Wellness Positive

• 1) Recognize and deal with 'Emotional eating':

  Sometimes our reasons for over-eating are not physical but psychological. For example, a person might binge on chocolate to deal with emotional stress or trauma.
  If you have emotional issues that lead to overeating, you MUST recognize and deal with them before you even BEGIN to deal with the physical aspects of the problem..

  Ways to deal with emotional problems can range from community support groups, to talking things out with your friends, to meditating and calmly and logically finding a logical solution to your emotional problem - or you could even visit a good psychologist. If you visit a psychologist though, make sure he or she is good - someone who will do you the most good in a reasonable amount of time, not someone who will diagnose you with multiple mental illnesses and try to make you dependent on him or her indefinitely. Make sure your psychologist has genuinely got your well being at heart.

  However you deal with your emotional issues, I must stress that you HAVE to deal with them. You cannot easily succeed in your efforts to develop a healthier and more physically fit body unless you win your battles on EVERY front - physical, mental, and yes, emotional as well.

• 2) Keep a 'Food Diary':

  You cannot cut down on unnecessary eating, over-eating or bingeing on junk food unless you first KNOW exactly where and how you are over-eating in the first place. One of the simplest and easiest methods of finding out where and how you are overeating is keeping a 'food diary'.

  To keep a food diary, simply note down exactly what you eat and when you eat it, for a period of ten days. Please be honest with yourself when you make these notes - if you can't be honest with yourself, then who can you be honest with, right? It is essential that you do not omit any item of food, even a snack, because this diary will form the basis of the calorie reduction program of your diet.

  Now, after ten days take a look at your diary, go through what you eat day by day and see exactly where and how you are taking in junk foods or foods that are too rich and high in calories, or items that are high in calories and low in nourishment, like chocolate and alcohol. Study your food diary and then, just using your common sense, chalk down a list of items you have to avoid, and a list of healthy nourishing foods that you can include in your intake, or maybe even an eating plan for your day.

• 3) Breakfast well:

  Breakfast is the most important meal of the day if you are trying to lose weight - make sure your breakfast is healthful and nourishing; and you will feel less hungry and less tempted to over-eat through the rest of the day. A good, nutritious breakfast also jump starts your metabolism, makes you feel more alert and capable and generally provides a good start to your day.

• 4) Set realistic goals for yourself:

  Be moderate, not fanatical in your weight-loss efforts. Don't push too hard or set unrealistic goals for yourself, whether it be for your diet or exercise program. For example, if you are exercising you will find it is far more beneficial to slowly increase the amount you exercise over time - this way you avoid 'burning yourself out' and then giving up on your exercise program altogether. It's the same with your diet. Start reducing on heavy or rich foods slowly but STEADILY. Be gradual, STEADY and dedicated in your diet and exercise efforts and you will find that your weight loss increases just as steadily over time until you're very fit and perfectly 'in shape'.

  It may help to exercise or diet with a partner or with a group of equally dedicated people. Note that I emphasize that whoever you exercise or diet with should be as steady and dedicated as you, or more so, if possible. Join a group of people who are truly dedicated to a healthier lifestyle and the benefits to you will be enormous. Human beings weren't made to stand alone, so standing alone can be difficult - so join a group of like-minded people who will work WITH you towards common goals.. and you'll greatly increase the chances of success for all of you.

• 5) Don't weigh yourself everyday:

  I've reserved this tip for last, because while it is not crucial or all-important, it is essential that you follow it if you are not to feel discouraged. If you are going to use the weighing scale to measure your weight loss efforts, then weigh yourself on a weekly basis - DON'T weigh yourself every day because your weight can fluctuate from day to day due to various factors that have little or nothing to do with your weight-loss efforts; so you might find weighing yourself everyday quite discouraging.. which is why you would be wise to avoid it.

  There is another point that I would like to make with regard to measuring your weight loss efforts. As the best way to burn off excess fat is to exercise AND diet at the same time, you may find in the first few weeks - as you put on muscle and lose fat simultaneously - that your weight doesn't seem to go down much on your weighing scale. The best advice I can give anyone taking on an exercise-and-diet program is - don't look at your weighing scale for the first two-three weeks or so. After the first two or three weeks, your weighing scale should show a steady decline until you reach your optimal level of weight and fitness.