Plan to go back for seconds!

Here's a Holiday tip that may save you some Fat Bucket calories. When at a Holiday table or buffet, take extremely small portions of  food with the intention of going back for seconds! Wait for 15 minutes and drink a nice glass of chilled water with some lemon before going back for more.  Chances are you will not feel the need to re-visit the food, you won't feel stuffed and miserable and your jeans will fit you better the next day. 

Tricky Holiday Hint:  Carry a little zip lock baggie of lemon wedges in your purse....use them in water, Club Soda or diet drinks to give it some punch and give the alcohol a pass!  Less calories, better for your body and this solves the problem of saying things that you probably should have kept to yourself!

Eat to Live....

Think more in terms of "Eating to Live", rather than "Living to Eat"....so many times I hear people talking about how wonderful the pastrami is at such and such place, or how great the ribs are at another place, and on and on.  Thinking about, dreaming about and anticipating food of any variety is a bad habit and one that needs to be broken.  Coveting food is a pathway to obesity and lack of control.  Food should be tasty - yes- however, it needs be nutritious and provide the right amount of proteins, carbs, fats, vitamins, fiber and calories to meet your energy output and satisfy your hunger WITHOUT putting excess calories into your FAT BUCKET.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

"X" Your SUCCESS!!

Research shows that people are more successful in sticking to any task if they have a means of measuring their accomplishment...

Here's a simple tool to help you measure your accomplishment that will appeal to "Type A"  and "Type B" personalities alike....X YOUR SUCCESS!!!  Find a nice big calendar that you can keep in a special place and X out each day that you have been successful at utilizing your inner strength and power by saying "NO" to foods and choices that will add calories to your Fat Bucket.  Type "Aers" will appreciate the monitoring and tracking of this exercise, while Type "Bers" can rejoice in the simplicity of it all. 

Power through challenging moments

Get a head start on staying fit and healthy during the Holidays....  Visualize yourself enjoying festive moments while staying true to a healthy meal plan with no over-indulgence!  Kill two birds with one stone by being the role model that your friends and family need - show them the way as you control your behavior and power through those challenging moments successfully. 

Just Dance

If you don't have an iPOD you must buy one.  Just get the cheapest one because they hold hundreds of songs.  They come with earphones, or you can buy a little speaker that you plug the iPOD into.  Download all of your VERY FAVORITE MUSIC from iTunes and start DANCING!!  Research shows that when people exercise to their favorite music, the tolerance level is very high compared to exercising without music.  Once you invest in your iPOD, you will never have to spend another dime on exercise....JUST DANCE!!  Get creative - do the twist, the frug, the bump, the Charleston, JUST DANCE!!  Don't ask your partner to dance with you - if they want to participate let them.  If they complain, tell them to go lock themselves in the bathroom until you're done.  Don't let them give you "permission" to stop.  JUST DANCE as many days of the week as you can for at least 30 minutes.  Your heart and your entire body will love you.  The benefits of exercise are tremendous.

GET OVER IT.....

Get over the idea that the answers to weight loss and weight management are still waiting for you out there - somewhere!!  Get over the idea that there is a "plan" that is going to make it happen for you.  When you read articles about "if you do this or that you will lose weight and keep it off"......well, YOU NEED TO DO IT - not just read about it.  DO IT at least 80% of the time.  Really....come on now.

If it's Tuesday..it must be another day again!

If you look at the lower right hand side of my blog, I have posted a picture (that my husband took in Laguna) of a beautiful sunset over the ocean.  I posted a message with that picture that says "Each day brings a new sunset"...I had a reason for posting that picture and message.  One of the reasons losing weight and keeping it off results in failure for most people is that they make the mistake of considering it an "event" that begins and ends.  Weight management is not an "event", rather it is a never ending "process" that takes place each and every day, much like nature's sunset....Never a day shall pass without the setting of the sun.  Think of your weight management process as a "natural" part of your day, and with each rise and set of the sun, you may be thankful that you have done everything in your power to be healthy, happy, fit and strong.

