Weight Loss Tips (Part 3)

Continuing with our guest blogger series from Carrie Covington, here is Part 3 of "Weight Loss Tips".  If you missed the previous entries, check out Part 1 and Part 2 before continuing to read this blog.

There is no wagon to fall off or track to get on… 

We have to change our relationship with food to have permanent weight loss.  I am sure there are some foods you feel like you can’t ever have if you want to lose weight and keep it off.  You may even label every food as “good” or “bad”.  I can relate…I was once there.  It was torture to always wish I could eat anything I wanted.  In reality, I can and you can.

Tip#3:  Get rid of the guilt and get rid of labels.  There is no wagon to fall off of or a track to get back on…be where you are!  We are completely in control of what we put in our mouth and, in moderation, everything is OK.  Learning a proper portion can help you feel that you can eat foods you may label as “bad”.   It is more about being in a place that you want the healthier choices because you know it is better for you.  Hear this. You are in control of your choices, they are not in control of you...although sometimes the vicious cycle makes you feel that way. 

Tip #4:  Learn to have emotion.  A poor relationship with food will often result in emotional eating.  When you are motivated, you will replace the bag of chips or gallon of ice cream at bedtime with carrots and fat free dip but what is more important is finding what void your eating is filling and fill the void.  Emotional eating is a hard habit to break and an easy one to fall back into.  From birth we are comforted with food from the bottle to the suckers at the doctor’s office.  So give yourself slack if you struggle in this area, it is how we are programmed.  However, if you want to have permanent weight loss you need to fill the emotional void without feeding the emotion.  If you are tired, sleep don’t eat.  If you are sad, what can you do to cheer up?  If you are stressed, learn stress management tools.  If you are bored, then finish one of the hundreds of projects that you have started.  Emotional eating will sabotage your weight loss.  Again remember Tip #1:  weight loss is NOT mindless.  Learning to have emotion is healthy...stop trying to numb it!