You CAN Change!

Don't ever feel like you're a lost cause. I remember thinking so many times, "If I was going to lose weight, I would've done it by now." But some little voice inside of me told me to keep trying, to keep looking for new ways.

I've said a million times, it's no one change, one exercise, one day, that will make the difference. But, rather, it's tiny, manageable changes over time that add up to a new and better you.

So change one thing today. Something small that you KNOW you can do.

Here's a "for instance":

If you suffer from chronic overeating, start noticing how you feel before, during, and after you eat. Physically, mentally.

How do you feel emotionally before you eat? How does the food taste when you eat? Really pay attention to the taste. How does this affect you emotionally? How do you feel emotionally/physically immediately after eating? 5 minutes after? 1 hour later? Are you tired? Does your stomach hurt? Are you more stressed out or depressed than you were an hour ago? Do you have a headache?

That's it! Don't reduce your food intake. Don't beat yourself up about it. Just NOTICE it! Be mindful.

And don't feel like you're not doing enough because, here's the really cool part, learning to make changes is like working a muscle, the more you do it, the easier it gets!

So every time you are mindful of your eating habits and how they affect you, you are teaching yourself to change. And one day change won't seem nearly as hard when it comes to the bigger stuff.

Also, just being mindful of how food affects you and what compels you to eat it can make a HUGE difference. You start to naturally catch yourself emotional eating. You, likewise, anticipate how you are going to feel after you do it.

For instance, I still crave pastries like doughnuts, cake, etc. a LOT. And I used to feel helpless to resist them basically after every meal. Sometimes even FOR a meal!

However, being mindful (combined with educating myself about how what they did to my body) eventually made a huge difference. First, when I slowed down and really paid attention to the taste, while they were definitely tasty, they were never EVER as tasty as they were in my mind when I began craving them. Also, taking notice of how these items made me feel, I can now easily avoid them (most of the time, and can ALWAYS avoid eating large quantities) because I've learned that the wheat and sugar combo gives me almost cold-like symptoms for at least a couple hours. Sore throat, stuffy nose, headache and fatigue (not to mention gas).

But, remember, changing what/how much you eat comes later. For now, just be mindful and nothing more. How long do you do this? Forever! When do you make your next change? When you feel ready!