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Sitting down
Sitting down to eat isn't always convenient, but it does prevent me from the "grazing" behavior I have developed. It makes me STOP and THINK before I eat. Because I STOP and THINK, and I often find that I don't really want or need that food after all.
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What is the reason I don't lose weight?
The reason I don't lose weight is because I don't follow my diet and exercise plan. There is no other reason.
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Sitting down to eat
It is important to sit down while eating every time, to avoid mindless snacking and nibbling, which adds too many unnecessary calories.
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Acknowledging my own success
It seems awkward to "praise" myself. Keeping track of the times when I do things correctly reinforces the new behaviors I want to adopt and loosens the grip of old behaviors I want to get rid of.
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No choice.
I've been giving myself choices about what, when and how much to eat for a long time, so it feels natural and right to do so. On the other hand, I must face the fact that spontaneous eating doesn't work for me. The more often I say NO CHOICE to myself, the less I'll struggle.
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Planning is important
If I want all the benefits of being thinner I just can't eat whatever I want without planning. I have to make being thinner and feeling good about myself a much higher priority than making spontaneous choices about what I eat.
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Trapped or not?
Sometimes I'm in a situation where I'm confronted with food not on my plan. My "escape hatches" are to:
- 1. Say, "No, thanks."
- 2. Leave
- 3. Have a calorie-free drink
I don't have to explain or justify my decision to others.
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Dining out
If I am dining out and there is nothing on the menu that I can eat, my emergency options are a salad with lemon and salad veggies (no cheese, olives, etc.) and/or a calorie-free drink. I don't have to justify or explain myself. My friends and family are supportive of my decision to be healthier.
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Controlling my eating
I don't like controlling my eating and going without when others around me are eating what they like, BUT . . . a lot of them are struggling with their weight and doing nothing about it, so emulating them will not help me reach my goal. I can instead emulate people who leave food on their plates when they get full.
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Oh, well
When I feel discouraged, cheated or angry about diet and exercise, I can say, "Oh, well," and do what I need to do.
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Fairness
Yes, it isn't "fair" that I can't eat whatever I want, how much of it I want, whenever I want it and still be thin. But I can't have it both ways. Which would I prefer? I would prefer to be thin and healthy. I need to say "Oh, well," and then get on with my diet and exercising.
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STOP!
It's NOT OKAY to eat unplanned food at any time, of any kind. I'm just trying to fool myself. Everytime I eat something I'm not supposed to eat, I strengthen my giving-in muscle and weaken my resistance muscle. I might feel good for a few seconds while eating, but I'll feel bad afterwards. If I want to lose weight and keep it off, I MUST stop fooling myself.
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Get back on track!
If I've eaten something I shouldn't, I haven't blown it. It's not the end of the world. I can start following my plan again right this minute. Just because I made a mistake doesn't mean I should keep on eating. That makes no sense. It's a million times better to stop now than to allow myself to eat more.
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Bad Idea
- Frosted cake = 500 calories
- donut = 300 calories
- ice cream = 400 calories
- candy bar = 250 calories
- bag of potato chips = 500 calories
- Cheese = 300 calories
- 2 cookies, muffin, peanut butter, pretzel = 1,200
This is 3,450 calories. This could easily happen if I fool myself and stray just a little from my plan!
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Have a Plan!
- I need to have a plan for today and write it down!
- I need to stick to my plan and note down when I've followed it.
- If I stray from my plan, I especially need to WRITE IT DOWN!
Making a written plan helps me feel in control. Writing down a change in plans helps me stay realistic about what I'm eating.
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Self-defeating thoughts
I struggle with self-defeating beliefs that I am not able to lose weight. The fact is that I have lost weight in the past. It is not my diet that fails--rather, I fail to stick to my diet. If I stick to my diet and exercise plan, I will have success!
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Difficulty with acceptance
- It is hard to accept that I need to diet and exercise. It's hard to accept that I need to let go of food as a comfort and escape from unpleasantness. However, when I need to accept something, I can do it, like accepting that I need to take thyroid medication every day.
- I can struggle with what I have to do and feel bad, or accept that this is the way it has to be. I don't have to like it. I must sometimes accept other things I don't like, such as paying bills, but once I accept the fact that I must, it doesn't cause too much discomfort.
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Eating normally
It feels unfair that I can't eat "normally," but actually, I wasn't eating "normally" in order to become overweight in the first place. I am NOW eating normally for a person who has the goal of losing weight. The greatest unfairness would be if I let this excuse that "it's not fair" prevent me from reaching I goal I want to achieve.
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Feeling on edge
Sometimes I feel on edge, cranky or even bored at work, and then I want to eat something. If I remind myself that eating doesn't solve any of these problems, but does create new ones, I can tell myself "NO CHOICE" ad stick to my diet.
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Overwhelmed
It might seem overwhelming to keep dieting, or seem as if my goal is too far away, or that I'll never make it. I need to remember that I can diet for just one day, and that's all I have to do today. If I keep following my plan, all those days will add up, bringing me ever closer to my goal.
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Insomnia
Just because I wake up in the night it doesn't mean I need a snack. I don't normally need a snack to "make it" through the night. By no stretch of the imagination is 3:00 or 4:00 am. anybody's idea of breakfast time. I can wait until 6:00, 7:00 or even longer. I can listen to my iPod until I fall back to sleep.
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Done for the Day
I don't really need to eat after 8:00 p.m. I can be done for the day after supper with a snack by 8:00 p.m. or just nothing at all.
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ARC reading
It's important to read my ARC often because it helps reinforce my resolve to stick with my diet, even when it's inconvenient or uncomfortable to do so.
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Eating while distracted
I can still eat, still read, and still watch movies, but I can do those things separately. I consume too many calories and don't enjoy them as much if I do something else while eating.
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Eating slowly
Eating slowly doesn't always feel right at first. I realize that eating too fast probably helped me become overweight. I need to slow down and just enjoy what I'm eating.
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