Tag Archive | Habit

Overeating? Don’t Even Start!

Don’t kid yourself. The best way to keep overeating from burying you is to just not start. It’s easy to convince yourself that a little extra pasta  won’t hurt.

A few more M & M’s, eating just enough ice cream to make it look even in the carton,  or one more candy from a box of chocolates is just enough to send you over the edge, so don’t start.

Eating stops when your stomach signals you that it is full. Overeating starts when we ignore the body’s signals. Cross that fine line and you’re in trouble.

So don’t cross it. Ha! Easier said than done. So what’s the answer? Can you repeat the question?

And that is precisely the kind of self-talk that gets us into the overeating mess. And it is a mess, that’s for sure. Easy to get into and hard to get out of, just like any other habit.

And therein lies the answer. Don’t even start letting it become a habit. As soon as you recognize that you are overeating, stop.

Focus on recognizing when you begin to overeat. Recognizing is not the same as realizing. Recognizing means you can see it coming and can do something about it. Realizing means you waited too long.

While you see your chance, take it. Stop overeating before it becomes a habit. If you can do that, you will buy yourself some time to figure out a real solution and avoid a real problem.

I’m talking about obesity. Habitual overeating is what gives obesity its foothold. If you have the discipline to stop the overeating cycle at the recognition stage, you will be empowered to one day break it altogether and create your life anew.

Weight Loss Becomes More Challenging With Age

It gets harder to lose weight as we age. Habits that were formed in earlier years, even a few years earlier, can be difficult to break.

Food addiction forms habits, like overeating, eating when you’re feeling angry, tired, or depressed, and eating when you’re stressed. Since feelings are linked to compulsive overeating, just changing what you eat isn’t enough.

It starts out simple enough. Go to bed a little later each night. Snack while waiting on hold too long. Trade in your daily walk for hours in front of the TV. Eat when there’s nothing better to do.

Normal aging changes the body. Things slow down. What we used to be able to get away with doesn’t fly any more. We don’t burn fat like we did when we were younger, so those few extra pounds are harder to lose.

It’s hard to get your weight back to normal, whatever that means, until you get yourself back to normal, whatever that means. Normal is up to you.

We all get older. There’s no way to stop that. But you can teach an old dog new tricks. If you want to beat a food addiction, you need to learn a few new tricks.

1. Think of yourself. Make yourself important enough to put first. Pamper yourself with non-food treats as often as you can afford to. It may be a new experience, but it’s a good one.

2. Make eating a one-of-a-kind event. Don’t mix it with something else like talking on the telephone or watching TV, or driving.

3. Get out of the house. Go for a walk, even if it’s at one of those warehouse stores. Swing your arms and stretch out and move your body. Leave your money in your car.

You don’t have to do everything at once. It doesn’t work anyway. Take one new thing at a time, and work on it until it becomes a habit.

There is no reason in the world why someone in their 40’s, 50’s, or older can’t have a body they’re thrilled with, no matter what anyone tells you about getting older.

You just have to be ready to do the work.  When you are ready, you can change your life from one of that is ruled by food to one that is ruled by you.

Are you ready?