The Gabriel Method: The Revolutionary Diet-free Way to Lose Weight

I just picked up the book 'The Gabriel Method' by John Gabriel on the weekend. So far it is really interesting. It is a diet-free approach to weight loss and seems to be focussed on the role stress plays in weight gain. I'm all for any diet-free ways to lose weight. There is a lot more to losing weight than the calories in = calories out message that seems to dominate a lot of weight loss programs.

For more details go to: http://tinyurl.com/m4bbcn

Tip to Successfully Start a Weight Management Program

David Viscott

You must begin to think of yourself as becoming the person you want to be.

To kick off any weight management program, it’s important to think of why you are doing it. That is, what you are trying to achieve, how will you be different if you lose weight, how will your relationships, health and general wellbeing be different. If you know the reasons why you are trying to achieve something, it can help to keep you focused and on track. It’s often too easy when you reach a stumbling block in any weight management program, to lose faith that you can continue. Knowing your why’s can give you that extra bit of motivation and focus to keep going and not let the stumbling blocks (which are bound to happen!) stop you from progressing further.

Following these steps can help keep your weight management program on track:

1. Visualise yourself when you have achieved your goal.

Ask yourself:

What will be different about my life?
How will I feel and think differently?
What will be different in regards to my health?
How will my relationships be different?
What will losing weight allow me to do that I am unable to do now?

2. Write down what you visualise.

3. Place that information in a place that you can see it and have easy access to it, such as on your fridge, in your bedroom, in your car… That way it will be fresh in your mind and can help keep on track and focused on why you are changing your eating habits.

4. Make it a part of your daily routine to look at your list. For example, you could check your list of why’s each morning just before breakfast. That way it’ll provide some focus and motivation for the rest of the day!

5. Keep adding to the list if you think of other reasons of why you want to achieve a certain healthy weight or lifestyle.

Quote On Emotional Eating

I found an interesting quote on emotional eating today:

Gluttony is an emotional escape, a sign something is eating us.

by Peter De Vries

I think it's a very apt description of emotional eating.

New idea on managing emotional eating

Last friday night, I was at home having a glass of wine (which is what I often do on a friday evening). As I was sitting and enjoying my glass of wine, I opened my mail and read a letter that I was expecting from an organisation that I am currently having problems with. Not surprisingly, the contents of the letter were not to my liking and I felt very annoyed. At this point, instead of sticking to my usual one glass of wine as planned, I thought "#$%@ it, I'm going to have another one". So I did.

I was reflecting on this experience this morning and I realised:

1. I had a second drink purely due to feeling angry.
2. The second glass of wine really did not make me feel any better as I was too annoyed to fully enjoy it.
3. I was allowing the organisation get the better of me.

So the idea popped into my head that next time I decide to drink/eat something I hadn't planned on, due to some event or person that has affected my emotions, I will say to myself with confidence and power that

"I choose not to eat or drink as a result of X making me feel Y".

So in the above example I could have said "I choose not to have another drink because XYZ organisation has annoyed me". I just allowed the XYZ organisation to impact on me in a negative way and that resulted in emotional eating (or emotional drinking in this case). If I actively choose not to let events or people impact on my emotions to the degree that I engage in emotional eating or drinking as a way of managing emotions, I will feel a lot more empowered and I will be able to enjoy the food and drink I consume more! That sounds great to me!

Creative Weight Loss Survey

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=4e_2fcFK1EIt1eoSPJUKnp3g_3d_3d

Make your weight loss program FUN!

It occured to me today that the reason that a lot of weight loss programs are unlikely to work is because they involve a lot of hard work and not a lot of fun!

To increase the likelihood that a person will be successful, it is imperative that any weight loss program consider what can be done to keep a person motivated and interested in the program so that they will continue to engage in the program and achieve success.

I think that ensuring that the program contains an element of fun will increase the eventual likelihood of weight loss success. Who wants to work hard all the time? I know I don't!

It would be great to hear other people's thoughts on the idea that incorporating fun into a weight loss program may lead to an increase in positive outcomes.

In the mean time, I'm going to try and brainstorm some ideas of my own!!!!!

Welcome to my Blog!

Hi and welcome!

Thanks for reading my first ever blog! It's a very quick blog! If you blink you'll miss it. I'm very keen to blog soon about topics I am passionate about - food, mood and attitude! Stay tuned.....