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Volume 1, Number 5
07-22-98

TIM'S TOP TEN TIPS FOR STAYING IN THE ZONE

Achieving the ideal weight is a major struggle for a large portion of our population. While losing weight can seem like a monumental task, maintaining weight loss is even more challenging. (Sadly enough, the majority of people who are successful at losing weight are not able to keep it off.) This leads to a yo-yo pattern of weight losses and gains, resulting in metabolic changes that make it increasingly difficult to lose weight. This Tim's Top Ten list provides useful strategies for maintaining weight loss and ending detrimental yo-yo dieting.

1. To Stay Where You Want To Be, Always Know Where You Are At.
   Keep a daily log or journal of your weight, everything you eat, and the exercise/ activities you do to help maintain your weight. Plan this in your schedule and do this 3 to 5 days per month. Monitor both routine weekdays and non-routine/ weekend days. Review your log and handle barriers or trends that could end up in a significant weight gain if left unchecked. Journaling will help you to pay attention to what's happening so you can nip potential problems in the bud.
   
   
2. Pick The Right Activities And Exercise On A Regular Basis.
   Maintaining regular moderate exercise (cardiovascular and resistance training) is one of the few factors which has been found to be consistently related to successful weight loss and maintenance. The question is not "should I exercise?" but rather "how will I exercise?" When choosing an activity, keep in mind the following considerations. Do you like to exercise alone, with a friend, or with a group? What facilities are available and convenient? What time of day is best for you? Is the activity one you truly enjoy? Choose activities you enjoy, the most convenient times in your schedule, and the social contexts that will keep you coming back for more.
   
   
3. De-program Automatic Eating Behavior.
   If you find yourself eating between planned meals and snacks you are likely responding to some cue or signal in your environment that is triggering your eating behavior. Eating triggers include sites, smells and sounds that call your attention to food even when you're not hungry. Here are some effective strategies for managing those triggers: Pick one place and restrict all of your eating to this one location; Don't do anything else(e.g. watching TV or reading a book) while eating. This allows you to focus on the pleasure of eating and prevents over-eating. Remember, "out of sight is out of mind." Put snacks and leftovers away immediately after use. Keep food in unattractive or opaque containers. Keep healthy low-fat snacks in the front of the fringe and push high-fat foods toward the back. Again, journaling can help you become aware of your specific triggers; only then can you seek to avoid or eliminate them.
   
   
4. Place Reminders To Exercise In Your Environment.
   Build in triggers to remind and encourage you to stick to your exercise routines. For example, keep exercise clothes and equipment in plain view (in your car, by the front door) rather then stashed away in the closet. Schedule your exercise bouts just as you would other appointments; put them in your appointment book and be firm about keeping your schedule. Make exercise dates with friends; this makes it harder to forget or put off working out. Copy your exercise schedule on a post-it and put it on your dashboard and refrigerator. Forget the TV! If you find that too difficult to do, put a treadmill or exercise bike in front of it.
   
   
5. Plan - Practice - Act!
   Relapses from any health behavior change can usually be traced to one of three sources: the failure to anticipate pitfalls and detours on the road ahead, failure to plan strategies to cope with anticipated challenges, and to a failure to act when the time comes. For example, eating out in restaurants or in social situations can be challenging for anyone. If you anticipate and plan ahead, you will be better able to control your eating and stay within your dietary goals. Take time out on a regular basis to plan ahead for challenging situations. Know what you will do to stay on target and practice or mentally rehearse your strategies. Most important of all, do something besides reaching for food when temptation strikes!
   
   
6. Distract Yourself From Cravings For Food.
   If you can focus on doing or thinking about something else, anything but food and eating, a craving will disappear in about 30 seconds. Start a conversation, pick up a book, review your "to do" list or exercise schedule, or take a mental vacation to your favorite beach. Ahhh - - - Relief! After the crisis is over reflect on the situation and ask yourself this question, "What was I REALLY hungry for?" When we eat in response to emotional cues we are often trying to feed some unmet need. Identify your unfulfilled desires and unmet needs and get them satisfied fully now! If this is the source of your appetite, you'll never be able to eat enough food to be satisfied. (I was 75 pounds overweight before I finally got this. I subsequently lost those pounds and kept my weight fluctuations within ten pounds over the last 20 plus years.)
   
   
7. If You Should Fall Off The Horse, Get Back In The Saddle Fast.
   If you slip or fall down, don't use that as an excuse to give up. Get up, dust yourself off, and plan some new strategies to use the next time you are in that the same situation. First take the time to appreciate what you've accomplished and the gains you've made so far. Then examine what you were doing, thinking, and feeling when you slipped up. What was going on that really triggered the urge to deviate from your plans? Then plan, practice, and act as described above.
   
   
8. Reward Yourself.
   A pat on the back feels good and makes it more likely that the desired behaviors will be continued. Set short and long term goals and build in incentives for reaching them. WARNING: Do not use food as a reward. While treats are often used with children to reward good behavior, they only serve to sabotage an otherwise well conceived weight management regimen. Choose adult rewards to acknowledge your hard work and achievements. Be creative and make this fun. Massages, makeover's, new clothes, sporting goods, exercise equipment, and other things that support your healthier lifestyle are all good choices. Vacation/ health retreat anyone?
   
   
9. Set A Reasonable Pace.
   Too much of a good thing can backfire. Be motivated and ambitious in your plans, but don't over-do it. Slow, consistent progress produces sustainable results. Be gentle with yourself and enjoy the journey.
   
   
10. Limit Alcohol Use.
    Alcohol use can be a double, triple whami when it comes to weight management. The first triple whami is that alcohol reduces resolve, compromises judgement, and dis-inhibits behavior. Talk about setting the stage for relapse! The second triple whami is that alcohol is extremely calorie-dense (more fattening than fat) and nutrient poor, it increases appetite (in low to moderate doses), and slows down metabolism. What better formula for gaining useless pounds? Enough said! Please, use alcohol with caution.

AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:

Little of what I write is truly seminal; most is a synthesis or extension of what I have been blessed to learn from others and from life. I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge my good friend and colleague, Dr. MaryLou Klem, who contributed substantially to the last edition of Salubrations. MaryLou and I met during our residency training in behavioral medicine at the University of Mississippi/ Jackson V.A. Medical Centers Consortium. After graduation I joined the faculty there and MaryLou went on to become a research scientist at the University of Pittsburgh where she specializes in the study of weight management and control.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Dr. Tim Cline is a success coach. He supports people in attaining what they REALLY want in life. Tim coaches his clients to plan and complete the actions needed to optimize their health, attain success, and enjoy a true sense of fulfillment in their personal and professional lives. Tim coaches individuals and groups around the country via telephone. His services also include motivational speaking, workshops, seminars, and retreats. An experienced scientist, health educator, psychotherapist, project manager, consultant, athlete, fitness trainer, and skills training specialist, Tim is well qualified to coach anyone who is interested in being healthy and having an extraordinary life.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT:

Effective weight loss typically requires the right combination of nutritional regimens and behavior management strategies for eating and physical activity. Physicians, psychologists, nutritionists, health educators, health coaches, and certified fitness trainers are all good resources for information in those areas. If you or someone you know has been struggling with losing or keeping weight off, why not take advantage of a FREE consultation. Dr. Cline offers a FREE 45-minute, no obligation consultation to anyone who is ready and willing to go after their goal. From a single focus like managing your weight to reinventing your entire life, Tim is ready to stand for you. To schedule your free consultation or to get a more detailed informational packet, just call (323) 654-9721.

Copyright 1998 by T. R. Cline. All rights reserved