Weight loss doesn’t have to be an emotional affair. Discovering your emotional eating habits before you begin to lose weight can go a long way in helping you lose weight, and keep the weight off.

Weight loss experts report you’ll gain confidence after you lose weight. Although true, science is proving that it’s more important for the success of your weight loss program that you gain confidence before dieting, or even during dieting, to be able to successfully reach your weight loss goals. Emotional eating often leads to binge eating, particularly if you’ve been denying yourself your favorite foods to lose weight. Weight loss gets significantly more challenging when you turn to food for boredom, loneliness, comfort, depression, insecurity, celebration or anger. Losing weight to gain confidence means you have to gain confidence in your ability to lose weight first.

Emotional eating is common, and some studies estimate that 75% of the population participates in “emotional eating.” Short bursts of emotional eating certainly isn’t harmful to healthy diets, but more often than not, our emotional eating doesn’t result in bingeing on bowls full of celery sticks. If you’re thinking about participating in a weight loss program to lose weight, or you’re currently trying to lose weight with your own diet plan, keep of journal of when you feel the need for “emotional eating” and what foods you typically eat under the circumstances. Being aware of yourself and your habits is the first step when trying to lose weight with any weight loss plan.

Stress can lead to overeating. This could be ingrained. Studies from Emory University showed that subordinate monkeys ate more often, and ate more foods high in fat than the dominant females. Another factor is whether your emotional eating is “external” or “internal.” External emotional eating occurs if you eat more socially at parties, or overeat because you are with someone who is overeating. Internal emotional eating occurs when you plop down on the couch with a bag of munchies and say, “I’m bored” or “I’m depressed.” A study by the Miriam Hospital’s Weight Control & Diabetes Research Center found that “external emotional eaters” were better at retaining their weight loss goals than the “internal emotional eaters.” Internal emotional eaters end up regaining weight, and go on and off endless weight loss programs to continue losing weight. Recognizing your internal emotional eating habits gives you the knowledge to fight emotional eating when your emotions try to override your motivation to lose weight.

You may see yourself as a self-confident person, however, after examining your diet patterns, you might find that you lack self-efficacy; which believes you have the ability to reach a specific goal. Self-efficacy was a contributing factor in a Queensland University weight loss study. In this study, the women with higher rates of self-efficacy were able to meet their dieting goals because they believed they could, and they sought the education to do so. Gaining education, believing in you, and getting encouragement from others are recommended to increase self-efficacy levels that would have a positive affect on a dieter’s weight loss program.

Weight loss plans must consider the emotional aspect of losing weight. If emotional behaviors, weight loss education and dieting confidence are gained at the beginning of the weight loss plan, the weight loss is more likely to stay lost. Science is proving that if you believe you can lose weight, and then you’ll be able to do it. Start your journal and get a grip on your emotional eating, especially while you’re trying to lose weight. Gain a few pounds of self-confidence, and lose a few pounds of weight. If you need help, try a weight loss program like the Atkins Diet Weight Loss Program that has a strong support group. You can control the food instead of letting it control you. Just learn and believe.

Quick boost for healthy eating
There are so many books on dieting and everyone has a plan or a pill. The bottom line is that it takes eating right and exercise to lose those extra calories that are stored in the body. But, I found a book that talks about a trick to boost healthy eating, a trick in the sense that it takes a big problem and breaks it into smaller, more manageable steps.

The book is “The No-Grain Diet” and it is not for weight loss, but for getting healthy.It explains in great detail how the grains and sugars we eat train the body into expecting them, almost like an addiction. But, if you can stop eating them cold turkey for ONLY 72 hours, you will lose your cravings! I tried it and it worked. After 3 days I could look at chocolate cake and TAKE it or LEAVE it. It was awesome. The cravings for cake seem to come back a little at “that time of the month”, but I can do without grain most of the time. And if I fall off the wagon and eat a bunch of cakes and cookies, I can do the 72 hour “cleanse” again and VOILA, they don’t tempt me anymore.

So, here is the recipe – it’s easy to understand, difficult to be faithful to, but you only have to do it for 3 days: Fruits, vegetables, meat, nuts, fish. No sugar, wheat, processed food (because they usually have wheat or gluten), no fruit juice (corn syrup and fructose are sugar), no cookies, cakes, pudding, bread, pasta, rice, oatmeal, rye, barley, etc. After the 3 days, you can eat rice, oatmeal and some small amounts of real cane sugar or stevia, but the main point is that after this point, it won’t be as difficult because you won’t have to fight the cravings!

Don’t worry about fat or calories for now, this is one step at a time.  And once you don’t have to fight those wheat cravings you will lose weight natiurally because wheat and sugar are so full of empty calories. Eating only fruits, veggies, meat, fish, and nuts, you will automatically cut alot of calories from your diet.

For more info, I read the book “The No-Grain Diet” and the “recipe” is explained fully by Dr. Joseph Mercola.  This website http://www.paleodiet.com/ has numerous suggestions, recipes, scientific research articles and other helpful information.  There is something for everyone on this comprehensive collection of “Caveman” diet information.

