STAYING FIT AND SLIM: MAKE NEW CHOICES
This may be the most exhilarating revelation of all: the fact that we have a choice. That when we feel the cue to eat something we know is unhealthy, we can stop for a moment, focus on what it is that’s provoking us to eat, and, as clearly as we can, figure out what our real options are. That’s what freedom of choice means. Your first disappointed response might be that you don’t feel “free” anymore to eat French fries, fatty meats, butter, and ice cream. But when you take a moment to remind yourself what these foods are going to do to you if you eat them (clog your arteries, increase your cholesterol and blood pressure, thicken your middle, and, quite frankly, dramatically increase your chances of developing life-threatening disease) – and what the healthy foods will do for you if you eat them (lower your serum cholesterol, help you lose excess body fat, improve your cardiovascular health) – you’re truly using your free will and your intellect to choose a better, healthier alternative.And the alternative doesn’t always have to be another kind of food. What about doing some stretching or aerobic exercise? Lydia В., a free-lance writer, came up with an ingenious solution that made new use of her cookie jar. It was once filled to the brim with chocolate-chip cookies, to which she turned whenever she felt the least twinge of writer’s block or anxiety about her mother, the rent, the weather, an upcoming date, or the cat getting fur on the couch. Now when she feels anxiety, she still reaches into the cookie jar – but she takes out one of several notes to herself that say things like “Go for a walk,” “Play with the cat,” “Water the plants,” “Take a bike ride,” “Call a friend.” She may also, however, have a slice of Apple-Date Cake! (Remember, eat if you are hungry – but eat the right things.)Alternatives abound. Take the time to consider your choices when you’re planning your menu, making up your shopping list or selecting food from the grocery shelves. You are always in control, no matter how strongly the wrong foods seem to plead with you to take them home. That moment when you pull back on the reins, take a breath, and really see what you’re about to do – that moment of “time out” – is crucial. And when you feel as if you just might cave in, remember that you’ve always got the power to stop, take a step back, and assess the situation more clearly. Sometimes a craving for food really does mean you’re hungry – so eat! But have frozen nonfat yogurt or fresh fruit sorbet instead of ice cream.The trick to controlling your behavior is recognizing that the small steps, the seemingly insignificant changes (like popping a grape into your mouth instead of a peanut), do add up. Take a moment to concentrate on the immediate actions you do have the power to take – not on the ultimate goals that can be attained only with time.Say you want to lose 25 pounds, but you feel exasperated because you can’t change everything right now. Our immediate-gratification “buttons” always seem to demand pushing. But when you rail at the frustration of having to lose that weight slowly, you can take “time out” and remind yourself it is coming off – that you’re doing exactly what you need to do to take (and keep) it off. The three or four months it takes to lose the weight are nothing compared to the years ahead of enjoying life at your proper weight – you’ll barely remember a few months of “waiting” during which that weight loss seemed impossible!
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