Let The Turkey Be The Only One Going “Gobble Gobble”

A few short tips for a healthy Thanksgiving:

Choose ahead how to wisely enjoy your Thanksgiving meal. Plan it and put it in writing ahead of time. What will you say about it on Friday 11/25th? Decide now.

You can choose smaller portions of some of the traditional high calorie options, or you can make lower calorie dishes. Weight Watchers, Eating well, Cooking Light, and Hungry Girl have all put out swap suggestions and great holiday tips online. Here are a few links to help you with healthy choices:
•Rick Rodgers’ Best-Ever Slimmed Down Turkey & Gravy
•Thanksgiving Recipe Makeover
•CookingLight’s 13 Great Thanksgiving Meals
•Hungry Girl’s Thanksgiving Recipes

Exercise more before and after the feast. If weather permits, maybe the gang can take a walk together after the meal. Otherwise put on some good music and dance to a few tunes.

If you’re the host, use smaller plates. Research shows we can lose 18 pounds in one year by using 9-10 inch plates.

Don’t leave serving dishes on the table. Guests/family will be forced to get up to get more-so will you.

Give the leftovers to your guests or donate them to someone hungry and less fortunate.

When you leave the table, be grateful for your family and friends. Enjoy them, and smile, knowing you’ll still fit comfortably in your favorite jeans tomorrow.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

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 and follow her on Twitter at @thoughtfullellen.
Copyright © 2011 Ellen N. Resnick, LCSW;

Costume by: Puppe Love

Shrink and Move: Accept Your Diabetes™

It’s National Diabetes Month. You’ve all read the statistics about the obesity epidemic and how being overweight puts you at risk of developing type 2 diabetes. But did you know that if a person is successful at lifestyle improvement, that person can completely avoid the onset of diabetes 70% of the time? (http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/prevention/pre-diabetes/).
The lifestyle improvements required to avoid pre-diabetes developing into diabetes are actually quite basic:

• Improve one’s diet
• Lose weight
• And become more active.

When life presents us with difficulties, we do the best that we can to cope. Sometimes, unfortunately, we cope through denial: ”This isn’t happening to me, heck no!.”
That would be alright if denial were actually helpful, but when it gets in the way of what we need to do to take care of our bodies, it’s no longer a useful way of coping. We can’t change what we don’t acknowledge.
Watch Taylor’s amazing, inspirational story about his life with diabetes. Watch his transformation from fear, shame and denial to embracing his diabetes and living a vital, healthy and robust life. Even his family and friends are benefitting from his healthy attitude and lifestyle.
So whether you have diabetes, or you’re at risk of diabetes or other illnesses because of your weight, it’s never too late to take the small steps that lead to big rewards.
Let Center for Thoughtful Weight Loss provide the motivation, support and encouragement you need to turn your life in the direction you want it to go.
“Acceptance of what has happened is the first step to overcoming the consequences of any misfortune.” William James

“Go out and get after it” Taylor 11/2011

-Ellen

Ellen Resnick 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, http://www.thoughtfulweightloss.com/. You can email Ellen at ellen@thoughtfulweightloss.com and follow her on Twitter at @thoughtfullellen.
Copyright © 2011 Ellen N. Resnick, LCSW