Eat healthy, Be healthy.

Take care of yourself,

Valerie Johnson

http://www.4naturalwellness.com/Services.html

Here are ten steps that you can follow to lose weight, keep it off, and explode your energy levels.

1. Eat in a calm and relaxed atmosphere. Be very thankful for the food you are given to eat. In most cases something that was living was sacrificed so you could eat. Taste and enjoy every bite you take.

2. Don’t over-eat. Only eat until you are 80% full. You will notice that about ten minutes later you will feel full.

There is a slight time delay between eating the food and your body registering itself as full. That is usually why you feel tired weighted down after eating everything on your plate at a restaurant.

Your brain and taste buds are satisfied, but your body has to pay the price. Once you get used to this you should also see an increase in energy levels because the body is getting the right amount of food.

3. Chew all of your food thoroughly. You also should limit how much you chew gum, it stimulates your digestive juices unnecessarily.

4. Drink at least 8 cups of purified water every day. You should drink water between meals only. I know it may seem crazy that I have to mention this, but: soda, juice, and coffee are not water.

I have had many of my clients tell me that they don’t need water because the drinks I just listed usually have water within the ingredients. Every time I respond, “are you kidding me!”

5. Do not consume large amounts of liquid right before, during, or after any meal. This diluted your digestive juices. That also goes for frozen drinks with meals because they freeze digestive enzyme cells, which interrupts the digestive process.

6. Do not eat fruit and meat together. This can give you an upset stomach.

7. Allow your digestive system some rest time. This means that you should try not to eat within at least two hours of your bedtime. Your body requires a fasting period (not eating) of usually ten to twelve hours in order to cleanse and rejuvenate itself properly. Try it, you will wake up with more energy.

8. Include raw(uncooked) vegetables with each meal, that way you provide your body with enzymes that break down the food particles you eat.

9. Please choose healthy food choices. The above recommendations will do little to no good if you eat a lot of fast food, and other junk food. Remember you are as healthy as what you put into your body.

10. Eat spicy! It helps cleanse the body and it increases your metabolism. Pay attention next time you eat something spicy, as long as you don’t eat too much food, you should feel a lot of energy afterward.

I am not asking you to burn your tongue off or go into convulsions, but you should eat as much spicy food as you can tolerate. If it does get to hot, drink milk or something creamy, not water. Water makes the burn worse.

I have followed these healthy eating habits for the past two years and have been able to lose weight, keep it off, my energy levels have sky-rocketed (now I want to exercise every day instead of forcing myself), and my mind is clearer. Follow these same rules and you should see the same results!

When you are trying a dieting plan, there are something you can eat and something you are not allowed to eat. In fact, your eating habit will also affect the results. You need to alter your lifestyle if your eating habit was not healthy in the past. This is the only way to succeed if you want to lose weight with your dieting plan.

You may wonder what kind of eating habit is a healthy one. The first question I would like to ask you here is do you have three meals a day? As a matter of fact, a lot of people will skip the breakfast. Yet it is not healthy to do so. You should never skip any meal. This is especially true for your breakfast. Skipping your breakfast will mean that you do not have a meal for at least 15 hours. You will be starving and you will tend to eat something high in fat content when you have your lunch. You should try your best to keep having three meals a day. This will be the first thing you need to do if you would like to have a healthy eating habit.

Remember, you should always avoid fast food. Of course it will not hurt if you only have fast food once two weeks. However, it will certainly be bad for you if you eat too much fast food. As a matter of fact, the calorie you get from a burger is enough as a one meal. However, most people will think that a burger will not be enough to make them feel full. Things such as French fries will also be bad for you. The fat content of fries are very high and you should not eat too much otherwise you will never be able to lose weight. It may also have adverse effect to your health in the long run.

Sometimes we will want to have some snacks. Some of us will eat some chips as snacks. Do you think these chips will be good for your health? The answer is certainly a NO. You should try to eat some healthy snacks. In most cases fresh fruits will be your perfect choice. Remember, it is totally alright for you to have snacks. However, it is not a good idea for you to eat unhealthy snacks.

If you can follow the above points, you will be able to have a healthy eating habit.

No matter how much temptation and cajoling, we couldn’t get her to eat an Easter egg. At work, Easter is another excuse to eat chocolate and for most of us, we unfurl the Easter egg foil and easily chomp on some chocolate. But the office health nut instead munches on a carrot – about as close to the Easter bunny as they’ll get. But what if they ate too many carrots? Or too many bran muffins? They are actually damaging their body in a way they may not realise; believing advice they read or heard and perhaps taking that advice too far. Yes, it is possible to be too healthy. There is a way though to have a healthy diet – one based on knowing what is reliable advice, and knowing how to follow it.

—-What is too healthy? Why go to extremes? —-

A diet that is too healthy means eating only a limited selection of foods specifically for their purported health properties. The lady who refused the Easter egg may be one who thinks that she will live happy and healthy in a body free from ‘bad food’ – she may even snack continually on carrots for better eyesight. Obsessive behaviour is one reason why people may go to extremes in their healthy eating. Other reasons include a health scare (at risk for osteoporosis), or an excuse to overindulge (red wine and dark chocolate). Many healthy eating extremes are also triggered by the concept of health-crazing.

