~  Italian Proverb

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Thank you all for blogging with me! So many times I wanted to just quit like my “diet” attempts. I have only lost 5 pounds and it was probably only in my fingers from keyboarding. But I am determined to see what the statistics are at the end of my next 100 posts.

One of the hardest aspects of getting yourself into shape, is maintaining the motivation you need to achieve your weight loss goals. Just about anyone will lose some of their enthusiasm, a month or so into a weight loss program. I have learned a few things that keep me motivated and dedicated to achieving my goals. They have helped me tremendously and I think they will help you as well.

Here a just a few of the many things I do to motivate myself.

Weigh yourself once a week: I weigh myself at least a few times a week. In the beginning of your program once is plenty because you don’t want to discourage yourself.
The reason I weigh myself once a week is because it can be easy to look in the mirror and justify, in your head, that you aren’t gaining
any weight. If you look at a scale every week, you know for sure whether you need to make changes or not.

Keep a picture of the heavier version of yourself in plain sight: I have a picture of me at my son’s baptism next to my bed. I was 20-25
pounds heavier in that picture than I currently am. This gives me a chance everyday to see what I don’t want to slip back into. It reminds
me why I lost weight and keeps me from sliding back into old habits. Also, it will just remind you of how far you have come and how much
better you look now.

Visualize everyday: You should visualize everyday, how you want yourself to look. If you
have achieved your goals then just imagine yourself doing some new things, in your new body. This really does help. I try to visualize
myself everyday doing something that I plan on doing in the future. This can help with goals in any aspect of your life. I used to do this
while running, when I first started my program. I would picture myself mentally, running and looking the way I wanted to look.

Set your sights farther and higher: If you have already reached your ideal weight, then you should set some new goals or standards. If you don’t, you will probably fall back into old habits. It is harder to maintain something, then to achieve something new. So if you have reached your ideal weight, then why not set a goal to add some muscle. Or maybe, set a goal to get absolutely ripped. In perfect shape, like you never imagined you could. Look high and far, set your goal and then reach it. Nothing will keep you more motivated then setting and achieving new goals.

Those are just a few of the ways that I use to keep myself motivated. There are thousands more. To find other motivating ideas just do some searching on the internet. You can find thousands of articles and websites dedicated to weight loss and health.

Being healthy and losing weight can change every area of your life. It is amazing, the possibilities we begin to see, after reaching an
achievement such as weight loss. Don’t lose the momentum. Keep it turned up and start using it to help you with other areas of your life. But most of all, never give up. There will always be obstacles in any thing you do in life. Just don’t use them as excuses to hold you back from achieving the ultimate freedom you deserve.

About The Author:

This article was written by Jason Barger. Jason has been helping people lose weight with his breakthrough book, Primal Weight Loss. To
learn more about his philosophy and programs you can visit:http://www.primalhealth.com.

Eat when you’re hungry, stop when you’re satisfied. Simple advice? Yes. A simple philosophy to practice? Not so much. But becoming better in tune with your body’s satiety signals is the first step in mastering your food Comfort Zone. Here are some basic guidelines that can help you better understand when to say when:
Stop. “At the first thought of being hungry, individuals have trained themselves to eat,” says Noralyn Wilson, RD, spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association (ADA). Wilson warns that by doing this “we have developed a false sense of what it feels like to be truly hungry.” So, if you struggle with wanting to eat even when you’re not hungry, how do you know if you actually do require food? When you do begin to feel hungry, drink water or go for a short walk, and wait for the feeling to come around again. Eventually you’ll learn to discern when you’re actually hungry, and when your emotions are trying to get the best of you. On the other hand, it is important not to let yourself get so hungry that when you do eat, you go overboard. So be mindful of keeping a balance.

Look. When you’re eating, eat, says Wilson. Don’t try to multitask! Working on a document at your desk or watching TV will distract you from the project at hand – which in this case should be supplying your body with nutrients. So slow down and think about what you’re eating. “The stretching of the stomach takes a while to register,” says Wilson, “and if you’re eating quickly, you can surpass fullness without even realizing it.”