Suck It Up - It's Tough Love Day

Research states that more than 50% of US adults have abdominal obesity (fat around the middle).  The cause - lack of physical activity and poor dietary quality.  Scientists hypothesize that psychological distress may alter eating behaviors resulting in the intake of high energy-dense diets.  There are some links between psychological distress, depression and a higher BMI (body mass index), however, many studies have concluded that further research is needed to determine if improvements in psychological distress alters dietary intake.  Bottom line, LIFE IS STRESSFUL PEOPLE - DEAL WITH IT - DON'T BLAME IT!  If you do not experience some degree of stress on a daily basis, you may be here on Earth in a form other than Human. Learn to understand what it is in your environment that you are perceiving as stressful, do some reading (or follow my blog) on healthy ways to change your perception, because you cannot change the environment as hard as you try! Let me help you alter your Thought Behavior Patterns, and take responsibility for losing weight and keeping it off forever.  Remember, it costs American businesses an excess of $17 billion per year in lost productivity attributed to obesity and related cardiometabolic risk factors (diabetes, etc.).  Be a part of the solution - if you are overweight or obese, YOU are a part of the problem.

There's Strength...and then there's a time to retreat

Much of my mantra is utilizing your own power and strength that belongs to you and resides deep within.  I stand by this notion 100%.  However, occasionally you may feel slightly overwhelmed with high risk situations and you may feel your strength needs to take a rest to re-generate.  In these cases, it is OK to be very selective about choosing your social occasions carefully - just to give yourself a break from the temptations and fighting the urge....particularly during the Holidays.  Plan carefully PRIOR to entering each engagement and be sure to weigh the benefits vs risks of actually even attending the celebration.  Additionally, never show up to a party hungry !  Always eat a healthy, satisfying meal at least one hour before getting in front of tables of treats and goodies.  Inner strength is always your "go to" tool......but pacing yourself and being smart about your choices will help you stay on track.

"Empty" Feelings

Those nagging feelings that you feel in the back of your throat and on your tongue that tell you to eat something when you know it is not time to eat are a result of your brain putting forth to your conscious thoughts a Negative Thought Behavior Pattern.  Negative Thought Behavior Patterns can be changed - you can actually train your brain to translate visuals (such as donuts and other bad foods that may be in front of you), as well as translate sensations (such as the back of the throat or empty visceral feelings) into POSITIVE Thoughts.  When you are plagued with these negative Thought Behavior Patterns, turn those sensations and visual cues into sensations of strength and power.  Allow feelings of emptiness to be feelings of joy that your body is utilizing stored body fat for energy, therefore allowing your weight to go down and your good health to remain stable.  See those bad foods that your co-workers bestow upon you as stale, moldy and spat upon.  Disgusting, yet a profoundly efficient tool to change your negative Thought Behavior Patterns.

Even with the PERFECT diet..

Losing weight and keeping it off is a multi-faceted challenge with many unsolved mysteries.  Having a basic understanding of food groups, calories, fats, proteins, carbs, etc... is easy, but only 1/3rd of the battle.  Even with the PERFECT meal plan, with all the right food groups and recipes, falling off the wagon is all too easy, all too common.  Our brain gives us the message that we are hungry, we crave certain things at certain times, and somehow we reach that moment in time when we give in....and there in lies the biggest challenge of all.  How do we get to the point of not giving in - ESPECIALLY when we have been following a meal plan that is designed to keep us satisfied???  We give in because we get caught off guard and we are not in control of our Thought Behavior Pattern.....our brain becomes our enemy!!!!!

Try this:  Be smarter than your brain. Take charge of your own Thought Behavior by being acutely aware of your surroundings and the surroundings that are headed your way the minute you get up until you put your head on that pillow at night.  YOU are in charge of your thoughts - don't let your brain plan your day.  Think of your Thought Behavior Pattern as a 1st grade classroom with 40 students - YOU make the decisions, YOU are in control and YOU are thinking ahead so the little buggers don't do something unsafe or stupid.  Don't get caught "not thinking"....be prepared, make the rules, implement the rules, and follow the rules. You can't do it alone.....Dig deep inside early in the day to find your weapons of mass control - your own personal strength and power!

Keep it subtle, keep it close

Remember......

• Keep your power close to your heart
• You're not on a diet, you are on a Lifestyle
• Immerse yourself in knowledge - scientific knowledge
• Check out your resources, verify validity
• There is nothing easy about a healthy Lifestyle - it takes work, patience and drive
• There is nothing good about an unhealthy Lifestyle, it hurts, it ruins, it kills
• Think Forever, Think Protection, Think Life
• Go deep inside and tap into your own Strength and Power - it's there - find it, Use it!

Protect, Pro-act, Produce

Protect your health both physically and psychologically by standing firmly by your plan without fail....

