Have I mentioned that I’m on a mission to get my health and weight to a comfortable place for myself?  Before I started on this mission I did quite a bit of reading, soul searching, and some long needed analysis of where and why I picked up some really lousy habits and thoughts around food and exercise.  I’d gotten myself into bad habits, bod moods, and rotten thoughts related to health and wellness and it was past time that I turned that around.  Here are four non-negotiable tips that I have incorporated and have helped me to feel better almost immediately.

1. Find a baseline measurement to check weekly progress.

For years I didn’t weigh or measure myself in any way.  It made it really easy for me to lie to myself about how I was treating my body.   Weighing or measuring yourself will show you movement in one way or another.  It’s not necessarily about the number but rather how the number changes.  Weighing myself weekly just keeps me honest about how I’m taking care of myself.  Wide fluctuations either way are red flags that I would want to look at.

2. Sit down whenever you eat something.

SIT DOWN when you eat.  Every time you eat and no matter what you eat.  You are not a dog (and I’m guessing you feed your dog with more care than you do yourself).  Treat yourself with dignity and feed yourself with kindness and compassion.  Sit down, take a deep breath, and get conscious about your body, your food, and how you feel.  This was one of the single best things I have ever done for myself.  I had no idea how frequently I was just shoving food in my mouth with little to no care for me.  Caring for myself while I eat is a nice way to bring comfort and love to meals and to those who might be eating with me.

3. Slow down.

Really, slow down in all aspects of your life but how about slowing down when you eat?  How about using all of your senses and enjoying the blessing of food?  When we slam it in our mouths at rapid fire pace we are treating ourselves and our food with utter disregard.  Not to mention we eat more when we eat that quickly.  Slowing down and enjoying our food, our surroundings, and our meal mates makes for a fully enjoyable situation vs. a sprint to nausea!

4. Track what you eat (without judgment).

Most of us eat very unconsciously.  We aren’t aware of what or how much we are putting in our mouths.  By tracking what you eat it will force you to pay attention to what you eat and the quantity.  Don’t judge yourself just track it.  There are some great apps that you can use or you can just write it down.  You can write down calories, etc. if you would like to see that or just write down the food and the amount.  Either way brings you awareness of how you are caring (or not) for yourself.  Tracking what you eat will also allow you to see if you are overeating in one area or under eating in another.  It will tell you when you tend to eat unconsciously and maybe that will help you figure out why.

Whether you want to lose weight, feel better, or adopt healthier habits, these four tips are a great and easy way to get started.  Let me know how you do.

Love,

Lisa Kaplin Psy. D. PCC