—What is health-crazing?—

The evidence of health-crazing can be seen on checkout conveyor belts; punnets of blueberries, cans of salmon, and boxes of green tea. ‘So what?’ you might say, ‘What is the difference between the familiar food pyramid and the blurb on a box of tea about the powers of antioxidants?’ Basically, health-crazing is when diet is focused on one food rather than a total approach to health through a balanced diet. Health-crazing isn’t necessarily bad unless it influences the fundamental balance of nutrients within the body.

—When health-crazing goes too far—

Even those of us who aren’t strict with everything in their diet may tend to favour one food. Over a period of about eight months, Suzie* ate three bran muffins each day, and a bowl of bran cereal for breakfast. Sure, she was ‘regular’ but then she was too regular, causing a rectal tear, pain and lethargy. Bran also reduces iron uptake; an explanation for her low haemoglobin level. The solution? She cut down on the bran, and increased so-called ‘stodge’ foods like fats. But what drives the craze that made Suzie fixate on bran? Or an office colleague gulp down their morning blueberry smoothie? The answer is money. Why else would someone steal an entire blueberry field in Canada after the health craze for blueberries reached fever pitch?

The recipe for the smoothie may have come from a women’s magazine, a TV show, or any number of advertisements that bombard us with the latest in food with properties to burn fat, give youth, and arouse libido. But how can you tell if this advice is even genuine?

—What is genuine advice?—

Remember our office colleague at the beginning of the article? Eventually we got her to eat the Easter egg – we used the magic words: ‘Scientists say it’s good for you’. But who are these scientists and can we believe them? There are ways to recognise whether advice used in heath-crazing is genuine.

The hallmarks of dubious advice include…

++ vague source of information – common phrases are mentioned, such as ‘scientists say’ or ‘it has been proven’. There is no reference to who the scientists are, and whether they are from public or private enterprise.

++the entertainment angle – current affairs shows are notorious for their thinly researched stories of magic water and fat loss foods as they know that these topics have sure-fire ratings.

++ marketing angle/money to be made. For example, advertorials about the benefits of high calcium intake from a company that just happens to sell calcium enriched milk.

Genuine advice is…

++ sourced from a thorough study – peer reviewed, trialled and the product/thoery is used over a period of time.

++ endorsed – if a government body also endorses scientific findings then this adds credibility to the discovery. But be wary of endorsement that sounds important but is really just a front for commercial organisations eg the ‘Tobacco Information Service’ run by the Tobacco Merchants Association.

++ able to be researched for yourself – look for a source, such as in a medical journal. Then go and read the full article. Look for how the study was conducted, how many participants, what was the error margin, etc.

Does all this reading and double-checking sound like a lot of effort? Who do we believe? Thankfully there is an answer to a truly healthy diet and it doesn’t involve hard work or sacrifice; it’s about getting the balance right.

The Recommended Daily Intake - RDI – is a proven scientific analysis of all the nutrients the body needs to function at optimal level. Each macronutrient (eg carbohydrate), vitamin (eg Vitamin C) and mineral (Eg Calcium) has a measurement that the body must intake each day, ranging from micrograms to grams. But how do you know if you’re meeting this level, or exceeding it?

Read the labels on the packaging, for example, a slice of typical wholemeal and grain bread has 7% of the RDI for iron. Be aware of which nutrients have an upper limit that must not be exceeded or else adverse health effects may arise. For example, any more than five carrots a day (Vitamin A Carotene) will cause skin to tinge orange. Fat soluble Vitamin A Retinol found in liver and fortified milk, in the short term can cause headaches and vomiting and in the longer term, hair loss and liver damage if consumed in greater quantities than 3000 milligrams a day, which is approx three times the RDI usually caused by exceeding dosages in vitamin supplements.

Being too healthy can be harmful to your health unless you follow genuine advice within scope of the RDI. The key to a truly healthy diet is balance; never ever eat too much of one thing, and allow some indulgences like Easter eggs. After all, the Easter bunny eats carrots, but he eats chocolate too.

* Name changed.

And if you doubt the facts in I’ve written, then good, I’ve proved my point.

Go read more about where I got the information:

+++Carrots turning skin orange: www.dietitician.com/vitamina.html

+++Too much Vitamin A retinol: Department of Health and Ageing and Ministry of Health, 2006, Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand Executive Summary, Commonwealth of Australia. PDF From www.nhmrc.gov.au

+++Stealing a Blueberry farm: http://bluecrabbouevard.com, Sep 21 2006

+++What happens when you overdose on vitamins: Note, can you trust these sources?: LifeForce Hospitals, 1999, ‘Vitamin Overdose’ `http://chemo.net/newpage35.htm 1999 and

Changing Shape, ‘Vitamin, mineral, chart’, www.changingshape.com/resources/references/vmchart.asp

Tobacco Merchants Association: www.tma/org tobacco

Typical bread iron quantity: Burgen bread, www.burgen.co.nz