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6 Thoughts That Will Keep You From Getting Thin

(BlackDoctor.org) — Do you hear those voices in your head talking to you? I do, all of the time. I always here that little voice that tells me, “One candy bar won’t hurt” or “It’s okay if I don’t go to the gym today because the next time I go, I’m gonna work twice as hard to make up for it.”You know those suggestive little voices that whisper in your ear… and suddenly you’re knee-deep in ice cream? Change the sabotaging, discipline-destroying thoughts, and you can change your life, or at least your weight.

I ordered the grilled cheese, so why not get the fries, too?

One treat at a time. I’m indulging in grilled cheese, so I’ll trade the fries for a salad.

Here’s How: “The thought pattern is, I’ve already blown it for today, so I might as well keep going,” says Janet Polivy, PhD, a psychology professor at the University of Toronto. She calls it the “what the hell” effect and says it causes people to devour so much food that they feel they’ll never get back on track. To prevent this scenario from playing over and over, Polivy says, you have to redefine your idea of healthy eating. Allow yourself the occasional treat, as long as it’s accompanied by smarter food choices like fresh fruit and vegetables. At roughly 500 calories, one melted cheddar on rye a week should hardly make you fat. Habitually tackling on a large order of fries, however, might.

I’ll just have this one cookie.

If I can’t stop at one or two cookies, I shouldn’t have any at all.

Here’s How: We stand by the above tip that it’s okay to eat your favorite foods, provided you’re the type who can stop after a small amount. “One cookie could turn into 1,000 calories or more if you proceed to eat the whole bag,” warns Stephen Gullo, PhD, president of the Institute for Health and Weight Sciences. He suggests that you take a step back and honestly assess how you’ve reacted to your favorite foods in the past. You may discover that chocolate chip cookies trigger uncontrollable cravings but one square of dark chocolate appeases your sweet tooth quite nicely.

My husband says I look fat, so I guess I should start exercising.

I want to get in shape for myself, not for him.

Here’s How: Whether or not you need to shed a few pounds, acting in response to someone else’s hurtful remarks will breed self-doubt and lower your self-esteem, says Marlene Schwartz, PhD, co-director of the Yale Center for Eating and Weight Disorders in New Haven, Connecticut. To reset your weight loss goals so they revolve solely around you, sit down and figure out how you could benefit from changing your lifestyle. (Writing your thoughts out on paper might help.) If you identify areas that need improvement, talk to your spouse about how he can play a part: Plan low-fat weekly menus together in lieu of eating out, or take walks after dinner instead of watching TV. Alternatively, if you’re exercising, eating right, and feeling pretty healthy the way you are, Schwartz says, “tell him that this is his problem, not yours.”

What’s the point of losing weight during the winter? I’ll get in shape for summer.

By eating more now, I’m creating a lot of extra work for myself when spring rolls around.

Here’s How: A study by scientists at the National Institutes of Health tracked 195 people through the holidays and found an average weight gain of about a pound.

By the following year, most had gained another half pound, and the researchers predicted that the trend would only continue. To prevent this outward creep, Gullo says, keep thoughts of summer in your house all year long by hanging a bikini or skimpy sundress on the back of the bathroom door, and visualize yourself wearing it every time you head for the leftovers. He also proposes committing to a regular exercise program in the fall, “before the winter blahs set in,” because lugging last night’s comfort food through an hour-long spinning class isn’t so comfortable.

Fat runs in my family, so why bother exercising?

I can’t change my DNA, but I can change my fate.

Here’s How: “Genetics helps determine your natural weight range, but you have some control over where you fall within that range,” says Edward Abramson, PhD, an expert on obesity, dieting, and weight disorders and the author of Body Intelligence. Rather than aiming for a size 2, aim for health: If being overweight is a family trait, diabetes, heart disease, and other obesity-related illnesses could be, too, Schwartz says. Walk to the grocery store, choose the stairs over the escalator, and take good care of the body you were born with. “It’s important to distinguish between body size and body health,” she says. “Research shows that people who are overweight and physically fit can live longer than people who are ideal weight and not physically fit.”

After that grueling workout, I deserve a bacon double cheeseburger.

After busting my butt at the gym, my body deserves the VIP treatment.