Listen. If you are eating a balanced meal – that is, a 7-9-inch plate filled half with veggies and the rest with a lean protein and a starch – you should be satisfied at one serving, says Wilson. But if seconds are calling your name, take a 20-minute breather and listen to your body to see if you really are still hungry. “Go outside, engage the family in a game, play trivia, go for a walk or do the dishes to take your mind off of eating for a moment,” suggests Wilson. “The food will still be there,” reminds Wilson. “You can always go back for more.”

Feel. “It’s really easy to confuse physical hunger and fullness with emotional hunger and fullness,” says Cynthia Sass, RD, spokesperson for the ADA and author of Your Diet is Driving Me Crazy (Marlowe & Company, 2004). So if it’s emotions that are causing you to overeat, Sass suggests keeping a food journal to help better understand your emotional overeating triggers. To do so, ask and answer some of these “Why” questions when you realize you have overeaten:

• “Why did I eat that particular food?” Did you really want it, or did you eat out of boredom, obligation or because you were upset/angry/anxious?
• “Why did I decide to stop eating?” Were you full or did you finish what was on your plate or what the bag said was a serving size?
• “Why did I eat?” Were you honestly hungry, or were you trying to ward off boredom or some other emotional cue?

Only once you begin to understand your emotional overeating triggers, says Sass, can you take steps to change your behaviors. “Food tastes good, eating feels good, and most people will need to try several things before they find what will make them feel good as an alternative to eating,” says Sass.

It won’t happen overnight, but with a little effort, the signals your body is sending you can be heard clear as a bell. So get reacquainted with your body’s signals – it might just make all the difference in your weight-loss success.

http://editor.mydietblogger.com/files/backlogo.jpg How many of you are trying to eat only when hungry and stop when full? I have been trying this approach for at least 5 years. The problem I have is stopping when full. If you have tried this style, let us know if it works–weight wise–in the long run for you. Or does it breed overeating and bingeing?

1. Take it slow. Crash dieting is more likely to end in losing control than a slow, steady loss of a pound or two each week.
2. Don’t cheat yourself! Eat a sensible amount of food each day.
3. Allow occasional treats. If you don’t totally cut out “forbidden” foods (such as those donuts that you love), you’re more likely to stay on track, because deprivation often leads to overeating. Opt for low-fat versions of favorite foods.
4. Reward yourself for every win — how about a bath or a walk just to enjoy a sunset rather than a reward consisting of junk food.
5. Plan ahead to stay in control. Facing a big test or other ordeal that you fear will send you straight to the cookie jar? Try to keep healthy snacks around to nibble on instead, and exercise to offset your munching — and calm you down, too!
6. Share your feelings — sad, bad or otherwise — with family or friends.
7. Seek support from others trying to lose weight — family, friends or online buddies. They’re there to help, and want to see you succeed.
8. Look to calming alternatives if stress is your trigger. Anything from deep breathing to yoga to arts and crafts could help. And don’t forget: Exercise is a great tranquilizer. (It also reduces your appetite!)
9. Count to ten. Is overeating your way of coping with anger? Consider other ways of dealing with negative emotions, such as learning assertiveness techniques.
10. Find other ways to fill the void. If you typically overeat when you’re looking for emotional nourishment; stop. Feed your spirit by caring for yourself as well as you can during times when you feel unloved, under-appreciated or unworthy. Be your own biggest fan and try to focus on your successes, not to the occasional lapse.
11. Be patient and forgiving of yourself. Long-established complex habits won’t change overnight.
12. Avoid all-or-nothing thinking, such as “I’ve already blown my weight loss plan, I might as well finish off the box.” Accept that you may go off the rails from time to time. So you’ve lost six pounds and regained three? It’s important to congratulate yourself for the pounds that you lost. You’re doing a great job!

I have been doing a great deal of emotional eating the past few weeks. I have gained back 5 of the 10 I lost. Back to square one as I recall Jesus quoted, “Physician, heal thyself.”

 Salvation is so simple that many overlook it. So is this advice. When I do as told above, I lose weight. When I become careless and trust my head to keep score, I gain weight. It is worth the effort to track your meals and calories. Can’t get any more plainer than that.