Weight Loss: One Day At A Time

Most of us are aware of the AA axiom of “One day at a time.” It
speaks to the secret of any long term goal – concentrate on
taking the right step and the journey will take care of itself.
Like the alcoholic who faces the urge to drink at every turn,
the overweight fataholic must also steer a narrow passageway
through the shoals of temptation and the deadly barrage of food
advertisements, ubiquitous drive-throughs, social occasions, and
office treats.

While no one would suggest that a recovering alcoholic has it
easy, the plain fact is that controlled eating is more difficult
because we can’t stop cold turkey, at least not on a permanent
basis. We must eat to live (but how many of us live to eat?)
else die of starvation.

Sometimes, cold turkey seems the easiest way to go. Talk to
anyone who has been on a fast and they will enthusiastically
describe how after about three days, they no longer even wanted
to eat, felt no hunger, and blissfully enjoyed their new sense
of freedom and independence from food.

But even a fasting proponent will admit that, at some time,
eating must be restored, preferably in a measured, controlled
sequence. Returning to real life can be a jolt! This real world
living of ours demands that we make it through each day with as
few lapses as possible, demanding an arsenal of weapons to help
us fight the good fight against our powerful and omnipresent
enemy: fat.

Here are some tools to help you get through each day. Mix,
match, add others you find, as needed.

1. Consistent Awareness.

Never, ever, (is that strong enough for you?) allow even a seed
to pass your lips without being consciously aware of it. You may
choose to eat something or you may elect to skip it. The
important concept is that you are making a choice and that you
control that choice. How many of us pop something into our mouth
absentmindedly, almost unaware of what we are doing? How often
have you set a second cookie aside and when you reach for it
it” gone? We don” even remember eating it so we can” say we
enjoyed it. What a waste –of both an innocent cookie and the
pleasurable taste it provided.

2. Substitute delay for denial.

It is sometimes just too hard to say no. If that’s the mood
you’re in, tell yourself you’ll wait a little bit and have it
later. Chances are that your mood will change, your better self
will regain the upper hand, and you’ll elect not to have it at
all. (And if you do eat it, do it with full awareness and
identify your emotional state for recording in your journal).

3. Avoid hot button situations.

If your coworkers pork out on mid-afternoon treats, schedule
your beak for that time and go for a walk. You’ll feel so
virtuous and re-energized by the fresh air that when you return
to your desk, even the remaining scraps will not merit a second
glance.

4. Avoid public discussions.

Don’t fall into the habit of discussing your diet with
coworkers. Everyone is on a diet, it seems, and everyone is
trying something different. Before you know it, the pros and
cons are being earnestly discussed, the forbidden and allowed
foods debated, and the whole crew is totally focused on food – a
sure recipe (forgive the pun) for disaster! We want you to
concentrate on that significant portion of the world that has
absolutely nothing to do with eating. Don’t think food, don’t
talk food, don’t visualize food, and the likelihood of avoiding
eating increases dramatically.

5. Drive past the drive-throughs.

No matter their marketing claims, fast food doesn’t belong on
your diet, any diet. Even the salads are drenched with fatty
dressings and perked up with extras. Everything else is fried -
food cooked in animal fat that barely has to change its chemical
composition to turn into human fat. If you’re stranded on the
road, find a good deli.

6. Stay away from fat people.

In some offices, there are whole departments where the staff are
uniformly overweight. Being around fatties is guaranteed to turn
up the pressure to eat, to give in, to abandon your goals and
dreams. Seek out the skinnies – you may feel frustrated when you
see them eat carelessly without the dire consequences you
suffer, but it will stiffen your resolve to gain their
appearance to lessen your self-consciousness about the cut of
your own bloated jib.

7. Vary your routines.

We are all creatures of habit. If we didn’t possess habits that
allow us to accomplish the basics without thinking about it,
we’d be worn out by over stimulation, having too, too much to
think about to get anything done. Eating, though, is an area
where we want to steer clear of habits (because, if you
remember, we want to be aware and in control). Without thinking,
we slip into the habit of an egg mcmuffin on the way to work, or
a bagel with cream cheese at our desk, or a drink when we get
home, exhausted by an over demanding day. If possible, try
changing your work hours, meal times, getting up and going to
bed routines, and regular meetings with friends. The change will
increase your recognition of the comfortable habits you
unwittingly developed in your old schedule.

8. Find a second job.

Some of you, no doubt, are shaking your heads thinking that the
current demands on your time are already overwhelming. If your
days are already crowded with your job, your kids, school,
chores – you don’t have a problem with boredom and the basis of
your overeating must be sought elsewhere. Many of you others, be
honest, have long evenings stretching out before you, filled
only with television (and eating), socializing (and eating),
shopping (and eating), or pastimes – crafts, computers, music
reading (and eating). If you fill that spare time, in which the
lure of nibbling looms boldly, with a part-time job (paid or
volunteer), you can significantly lower your daily intake while
simultaneously bringing in a little money or gaining a sense of
pride in helping others. You can always quit and take it easy
later but the change may help you make a diet breakthrough that
will reward you handsomely.

9. Don’t eat in bed.

The common expert advice is to only eat in the dining room and
make each meal an event. Sometimes that is effective but in our
rushed lives often unworkable. But draw the line somewhere: bed
is for sleeping and making love, much better alternatives for
your weight loss goals than midnight refrigerator raids.

10. Learn to live with leftovers.

Many of us hate to see anything go to waste. Remnants of
childhood want or simply years of motherly training lead us to
cringe at the thought of throwing perfectly good food away. Kids
are so smart – they eat only what they want and just leave the
rest. We can’t bear that so we clean up their plates, make sure
we send none of that expensive restaurant meal back to the
kitchen, or nosh absentmindedly on the remnants of food we
tucked carefully into the refrigerator. Ask yourself: when was
the last time you threw away a half full bag of chips? A piece
of chocolate? The final piece of cake? No, we tidy up to avoid
the emotional pain of waste, and increase our girth in the
process. Once you or the kids are done, try to get in the habit
of immediately throwing the remainder out – into a messy garbage
pail which will avoid the temptation to retrieve scraps later.
The longer food stays in sight, the more likely you are to scarf
it down. If waste is so painful to you, go save the environment,
not the leftovers on your table that have never yet made it to a
starving child in China.

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