This is a true story:

Two old friends are getting together. Denise has invited Mary for supper on a Friday night.

Denise: Come in Mary, I’m so happy to see you.

Mary: It’s been months.

Denise: Let me get a good look at you. You look terrific!

Mary: I’ve lost 38lbs since I last saw you.

Denise: So I was told, but I couldn’t imagine it. You look wonderful.

Mary: (she blushes) Thanks, thanks a lot. But you know, you could be down to your ideal weight too, we began the program together…

Denise: Yes, well… I couldn’t believe it when Pauline told me you’d lost all that weight. How many diets did we start together and then give up on?

Mary: At least five, I’m sure.

Denise: Right. Well, I just gave up again. I’m hopeless. You’re lucky, your problems are over.

Mary: You think that it’s luck?

Denise: I thought for sure […]

Personal Journal

to

Help You Control Your Emotions

“It’s Terrible”

When you realize that you’ve eaten more than usual and that your overeating was the result of a disappointment or some other emotional trauma, examine your behaviour as follows:

Sequence: a) an external cause

b) triggered a thought process

c) which resulted in an emotional response and overeating

Example: a) I suggested something to my child and he did the opposite

b) I find it terrible and unbearable when my children ignore my advice, as I was right!

c) I felt frustrated and ate too much

YOUR NEW PROGRAMMING:

(to replace your old B sequence)

It would be better if my children listened to me all the time, but they have the right to make some of their own decisions, even if they end up in trouble. It’s not terrible and shouldn’t seem unbearable; it […]

Trips to restaurants can be a mine field of temptation. The best intentions can crumble when you are enjoying yourself with people who are feasting on delicious foods. Two aspects of this concern us. The first is how much we eat, but there are methods for keeping eating under control. The second is to control our response to the event.

One trip to a restaurant never torpedoed any diet with its calories alone. An extraordinary meal of 5000 calories could only bring a pound and a half of weight. The response to those calories, however, could lead to trouble, your attitudes during and after these events are as important as what you eat.

Eating at Restaurants

It is hard to be virtuous at restaurants. This is a real problem for people in business or those whose lifestyle includes eating away from home. What should we do when dessert comes with the meal? What about a […]

Fill in this diary questionnaire as soon as possible after a slip:

Time: ________________

Were you physically hungry?    Yes ___                        No___

If you were, what did you crave specifically? _______________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

Did this food remind you of certain people or places that you like? (vacation, summer, childhood, etc)?

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

How did you feel just before you slipped? ______________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

Were you “emotionally” hungry?          Yes___             No___

If so, what would it have taken to satisfy you? _____________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

Food eaten: Quality: __________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

Quantity: ___________________________________________________________________________

How did you eat the food:         fast___             hiding from others___               slowly___

with gusto___                without thinking___

Did the food satisfy you?          Yes___             No___

If not, why not? _______________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

How did you feel after your slip? _________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Did you have any other reason to feel this way at the time? ____________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,

When the road you’re trudging seems all up hill,

When the funds are low and debts are high

And you want to smile and you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit,

Rest, if you must, but just don’t quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,

As every one of us sometimes learns.

And many a failure turns about,

When you might have won, had you stuck it out.

Don’t give up though the pace seems slow,

You may succeed with another blow.

Success is failure turned inside out,

The silver tint of the cloud of doubt,

And you never know how close you are,

It may be near when it seems so far,

So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit,

It’s when things seem worst, that you must not quit!

If after you continue to struggle with your motivation to lose more weight and you’ve tried the previous motivational exercise as outlined in  my Benefits of Your Weight Loss to Date article, try one more step:

Fill in the sheet as shown below and write down all the benefits that you hope to achieve and then on the right side ,write down all the things that are, or could prevent you from reaching your goal.

If you’re not aware of what might be preventing you, try reading once again

Dr. Larocque’s Book, Be Thin Through Motivation.

When the day comes (and it usually does), when you reach a plateau and are unable to lose any more weight, try performing  this very effective motivational exercise.

Take out a sheet a of paper as shown below and write down all the benefits that you have achieved to date.Take into account all the benefits that you’ve achieved in all of the five dimensions of your health( as also shown in the diagram below).Write down major benefits, as well as all the little ones too.Allow yourself to pat yourself on the back and to be proud of what you have accomplished.

Next, refer back to my article , 12 Reasons to Lose Weight and try visualizing what it would be like to wake up in the morning and discover that  you had magically “won your goal weight”. After doing that, you should now be able to write down all the new positive things that you would […]

A major challenge for dieters is to cope with pressure to eat. Friends, relatives and strangers, some well meaning and some not, can make it difficult to diet by encouraging you to eat. There are a number of reasons for this.

They May Be Uncomfortable Eating In Front Of You

People agonize about eating when another person is not. They offer food to be polite, even though they know the offer won’t be accepted. You can tell them that you don’t feel uncomfortable and that they should eat if they wish.

They May Be Jealous Of Your Success

Others with weight problems may be jealous of your success. Thin people may also be jealous that you are accomplishing something and are proud of your achievement. This is their problem, so don’t let it become yours by agreeing to eat.

They May Not Want You to Succeed

This is rare, but it spells trouble for the […]

Obesity is a serious illness that threatens the physical and psychological health of the sufferer. You are probably aware of how difficult it is to lose weight and particularly, to maintain the desired weight. Any serious program should include not only a diet, but a component aimed at modifying habits and attitudes.  Studies show a much greater success rate for programs that solicit the support of everyone concerned in this undertaking.

In light of  the foregoing statements, I promise:

1.     To avoid pointing out my partner’s dietary wrongs.

2.     To offer my cooperation whenever it is requested

3.     To be attentive and to praise and reward all positive achievements.

4.     To listen without judgment, to my partner’s feelings after incidents of cheating.

5.     To encourage my partner to persevere and for a period of up to two years.

IN WITNESS OF WHICH I SIGN:

____________________________

Date:  _______________________