Monitor food and activity levels. Keep a food and
physical activity diary, like the one in Appendix IV. This
diary helps you become aware of how much food you are eating
and how physically active you are. You can also write down
your feelings about eating and activity in the diary, and
this can teach you a lot about your own attitudes and how
they may need to change.
Manage stress. Stress is one of the major reasons
why people overeat. You can, however, reduce this
stress-related overeating by learning how to use methods
other than food to cope with or reduce stress in your life.
Examples include meditation, deep muscle relaxation, yoga
and physical activity.
Control your environment. You can control cues in
your environment that contribute to poor exercise and
unhealthy eating habits. For example, replacing candy dishes
with fruit bowls can help you cut down on the amount of
candy you may eat. Staying away from buffet- or
cafeteria-style restaurants can reduce the temptation to
overeat. Putting your exercise shoes by the front door can
remind you to take your daily walks.
Recognize success. You can motivate yourself to
continue on the road to weight loss by rewarding yourself
for making good changes, and by obtaining the support of
family and friends. For example, you can reward yourself
with tickets to a concert, the theater, a movie, or a
weekend golf, resort, or spa trip that includes physical
activities like hiking.
Change how you think. Negative thoughts can defeat
even your best weight-loss intentions. You can, however,
become aware of your negative thoughts, stop them in their
tracks, and replace them with supportive ideas that will
help you succeed. For example, "Its no use! Ill never
be able to do this!" can be replaced with "Hey,
wait a minute. This may be difficult, but I am a capable
person who has done hard things before! I can do this,
too!"
It is just as important to identify and change
unrealistic weight-loss goals you may have set for yourself,
because unrealistic goals set you up for failure. Replace
these goals with more realistic ones. For example, replace
"I have to lose 30 pounds in the next month" with
"I will do everything I can this month to make healthy
food choices, control my portions, and be physically active.
The resulting rate of weight loss will be safe and healthy
for my body this month."
Change your view of yourself. It is also very
important to create a realistic view of your body. Some
people feel very bad about their bodies, and this can happen
when you have a picture in your mind of "the perfect
body" and you try to achieve it at all costs. Or, some
people can only see themselves as fat even after they have
lost a lot of weight.
There are techniques you can use to develop a more
realistic view of yourself. For example, while losing
weight, regularly stand unclothed in front of a full-length
mirror. Start to notice any changes in your body that have
resulted from your weight loss. Or, have someone take a
full-length photograph of you (clothed) when you begin your
weight-loss program and each month thereafter. Be sure to
wear the same clothes each time. Compare the photographs,
take note of changes in how you look, and think about how
these clothes now feel on you.
Get help. Join a group or see a professional
counselor. A group can
provide support for your weight-loss efforts. Fellow members
can
provide comfort and share ideas that can help you
succeed.
