Random Weight Loss Thoughts and 5 Tips

Sometimes random thoughts come into my head while I’m engaged in an activity that has nothing to do with weight management.

Oddly when I lose attention in what I’m doing (and that happens a lot), my mind usually wanders to weight loss or food or some related topic.

I decided that a few of my thoughts should be shared but aren’t robust enough to be a full blog independently so I decided to group them together here and warn readers they are very random thoughts.

1) Most people know not to grocery shop on on an empty stomach, but did you know never go clothing shopping on a full stomach.

So many stores have bright lights and mirrors that distort your body. When you’re trying to find “just the right outfit” the extra belly fullness from a meal you finished within the hour makes it very hard to be happy trying on anything. Getting discouraged while shopping for clothes has driven many a “dedicated dieter” directly to the food court to bury “all good intentions” in fat and calories!

It's a lot easier to try on clothes and like what you see without a full belly!

It’s a lot easier to try on clothes and like what you see if several hours have passed since your last meal!

2) Never say “can’t.”

Change how you talk to yourself. Change, "Once I start eating doughnuts, I CAN'T STOP," into, "I want to eat doughnuts and lose weight, so I'll eat just one doughnut and be happy!"

Change how you talk to yourself. Change, “Once I start eating doughnuts, I CAN’T STOP,” into, “I want to eat doughnuts and lose weight, so I’ll eat just one doughnut and be happy!”

Half of the time “can’t” really means, “I don’t want to…,” and the other half of the time it’s just false, you can.

Take for example, “I can’t eat a 1/2 cup serving of ice cream.” If you can eat ice cream at all, you can eat 1/2 cup. You don’t want to, but you certainly can. The benefit of saying “I can eat 1/2 cup of ice cream,” is you get to eat ice cream and because the portion is smaller you can eat it while you’re making weight loss progress.

3) Don’t think that a growling belly is a positive sign that you’re burning fat and losing weight.

"I must be getting skinny because my stomach is growling up a storm!"

“I must be getting skinny because my stomach is growling up a storm!”

If your belly is growling you’re hungry and skipping meals will only make you hungrier and slow your metabolism. It can also eventually cause you to eat too fast, and eat too much and, yes, gain weight. It’s better to enjoy nutritious snacks in between meals so that you never get too hungry. It’s a very effective way of staying in control. Avoiding extreme hunger can even give you the strength and power to enjoy servings of the foods that are hardest for you to eat in smaller, weight-loss promoting portions.

4) If it tastes bad, spit it out!

It doesn't taste good and even if "it's good for you," there is something else just as good for you that tastes good too! DOn't waste your calories!

It doesn’t taste good and even if “it’s good for you,” there is something else just as good for you that tastes good too! DOn’t waste your calories!

Your calories are precious and limited. You can only eat so many each day to lose weight or to maintain your goal. Don’t waste your calories on food that you don’t like. There is just no reason to waste perfectly good calories.

5) Do you ever feel overwhelmed by how un-physically fit you are?

YOU can achieve your weight and fitness goals by making small steps. Don't get overwhelmed by trying to fix everything  all at once.

You can achieve your weight and fitness goals by making small steps. Don’t get overwhelmed by trying to fix everything all at once.

Don’t get hung up on how out-of-shape you might be because it makes the job of getting fit seem too big to achieve. Try making small goals for yourself. “Today I’ll take 3 ten-minute walks.” That’s 30 minutes of physical activity. Do it for a week and then up it to 6 ten-minute walks. Eventually you may want to try taking 10 one-minute jogs plus 6 ten-minute walks. Switch it up but keep the goals small enough to be achievable. You will see a difference in how you look and feel. Break your routine to get physically fit into small, fun chunks and give it as much time to get there as you need!

 

 

Jackie Conn

About Jackie Conn

Jackie Conn is married and has four grown daughters and four grandchildren. She is a Weight Watchers success story. She's a weight loss expert with 25 years of experience guiding women and men to their weight-related goals. Her articles on weight management have been published in health, family and women's magazines. She has been a regular guest on Channel 5 WABI news, FOX network morning program Good Day Maine and 207 on WCSH.