Lose Weight Without Dieting Unfortunately,
Many people try using one or more fed diets when attempting to lose weight.
Even if one of the diets is successful,
There is a small chance that weight maintenance will be achieved.
This is because there is usually a missing link,
And this missing aspect is almost always behavioral control.
In addition to lowering caloric intake,
What is needed is control of the hows,
Whys,
And whens of eating.
Research has found that the overweight are very susceptible to external food cues,
And that a decrease in weight doesn't lead to a decrease in susceptibility.
And these cues are everywhere.
Behavioral control teaches you how to spot these cues,
Eliminate those that can be eliminated,
And effectively deal with the others in order to make them less tempting.
But behavioral control is successful only if you are willing to work at it.
In other words,
It's a lifelong program.
What follows is the core of a behavioral program distilled into 10 easy-to-understand steps.
Each step is designed to help you solve your weight problem.
But each will be only as effective as you allow it to be.
Step 1.
Keep a food intake sheet.
It is important to maintain a record of what you ate,
When you ate it,
How long it took,
Where you ate,
With whom you ate,
Your mood when you ate it,
And how you felt after you ate it.
Do this for at least two weeks in order to determine your eating patterns.
I do a variation of this with my clients in private practice so that I can begin to understand what is happening.
Step 2.
Try to pinpoint your inappropriate eating.
Pay attention to your eating speed.
Where and when do you engage in majority of your overeating and snacking?
How do you feel just before you overeat?
Step 3.
Make eating a pure experience.
Research has found that when you try eating while doing something else,
Like watching television or reading,
You eat more and enjoy it less.
So when you do eat,
Do nothing but eat.
It will help you focus.
Step 4.
Start working on changing old habits.
Slow down your eating by putting down your fork or food between bites.
Pause occasionally.
Cut your food into bite-size pieces and eat only one at a time.
Substitute other activities for eating.
Be sure that you give yourself enough time to make the required changes.
Allow at least one month for each habit or attitude change.
Work on one change at a time and remember to be patient.
Step 5.
Reduce your temptations.
Put food where you can't see it.
Write and use a shopping list.
Eat foods that require manipulation just before they are eaten.
Step 6.
Enlist your family support.
Let family members know what they can do to help you with your weight loss process.
Remind them that you are the only expert and that food decisions must be yours.
Step 7.
Cope with emotions instead of eating.
Work on finding other ways of dealing with life's ups and downs.
Step 8.
Take it slowly.
Aim for losing one to two pounds per week.
Weight lost slowly tends to remain off much better than weight lost rapidly.
Step 9.
Exercise.
Find an activity you enjoy.
Make exercise a priority by incorporating it into your daily routine.
Be sure to seek the advice of your physician before starting any exercise program.
Step 10.
Beware of special situations and plan for them.
When dining out,
Don't look at the menu.
Order what you decided on at home.
Eat before attending a party or wedding and eat only the special foods.
And most importantly,
Keep busy.
