Lifestyle Choices

Step Four: Take a Look at How Fast You Eat

Overweight people tend to eat much faster than their slimmer friends. When you eat too fast you bring about two negative effects, both of which should be eliminated from any weight-loss diet. First, eating fast makes you unaware of both the taste of what you are eating and also how much of it is going down. You eat a lot simply because you have no real idea of how much you are taking in. This, and the fact that you will not be able to digest fully the starches you eat unless you chew them thoroughly, make it important that you slow down.

So: Decide to put your fork down after each bite.

Decide to chew each bite twenty times.

Decide to take no more food into your mouth until what you have in it has been swallowed.

Step Five: investigate Ways of Keeping Up Your Spirits

Overweight women who lean on food to boost them up emotionally and physically, for example by turning to food when they are tired or a bit blue, often get into the habit of skipping meals. It is not always a good habit to get into. When you skip a meal you feel deprived. This lends itself to a familiar rationalization like, “Well, I skipped breakfast, I’ve been very good, so I can have just a bit more now.” Don’t let yourself fall prey to this. Plan a regular timetable for your meals and then stick to it. A second danger to guard against is letting yourself slip into a state of depression, for it is then that any reducing program seems meaningless and you are apt to slip back into your old careless habits of eating that got you fat and kept you that way in the first place. Feelings of deprivation also come with exhaustion. One of your prime objectives when slenderizing should be to see that you don’t get overtired. Fatigue can easily and quickly lead to depression and to rationalization. Get enough sleep, regardless of what you have to forego in your social life to make this possible. Also, set aside fifteen minutes every morning and evening to practice a relaxation or meditation technique, which will not only refresh and renew you, but also will help work against any addictive patterns in your life such as smoking or overeating. This kind of practice brings with it a sense of physical and psychological well-being and an awareness of personal autonomy so that you know you can rely on yourself to do what is best for you. It will greatly enhance your self-esteem. Then you won’t have to turn to food so often as a crutch.

The third danger to dieters is boredom—this is an all-too-familiar cue to head for the cupboard or refrigerator. So make plans for work and plans for your social life that keep you busy and make sure they have nothing to do with food. Change the lunch dates for a trip to a gallery, sewing, browsing through shops (not the delicatessens), theater-going, or whatever. When you plan to see friends, let them know in advance that you do not want a meal. If you are firm and serious, they will soon get the idea without being offended. The more interest and satisfaction you get from activities that are not connected with food, the more you will be able to develop the new habits that will keep you slim once the weight is lost.

So: Decide to eat regular meals on a timetable.

Decide to get enough sleep and regular deep relaxation.

Decide to increase your participation in activities not connected with food.

Step Six: Keep a Record for Improved Awareness

The behaviorist method of weight control demands awareness and participation from you. The more you give it the more successful it will be. Get yourself a notebook and make a chart on each right-hand page that includes such things as what you ate, when, how you felt before and after, what else you were doing at the time, and so forth. Before beginning your weight loss program, just eat as you have been, eating whatever you normally eat and whenever you do it, but this time write down the information. On the left-hand page write down anything else that seems important, including your weight, your ambitions about being thinner, any feelings of worry or anxiety about it all, and anything else that seems relevant. After a. week of this, you will be able to look back and see the different things that have triggered your eating (perhaps a telephone call that upset you, or perhaps you tend to eat mostly in the evening when you are bored, or during the day when you become fatigued and need a break). Then you can take action to provide the things you need, such as a rest or amusement, instead of taking out everything on your stomach. Record as well your exercise program: when you exercise, how you find it, and how you feel about it. The more aware you become the easier it is to use food for what it is intended, namely to nourish your body, instead of for other reasons. After you have begun your weight-loss regimen, continue to write in the journal—each time you eat and also to record your feelings about weight loss, your foods, and yourself. It will lend a great support to the whole program and be an important key to your coming to know and understand yourself better.

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