Sunday, March 20, 2011

The Missing Link

Every time you eat a morsel of food, whether a meal, a snack or a bite of someone else’s, you’ve made a decision in your brain to eat. Many times those decisions are made just below the level of consciousness, on autopilot. Take for example, having cocktails out with your friends. They serve bowls of nuts and other crunchy delights. Have you noticed how easy it is to keep putting your hand in the bowl until they’re gone, even when a part of you was counting how many calories and fat grams you consumed in the past 10 minutes of mindless grazing?
How about when you’re at Costco and they’re giving out samples and you taste several just because they’re there and they’re free?
You can learn to slow those decisions down so that you can enjoy being out and not regret what you ate or drank afterwards.
Mindful awareness is the missing link for permanent weight loss!
It involves planning ahead so that the hors d’Ĺ“uvres or freebies don’t catch you by surprise. If you know you’re going out on a Friday night, decide ahead of time how you want to talk about the night the next day. Maybe you’ll want to have an extra 300 calories that day—that’s ok, just don’t make it an extra 1500 instead. And by all means, savor those bites. By being mindful, you’ll have the choice of saying how nice it was to hang out with friends relaxing after a long week rather than “I can’t believe I blew it.”
Yes, it’s a bit of work to pay attention in the moment and plan ahead, but aren’t you worth that extra effort?
The difference between us and our evolutionary ancestors is that we have the ability to be mindful. Find the missing link and lose weight for good.
Ellen is a psychotherapist in private practice in San Francisco and Redwood City, California. She specializes in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and incorporates the use of mindfulness into the treatment of depression, anxiety, and emotional overeating. She runs a holistic weight loss program called Center for Thoughtful Weight Loss, www.thoughtfulweightloss.com. You can email Ellen at ellen@thoughtfulweightloss.com

Friday, March 11, 2011

Are your weight loss reductions helping your bottom line?

Consider writing a business plan for your success as Elaine has done.

Elaine T. Enterprises
Business Description:
Elaine T. is an individual with over 50 years of experience trying to stay healthy and fit with numerous successes and failures. Her new enterprise has developed a product that includes work plans, success guides and formulas for getting fit with diet, exercise, and therapy to achieve her goals.
Industry and Market Description:
This company has developed a product that focuses solely on Elaine with the emphasis on combining all available and appropriate resources to achieve her goals.

Elaine T. Enterprises History:
The Company was formed in 2010 by Elaine, who has significant experience as an individual who has had weight and health issues since childhood. These issues were both physical and mental and have ruled her life for decades. She has had many successful attempts losing weight with a 100% recidivism rate. She believes that the continued weight losses and gains are a direct result of not tackling the core emotional issues perpetuating beliefs and behaviors that are unhealthy, untrue, and a crutch that maintain her depressive moods and associated lifestyle. This new Company was formed to develop a product that will once and for all, put an end to these self destructive behaviors using new tools (for her) to conquer negative behavior patterns and, with the help of a therapist and new plans, reverse those patterns and ultimately achieve a healthier and happier Elaine.

Elaine T. Enterprises Products:
Our product is intended to be specific to Elaine and will include a combination of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, lifestyle modifications, eating habits, and exercise with the optimal goal of much improved health including weight loss, reduction in medications currently in use, and most of all, a healthy emotional view of herself. This product has no expiration date and is intended to be a combination of lifelong tools that are available at all times.



Marketing:
The Company is unique in that it intends to focus its marketing efforts totally on Elaine. Utilizing various methods such as a diet buddy and other friends, books, tapes, and therapists, etc., Elaine will be supported in her efforts to reverse a lifetime of sabotaging behaviors and achieve her goals with the firm knowledge that there will be setbacks, but not defeats.

Projections:
The Company projects that results will be as follows with updates made on a quarterly basis:
Weight Loss: 100 lbs. over a 2 year period.

Exercise: Cardio 3 times per week for 30 minutes each, increasing to 1 hour within 6 months. Resistance training 2 times per week for 15 minutes each, increasing to 30 minutes within 6 months.

Therapy: Twice monthly, going to once per month when appropriate, depending on Elaine’s financial situation.
Anti-depressant Medication: Taken daily and reviewed with psychiatrist quarterly.

New Activities: As desires, motivation, and in some circumstances financial ability allows, new activities such as joining organizations of interest, meeting new people, volunteering, traveling and entertainment will be implemented.