Here’s How: “Most people overestimate the number of calories they’ve burned,” says Brian Wansink, PhD, a professor of marketing, applied economics, and nutritional science at Cornell University and author of Marketing Nutrition. To burn off a bacon double cheeseburger, the average 140-pound woman has to jog at a rate of five miles per hour for more than 60 minutes. Recast your concept of reward: Instead of seeking food, take a luxurious bubble bath, rent a guilty-pleasure movie, buy a new pair of shoes, or lose yourself in a good novel.

I’ll grab a candy bar to get me through my mid afternoon slump.

When my energy flags, I need food that will help me go the distance.

Here’s How: Candy and other sweets have little nutritional value, and they destabilize blood sugar, causing you to have more cravings later on, Gullo says. To head off a snack attack, he suggests, “reprogram yourself to seek out a mini-meal 30 minutes before you usually hit a slump.” By eating before you’re famished, you should be able to resist the sweet stuff and choose foods with enough protein, fat, and complex carbs to keep you sated and energized until dinner. Some of Gullo’s top picks: bran crackers with low-fat cheese, a hard-boiled egg, or a cup of low-fat yogurt.

By De’Laney Rowland, BDO Staff Writer

Why do you workout? Need Inspiration?

Today at work someone asked me ” Why do you eat that?…it looks nasty!” It was protein powder,yogurt and some homemade granola, I smiled and responded, “My Choice.” I read an article from one of my favorite sites ZenHabits and Bodybuilding.com about the choices we make.

I have learned through a lot of personal experiences that I am responsible for my choices. There have been a few choices made that I wished I could change, but I no longer focus on those negatives. In all due honesty there is nothing I can do about them. I try to take those failures as a jumping off point, and through these events, have discovered “my choice” of eating better and changing my body. Going to the gym when everyone else is sleeping has built a strong, confident and focused me. I was once told that “Commitment to consistency creates emotional stability” Waking up and pounding cold steel is a positive choice for me and no one else. I love seeing myself in the mirror lifting those weights and feeling the sweat dripping down my face. Nothing is more empowering that seeing defined curves, lean muscle and once “fat” replaced with firm, tight skin. All of these changes are the results of my choice.

I think it would be a good choice for you…but I might never say so, but I know for sure it’s a good choice for me.

So, the next time I am posed with the question, “Why do you lift weights?” or “Why are you eating that?, I can show off a little bicep, go to my cubicle and think about that next time I’ll be in the gym.

LOVE U, LOVE YOURSELF!

The most important relationship you will ever have is the one you have with yourself!. After running around during the holidays and eating like a pig, I am in major damage control right now. When you love yourself you want to be happy, feel good, succeed, and put thoughts into action. And yes, I haven’t gain weight but the goal of being the best me was derailed.

Thick thighs. Narrow hips. Thick lips. Thin ones. Big nose, small boobs. Flat butt, fat butt. Dark skin, light skin. You got what ya got. Can you find the courage to love it all…right now?

                                                                                                      www.loveyourbody.org

Awesome quote, isn’t it? But I do feel, loving it all means making the necessary changes when needed. There are a lot of ways of loving ourselves and we can talk about this all day. I did a few things this weekend for numero uno…myself.

1. I brought a juicer. Now, this is some no name brand called “the Mustang” but it get the job done. I did the apple and carrot juice thing and loved it. The pulp was a mess but I experimented and made some carrot muffins.



2. We moved into a new house, and have hard water and my skin is getting a little rough shall we say. So I purchased a water filter. Besides getting rid of chlorine and other harmful chemicals there are dozens of reasons why this is good. I’m not going to get technical on y’all, but go out & get one, period! allaboutwater.org
3. Finally, I brought the G5 Grilleration and since I’m king of the grill, this works great during the winter months. “Knock out the fat” a la George Foreman need I say more?

You may want to “treat” yourself to things like a massage, a facial, a pedicure, or a gym membership.

So, go ahead. Love yourself. Be good to yourself. Treat yourself well. Replenish yourself. I use to get brownie points with the ladies with these comments. In the end it’s true you’ll discover that, the more you love yourself, the more you will be able to give love to others. Loving yourself will ultimately benefit yourself and the lives of others you love.

DO IT NOW! You don’t need a New Year’s Resolution, a tramatic situation or a life changing moment you can start NOW! Love U, Love yourself.