Many people wanting to enjoy the benefits of successful, long term weight loss find that eating food as a way of rewarding themselves is a real and present stumbling block. Their dilemma is that many of our social interactions including celebrations are associated in some way or other with eating and drinking. The food we eat in social settings is often rich in fat, sugar or carbohydrates and not the kind of food we would find on a healthy, calories loss eating plan.
You can probably think of a number of times when you took part in or even arranged some kind of celebration over recent months. In a world where so many of us work so hard, just surviving another week is cause for celebration but where does that leave those people who are overweight and genuinely want to shed unwanted fat? The secret to successfully losing weight without having to become a hermit and missing out on life's fun is important to discover fast.
Maybe you reward yourself for working out every day with a milkshake or a beer at the end of the week or you think that since you have been really good about watching what you eat all week you can have cake on Saturday. The trouble is, all these extra calories and small treats add up fast, and you can sabotage your calories loss diet by using food as a reward. If you really want to change these associations and behaviors, you need to acknowledge your natural disposition to reward your self with food and re-program yourself to celebrate in other ways.
Decide why you use food as a reward, whether it is a habit you have developed or if it comes from one of your family traditions. As soon as you understand why you reward yourself with food, you can take steps to modify your behavior, either alone or with the assistance of a therapist. Many of the attitudes we have towards food come from childhood when parents offered candy to kids to stop crying or to eat their vegetables.
Consciously decide NOT to reward yourself with food as part of your next celebration and replace the food and champagne at a dinner evening with rewards of a different non-calorie kind. There are plenty to choose from so go to a museum or a gallery, take an afternoon nap, take an art class or even take an extra long, hot bubble bath. Choices like these provide a reward especially tailored for you and allow you to continue with your calories loss diet and successfully lose weight.
Take some time to select rewards that are long lasting because when food is your reward, the good feelings associated with this generally cease at the conclusion of your meal. Instead, of short term food rewards that will sabotage your efforts to lose weight through your calories loss eating, buy yourself something nice that you can use for a long time and that will remind you of your success every time you see it. Clothes are a great long term reward or you can get a manicure or pedicure, a facial, buy yourself a new book or a new CD or buy all the magazines you want and curl up in bed for a whole morning reading them.
Find locations for celebrations where food is not a temptation and potentially a way to sabotage your healthy eating and weight loss progress. There are many places where families and friends can celebrate without eating; beach volleyball on the beach, touch football in the park or surfing, body boarding, or even an afternoon at the ice skating rink are fun alternatives to a day of eating. If you set the trend of fun without food, you will probably be amazed at how your friends will be attracted to this idea.
Avoid situations in which food is made the center of the celebration as much as you can and remember that your long term goal is long term weight loss. If you have no choice, on occasions like office parties or weddings, join in the celebrations by interacting with the people around you or enjoying the music, rather than concentrating on the meal itself. Look for food items that can be part of your calories loss diet and enjoy the 'win win' outcome of being part of the celebration without compromising your journey to a healthier body and life.
You can probably think of a number of times when you took part in or even arranged some kind of celebration over recent months. In a world where so many of us work so hard, just surviving another week is cause for celebration but where does that leave those people who are overweight and genuinely want to shed unwanted fat? The secret to successfully losing weight without having to become a hermit and missing out on life's fun is important to discover fast.
Maybe you reward yourself for working out every day with a milkshake or a beer at the end of the week or you think that since you have been really good about watching what you eat all week you can have cake on Saturday. The trouble is, all these extra calories and small treats add up fast, and you can sabotage your calories loss diet by using food as a reward. If you really want to change these associations and behaviors, you need to acknowledge your natural disposition to reward your self with food and re-program yourself to celebrate in other ways.
Decide why you use food as a reward, whether it is a habit you have developed or if it comes from one of your family traditions. As soon as you understand why you reward yourself with food, you can take steps to modify your behavior, either alone or with the assistance of a therapist. Many of the attitudes we have towards food come from childhood when parents offered candy to kids to stop crying or to eat their vegetables.
Consciously decide NOT to reward yourself with food as part of your next celebration and replace the food and champagne at a dinner evening with rewards of a different non-calorie kind. There are plenty to choose from so go to a museum or a gallery, take an afternoon nap, take an art class or even take an extra long, hot bubble bath. Choices like these provide a reward especially tailored for you and allow you to continue with your calories loss diet and successfully lose weight.
Take some time to select rewards that are long lasting because when food is your reward, the good feelings associated with this generally cease at the conclusion of your meal. Instead, of short term food rewards that will sabotage your efforts to lose weight through your calories loss eating, buy yourself something nice that you can use for a long time and that will remind you of your success every time you see it. Clothes are a great long term reward or you can get a manicure or pedicure, a facial, buy yourself a new book or a new CD or buy all the magazines you want and curl up in bed for a whole morning reading them.
Find locations for celebrations where food is not a temptation and potentially a way to sabotage your healthy eating and weight loss progress. There are many places where families and friends can celebrate without eating; beach volleyball on the beach, touch football in the park or surfing, body boarding, or even an afternoon at the ice skating rink are fun alternatives to a day of eating. If you set the trend of fun without food, you will probably be amazed at how your friends will be attracted to this idea.
Avoid situations in which food is made the center of the celebration as much as you can and remember that your long term goal is long term weight loss. If you have no choice, on occasions like office parties or weddings, join in the celebrations by interacting with the people around you or enjoying the music, rather than concentrating on the meal itself. Look for food items that can be part of your calories loss diet and enjoy the 'win win' outcome of being part of the celebration without compromising your journey to a healthier body and life.
About the Author:
Rowena French avoids food rewards in her weight loss and exercise programs. Tired of dieting without results? Need to reach your weight loss goals? My free tips show you how calories loss is the simple answer. Read my guide, listen to my audio book! Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service
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