| Get With the Program! Basics |
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| Plant sources of oil are always healthy. Wrong! Palm and coconut oil are saturated fats. When possible, they should be replaced with canola oil or, even better, olive oil. |
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For the first two to three months of a weight-loss program, journaling benefits just about everyone. But it can be especially helpful if you’re an emotional eater—it’ll give you insight into what’s going on in your head when your stomach tells you to eat. Here are some tips to get you started.
• Keep your journal where it’s easily accessible so that you can write down how you’re feeling whenever you get the urge to eat. (If you can’t carry your journal with you to record your day hour by hour, keep it on your nightstand so you can write a recap before turning in.)
• It may take a while, but over time, you’ll probably see a pattern emerge, which will help you better understand why you’re tempted to eat and help you differentiate between the pangs of real physical hunger and the false tug of emotional hunger. Maybe your mind is reeling from a bad day at the office. Maybe your body is reeling because you skipped a few meals. With practice, you’ll learn which is which--knowing will make it easier for you to exercise control. Before automatically reaching for the cookie jar, you’ll be able to ask yourself, “Physical or emotional hunger?” and get a straight answer. This might not always keep you from eating for emotional reasons, but it’s a beginning, which will likely lead to change.
• Looking at your personal history and asking yourself, “What do I need to change?” is one of the hardest things you’ll ever have to do. But if you have the courage to take a clear-eyed look at your life, the rewards will be great. Even if you can’t alter everything overnight—and you shouldn’t expect to—you can get on the road to change. Just being on that road will help you feel better about yourself and you want to keep going. Each step you take will motivate you to take the next one and the next one after that until, eventually, you reach your goals.
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