Watching television exercises our eyes but nothing else. Unfortunately, it doesn't require us to do anything with our hands which leaves them free to grab something to eat. Then there are the food and restaurant commercials where everything is colorful and perfectly cooked. Don't even think about watching a cooking show: the temptation to snack or get up and cook is totally irresistible.
How can we break this self-destructive cycle? Any diversion may work for a while but loses its strength with too many repetitions. The secret is to have multiple alternatives available. If one doesn't work at any given time, try another. Mix and match as your likes, preferences, and moods dictate.
KEEP YOUR HANDS BUSY
When your hands are involved in a task, it is difficult to eat. Finger foods and dull television are inextricably bound together like flies in a spider web. Some activities to tie up those hands include: sewing, knitting, giving yourself a leisurely manicure (wet nail polish is a sure fire defense against eating), water the plants.
Turn the television off and try such pursuits as model making, card playing, videogames (that require both hands on the controls), sending e-mails, embroidery, and all kinds of crafts.
PREOCCUPY YOUR MIND
To bar thoughts of food from entering our heads and whetting our tastebuds, we have to keep our minds engaged, and our attention focused, in other directions. Clear away snack foods and dig into a riveting novel -- you won't want to leave the story for anything as mundane as fixing a snack. Start a daily journal and write about your thoughts and feelings and aspirations. Tackle one of those time-consuming chores you skip in your weekly clean-up: clean out drawers, work on the car, clean the BBQ, set aside stuff to go to Goodwill or storage, restring broken necklaces or re-organize your closets. All will help to keep your mind off food and no mental image of food means no consumption of food.
PRIORITIZE THOSE AROUND YOU
Play with your kids or help them with their homework. Go for a walk with your significant other and really talk about what is going on in your separate lives. At a long, safe distance from anything edible, call your parents or an old friend.
Do these techniques work? Sometimes. With regular effort and multiple task changes to maintain interest, they can be effective. For those days when nothing seems to work and the food cravings are overwhelming, we need to bring in the "big guns" which we will discuss another time.
Virginia Bola is a licensed psychologist and an admitted diet fanatic. She specializes in therapeutic reframing and the effects of attitudes and motivation on individual goals. The author of The Wolf at the Door: An Unemployment Survival Manual, and a free ezine, The Worker's Edge, she recently completed a psychologically-based weight control book: Diet with an Attitude: A Weight Loss Workbook. She can be reached at http://www.dietwithanattitude.com
executive chauffeured services Bradford .. Madison to Airport carWhich diet pill are you currently taking for your weight... Read More
There's nothing more fun then being creative with food and... Read More
Weighing more than is normal, necessary, or allowed, especially having... Read More
CancerCoronary heart diseaseStrokeOsteoporosisMajor Depression from Brain StarvationHeadlines.WASHINGTON, Jun 22, 2004... Read More
One of the greatest tricks that I use to stick... Read More
As a weight loss coach I speak will people regularly... Read More
Obesity is a disease that is not caused by a... Read More
A new survey has found that heel pain caused by... Read More
In the old West tricksters sold a snake oil to... Read More
Food cravings are crafty -- they appear from nowhere and... Read More
As much as many of us who are over-weight do... Read More
If you have ever been snow skiing you know that... Read More
There are a few different ways to determine if you... Read More
Low carb diets can be classified as food plans that... Read More
New gastric bypass patients say they miss food, they grieve... Read More
In a global television commercial just launched (10 June 2005),... Read More
For the person who wants to shed a few pounds... Read More
Oh, no . . . You suddenly realize that you... Read More
Whole grains and weight loss have a definite, scientific, and... Read More
Visualizing and Declarations are today's topics.Visualize what you want as... Read More
WHAT DOES BEING FIT REALLY MEAN?The "INSIDE-OUT" approach to fitness... Read More
You've done everything right this time. You're eating lots of... Read More
With the number of people suffering from obesity rising so... Read More
You've heard them before and may even have believed some... Read More
At its most basic, dieting is about burning more calories... Read More
O'Hare Chicago prom limo ..Many patients of gastric bypass report feeling fearful of succeeding... Read More
Obesity in America is at an epidemic level. It is... Read More
Have you ever wondered how actors stay in such great... Read More
How to burn fat fast is a question that burns... Read More
Ephedra has been used in Chinese medicine for thousands of... Read More
IntroductionThe history of The Atkins Diet goes back to the... Read More
People always ask me " how it is that your... Read More
Are you concerned about the lack of exercise your child... Read More
There is no doubt about it; Americans are eating in... Read More
The Sour Truth -------------------------- Question: I had a baby 6... Read More
Are you weighted down with delusion, depression and on the... Read More
When I decided to lose weight I of course decided... Read More
Looking to avoid the dieting mistakes many of our weight... Read More
Many people limit themselves to one soda a day especially... Read More
That's a pretty "in your face" statement, but really it's... Read More
Taming the See Food Eat Food ResponseWhat happens when you're... Read More
Making the Decision:Whether you are interested losing ten pounds that... Read More
Lose Weight - Grab A GlassIn childhood, we heard it:... Read More
When we hear all the success stories of the gastric... Read More
As an employee of famous fitness star Kathy Smith, personal... Read More
Stomach-Stapling Surgery ------------ There's no doubt that stomach-stapling surgery leads... Read More
According to a new study appearing in the American Journal... Read More
In order to lose weight, your body must burn more... Read More
Diet Pills are the fastest growing segment of the dietary... Read More
Offer a woman the choice between a dress she likes... Read More
Weight Loss |