Management Team:
President and CEO Elaine T.
Therapist Ellen Resnick, LCSW
Psychiatrist Dr. RC
Diet Buddy Liz H
Supporting Team Relatives and friends; dietician as needed; other doctors as needed
Funding:
This company is entirely self funded, and as a result, it is of primary importance to keep costs down. The beauty of this business is that by achieving projections and maintaining and improving them year after year, the bottom line, as well as the waistline, and taxes will be reduced.

By virtue of achieving projections as indicated above, the following results will be achieved:
  • Weight reduction
  • Blood pressure reduction
  • Cholesterol reduction
  • Fewer medications
  • Fewer doctor’s visits
  • Healthier individual
  • Lower medical costs
All of these reductions result in lower medical insurance costs, and therefore a far greater return each tax year.
What are you doing to reduce?

Ellen is a psychotherapist in private practice in San Francisco and
Redwood City, California. She specializes in Cognitive Behavioral
Therapy and incorporates the use of mindfulness into the treatment of
depression, anxiety, and emotional overeating. She runs a holistic
weight loss program called Center for Thoughtful Weight Loss,
www.thoughtfulweightloss.com. You can email Ellen at ellen@thoughtfulweightloss.com

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

I'll Have Whatever She's Having!

Meg Ryan became famous as Sally Albright in the now classic 1989 film "When Harry Met Sally".   Most people remember the line, "I'll have whatever she's having," when Sally faked having an orgasm in the restaurant.  That was hysterical!  Another funny moment, albeit  not as memorable, was how Sally compulsively ordered her food. 

Sally: I'd like the chef salad, please, with the oil and vinegar on the side. And the apple pie a la mode....But I'd like the pie heated, and I don't want the ice cream on top. I want it on the side. And I'd like strawberry instead of vanilla if you have it. If not, then no ice cream, just whipped cream, but only if it's real. If it's out of a can, then nothing.
Sally knew how to think like a thin person- do you?  
For starters, she had it all planned out before they left Chicago.  Knowing where they'd stop along the way is, well...neurotic, but it does allow Sally to be in total control of her choices.  She begins by ordering her salad dressing on the side.  She knows what she wants, very specifically ((strawberry ice cream) and isn't afraid to ask to have it her way (or no way).

Do you ask for what you want and need?

Do you find that when you make spontaneous food choices in a restaurant based on how something sounds on the menu or smells on the grill that you wind up consuming many more calories than if you had planned ahead? Today you can look at a website menu before choosing a restaurant and plan to order something delicious that's within your calorie count for the day.  Sure, it's ok to make on the spot decisions if you're choosing between the grilled chicken and the seared ahi tuna.  But for many chronic dieters, spontaneous choices are between the lamb and the lasagne. Some say it takes the fun out of eating out, but why can't healthy be fun? Get creative - if you want a cocktail, consider a diet margharita...tequila on the rocks with fresh squeezed lime juice and a Splenda.

Are you too focused on the food and/or alcohol and not enjoying your time out with your partner, friends, or colleagues?  Even if you're feeling stressed out, you have tools for that too, i.e. diaphragmatic breathing; reading your list of reasons for losing weight (it's in your wallet- take a bathroom break if you need to), reminding yourself of how you want to look back on this experience tomorrow.    

How you handle eating out in restaurants may be a big factor in whether you keep the weight off once you lose it.  You may choose a strategy where you say no to hors d'oeuvres or dessert so that you can have a piece of the great bread they serve at your favorite restaurant. You might allow yourself 300 extra calories for this meal and eat a tad less the rest of the day.  You could increase your exercise that day to allow for the extra calories.  Whatever you decide, your choices come from having strong intentions and not from mindlessness or not paying attention.  You're prepared to succeed because you have a plan. Do you wish you didn't need to? Sure, but if you're still reading, my guess is that being healthy and fit is more important to you. Get over the idea that it's not fair. Get your joy from other areas of your life so it's not all about the next great meal.       

Are you prepared to say, "I'm not having what she's having," if what she's having sabotages your  plan?

Learn all the skills you'll need to be successful at resisting temptations and enjoying your life fully.    

Email Ellen at ellen@thoughtfulweightloss.com and learn what to do about What’s Eating You.

Ellen is a psychotherapist in private practice in San Francisco and Redwood City, California. She specializes in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and incorporates the use of mindfulness into the treatment of depression, anxiety, and emotional overeating. She runs a holistic weight loss program called Center for Thoughtful Weight Loss, www.thoughtfulweightloss.com.

Copyright © 2010  Ellen N. Resnick, LCSW