Written and Read by Dr. Russ
L’HommeDieu
After more than a decade as a weight loss coach, my experience
and research has taught me some habits that keep people from reaching their
weight loss goals. Do you think it would be helpful to see if you have any of
these behaviors?
Below is a list of 20 such habits. Put a check mark next to each
statement that describes you. When you are done, add up the check marks. The
lower your score the fewer dangerous weight gaining habits you have. No matter
what your score, focus on just one habit at a time and think of ways you can
change it.
1.
I sneak food when no one is looking / I eat
things I would prefer no one knew about.
2.
I frequently skip breakfast.
3.
I consume almost all of my calories for the day
after lunch.
4.
I go to bed late and I wake up late.
5.
When I am hungry, I need to deal with it right
away as if hunger were a disease that I need to cure.
6.
I avoid stairs.
7.
I eat when I drive.
8.
I eat fast.
9.
I eat even after I feel full
10. I
eat in front of the TV
11. I
watch more than an hour of TV a day
12. I
like big bowls, cups and plates
13. I
don't like vegetables
14. I
eat a lot of packaged and convenience foods
15. I
eat out _____ meals a week (each meal is a check mark)
16. I
eat _____ take-out meals a week (each meal is a check mark)
17. I
snack a lot
18. I
tend not to think about what I'm eating
19. I
never read food labels
20. I
drink drinks that have calories and I rarely drink water.
Now, there are THREE habits that do seem to make a big difference
for weight loss.
What I have observed is that when people are organized, aware and
curious they do better with weight loss.
Organized: More organized people are more successful in
general. People that plan their meals have a greater likelihood of eating
healthier. They don’t tend to default to high calorie convenience
foods because they already planned out their menu for the week. This makes it
easier to shop and cook because they have already thought it through. Organized
people also tend to exercise more because they schedule it. They plan their
week around the things that are important. If exercise is one of those things,
it becomes almost automatic. While you don’t need to be an organizational freak
to lose weight, a little organization does go a long way.
Aware: All change starts with awareness. Would you
agree that you can’t possibly change what you don’t
know about? Clearly, to change anything,
the very first step is to recognize the problem. This is why all change begins
with AWARENESS!
Awareness is a three-step process. The first step is the asking
yourself questions. However, it doesn’t do any good to only ask the
convenient or easy questions. Quality questions make you squirm. What good is
it to question your healthy choices when you happen to be eating a healthy
salad?
To truly practice awareness, you need to ask uncomfortable
questions at a point in time when the answer may be difficult to hear. You want
the ice cream and your impulse is to ask how many calories are in the large
but, you really, really want the large. As a result, you don’t
ask. Can you relate? Step two is to ask these questions often.
Of course, any question is useless if the answer is a lie. The
next most important step in building awareness is telling yourself the truth.
If you are like me, this is easier said than done.
So, how about if I were to give you a really cool formula to help
you remember the three parts of awareness? Awareness is determined by quality
of the questions you ask yourself multiplied by the frequency you ask raised by
the power of the integrity of your answers.
Curiosity: According
to psychologist Todd Kashdan, Author
of Curious? The greatest
opportunities for joy, purpose, and personal growth happen when we are mindful,
when we explore what's novel, and when we live in the moment and embrace
uncertainty. Curious people do better with major changes in life because they approach
the experience with a sense of wonder and excitement. Their curiosity not only
increases their capacity to learn more, it allows them extract more pleasure
and meaning from their experience. Imagine if you were to approach weight loss
with an attitude that makes you open to new experiences and relish the unknown.
