Gained some weight over the weekend? Need help re-starting the diet?

by | May 23, 2016 | Healthy Living | 0 comments

Gained some weight over the weekend?

Was getting on the scale Monday morning a surprise? And not the good kind?

Did you know you had over eaten, over indulged, but not that much!

Sound familiar?

Thankfully  creating a healthy lifestyle is not just a goal or destination, more importantly it’s about the journey.

How to regroup so the scale starts going down again?

Here are 6 tips to get you back on track!

  1. Acknowledge what happened. You know your Achilles heel at a B-B-Q is usually the chips, cakes, cookies and beer/wine/alcohol. Pretend that you are a third party observer. Happy-chocolate-chip-cookies-1Just state what the actions were that you are watching yourself do. This is not about blame/shame. This is about clearly identifying what the challenge is. Really. Say it out loud, write in your journal.
  2. Look for the opportunity to learn. Now you have identified the behavior, let’s
    go another step backwards. Let’s look at the feelings for just a minute. In that moment, when your eyes spotted the ________________ (potatoes chips/cookies/wine cooler) what thought popped up first? Write it down. Makes no difference how silly, weird, etc. the feeling was. It’s your feeling, and it is telling you some amazing information, that is important for you to hear! So, take a minute, and listen.
  3. Awareness! Now you know what the behavior was, and now you have coupled the feelings to the behavior. Great work! Pat yourself on the back! Now, the fun part.reward-clipart-gold-red-star-clip-art-thumb3312717
  4. Design your new behavior. Feeling yucky is not fun. Feeling yucky because of something that you did to yourself, even feels grosser! Now, you get to totally bi-pass the whole yucky, beat yourself up, ___________________ (insert your own negative self-talk here) scenario! Sound great?

Example Scenario:  Let’s say that it’s the cookies and wine coolers that totally un-do you at the B-B-Q.  Let’s say, for this example that the feeling that you identified in #2 are feelings and memories of the cookies fresh baked, right out of the oven… that special time when you were a kid. And the wine coolers? Those feelings were about being social; being accepted, having fun and cutting loose.

 Example Scenario Replacement Behaviors:  We know that you have some childhood memories and some adult memories to re-frame (change how you view them).  When you acknowledge that the cookies look good BECAUSE of the childhood memory, you can then savor the memory, not the cookies! You can take a minute, close your eyes, and enjoy the memory.  Be thankful for the memory. Appreciate the memory, and then let it go. It’s in the past. Thank the cookies for helping to recall that awesome memory.  To look at it another way, you don’t eat every flower that is a feast for your eyes and nose right? So, there is no need to eat every cookie that helps to bring back that memory.

The wine cooler – that memory, in this example, is about being social, and becomingklean_kanteen more comfortable in a social situation. One piece of this puzzle could be the need to hold something in your hand. Do you have a favorite water bottle? If not, this would be a good time to reward yourself and buy one. If you are drinking healthy, body cleansing, no calorie water , and your hand is busy, your mouth is busy (drinking the water) it is much easier for you to not  pick up a wine cooler.  

Part of this example is also about social anxiety. One trick is to think of a topic before you arrive and frame 3 to 5 questions around that topic to ask people. Perhaps, what was their funniest memory from High School, or Vacation or ?

How does this help your anxiety? You have something to ask people. People love to talk about themselves! You are asking them fun questions, and others can be part of the conversation, and you have enough (3-5) questions in your “que” so when that answer winds down, you have another question to keep the conversation moving.  

5. Enlist a buddy. An accountability partner can be very helpful! Find a friend and share your challenge, and how you have designed your replacement behavior. Tel l your buddy how they can support you with changing out this challenge.

6. Habits: The truth about creating new habits.  It can take anywhere from 21 days to 265 days to change or create a new habit!   So, be kind to yourself, when you don’t change your habits in 20 minutes are less! Want to read the full article? Click on the following link: (Science of habits: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-clear/forming-new-habits_b_5104807.html)

 

What is one of your challenges?

What are the replacement behaviors you are using?

Are they working?  What adjustments are you making, if any?

 

 

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