Be Pro-Active against well meaning (or not) friends, family or special occasions that are high risk situations for derailment. 

Produce results (keep weight off) by remembering that you may still enjoy yummy foods and beverages when they "fit" into your plan - think quantity.  Many "party" foods are not worth the calories - be selective!

VISUALIZE YOURSELF ATTENDING ALL SOCIAL FUNCTIONS WITH A DROP DEAD, GORGEOUS FIGURE THAT YOU MAINTAIN 24/7/365 BY PROTECTING, PRO-ACTING AND PRODUCING.  YOU ARE IN CHARGE!!!

Everyday is a Holiday

Often times I hear people planning to "lose weight for the Holidays"....then when the Holidays are over, they plan to "lose their Holiday weight"!  Maintaining a healthy body weight should not be thought of in "chuncks" for this occasion or that occasion.  Be ready for everyday by viewing everyday as a Holiday...go deep inside to tap into your inner strength and allow yourself the pleasure of being "body ready" for every occasion.  Today is the best day to begin your 24/7/365 "body ready" plan.

Think Lifestyle

Yesterday I heard an ad on the radio for lap band surgery with their premise being:  "There is no diet that works long term - lose weight with lap band surgery".  I do agree that diets must be followed everyday for the rest of one's life or one will gain weight back.  I also agree that lap band surgery (or any gastric bypass surgery) does promote weight loss.  However, once one loses the weight with lap band surgery, they are faced with the same challenges they had prior to the surgery.  Just as when we "go on a diet" and lose weight, we are faced with the same challenges once the novelty of the diet wears off.  Think Lifestyle, think success, think healthy eating at all times.  Many people feel that it is OK to cheat "once in a while"..... My advice is to not think of enjoying your favorite foods as "cheating" and don't tell yourself you are "cheating" when you enjoy something yummy. Think of it as planned - just as you plan any other aspect of your diet. The rest of your life is a nice long time, and your healthy eating plan that is designed to keep the pounds off and keep you healthy, is a Lifestyle - a Lifestyle that your friends and family will more readily accept for themselves when they see your success, your health and your happiness.

A spoonful of vinegar......helps the pounds stay off !!

I'm always talking about "visualizing" yourself as being slender, fit, healthy and exactly where you want to be.  Our minds are very powerful tools that we often just let sit there doing only the very basic functions.  Try this little "mind game" on yourself.  Take a teaspoon full of vinegar each day and imagine that the vinegar has super powers to help you stay on your meal plan and get plenty of exercise.  The taste, smell and texture of the vinegar kicks the brain into thinking that it is acutally a medicine.  Make it work for you.  Believe in it and you will be very surprised and pleased at the results.  Remember, you can Become the person that you have pictured in your mind......GET CREATIVE!!!  The only thing you have to lose is weight :)  

"Picture" Yourself.....

Carry a picture of yourself in your mind...........slender, healthy, fit and content.  Carry that picture with you at all times and refer to it often.  Visualize yourself Becoming that slender, healthy, fit and content person as you go through each day successfully meeting challenges.  Studies show that the more you "imagine" personal success, the more likely you are to reach that personal success. 

Don't advertise to your friends and family that you are moving forward with your healthy eating and exercise plan, let them see for themselves through your accomplishments.  Becoming slender, healthy, fit and content is not a diet, it is a Lifestyle... today, and forever.

Have questions for me?  Simply click on the comments button after each posting and ask away!  I will respond within 24 hours!  Thank you for following "Managing Your Weight with Dr. Stacey Hilton-Davis.

Apples, Pears and YOU!

Remember that your body "shape" (God given - can't change it) puts you in a specific "risk category" for heart disease, diabetes and other diseases.  Those of you who carry your weight from the waist down are considered "pears", and fall into the lower risk category. Those of you who have the slender legs and carry your weight around the middle and up are considered "apples".  The good news for "apples" is that you have been blessed with great legs and you get to wear all the cool boots and short skirts - but the bad news is that being an "apple" puts you in the high risk category for heart disease and diabetes....all the more reason to be diligent about your daily, healthy meal plan.  The sun is out and it is a beautiful day, take a nice walk with a friend and share ideas about healthy eating and how to eliminate junk food from your diet. Life is short and fleeting....don't let a few extra pounds ruin your healthy tomorrow.....actually, isn't today tomorrow??