Food for thought

[Guest guest]

I found this at Sansone's website, enjoy!

Sharon

Food For Thought

If your desire is to lose weight, oftentimes, the relationship that

you have with food becomes overwhelming. Whether it is learning how

many calories each food has, what kinds of food to eat, what time to

eat certain types of food, or combining foods to obtain maximum

endurance, muscle gain or fat loss, Americans relationship with food

has gone beyond eating to live to living to eat!!!

Below are some tips to help you to have a more relaxing and

satisfying relationship with food.

1. After having a complete physical exam by a medical doctor, meet

with a nutritionist to discuss your body type, type and amount of

exercise and develop an overall eating plan that is right for you.

If you are using 's Walk Diet, the foods to be eaten are

already outlined for you.

2. How to eat. When eating meals, sit at a table or comfortable

spot in order to let your brain focus that it is time to eat and

will be more apt to pick up messages from your stomach that it is

full, therefore avoiding overeating. Try to eliminate television or

even reading at first to really enjoy and feel more satisfied from

the meal or snack. Try to focus on the flavor and eat slowly to

increase satisfaction. Your stomach will be full before the message

gets to your brain that you are full, so always wait about 30

minutes before going for seconds to allow your brain to catch up

with your stomach to determine if you are truly still physically

hungry. Avoid eating on the run or standing up, it can often lead

to lack of fulfillment and unnecessary snacking as well as excessive

caloric intake.

3. Portion control. Many people have difficulty recognizing

portions of food, therefore leading to overeating. Learning to eye

1 cup of milk or pasta or one serving of protein takes time and

practice. After about one month usually you will be more aware of

your intake and you will know how much food is within your limits.

A discount store such as Target or Walmart, or QVC may offer a food

scale as well as measuring cups to really increase your awareness of

how much food you are taking in daily.

4. When to eat. Usually when you are pysically hungry, depending on

your relationship with food. When you develop your food program and

get on a schedule, you will know when your body needs energy from

food. This will depend on your individual body type, time schedule,

type and amounts of exercise. Some people eat to fill the wrong

emptiness. Often emotional hunger is misread as physical hunger.

Be aware if you tend to eat when sad, mad, frustrated, bored, happy,

social, overwhelmed, anxious, etc. These feelings need to be

overcome by applying coping skills that will address the thought and

feeling other than eating food. The key is to be aware if you are

physically hungry and if it is time to eat, i.e. it has been two to

four hours since you last ate, or if you are feeling emotionally

uncomfortable or even comfortable therefore reaching for food for a

quick fix or even reward. Some additional tips are:

* Do not skip breakfast. More and more studies are showing the

effectiveness of children and adults who eat breakfast compared to

those who do not. If you are unsure what types of foods to eat in

the morning, a simple approach could be 2 starches, one fruit

serving, one dairy, and one fat depending on the type of program

that you are on. Remember the simpler the better. You want this to

be a lifestyle change and something that can be applied daily and

long-term.

* Some people eat several times throughout the day and spread out

their caloric intake, others stick to three meals a day. You will

determine which is best for you.

5. If food has been looked upon as the enemy or the cause of your

struggles, it is time to re-establish a healthy relationship with

food and to see it for what it is. Food is a way to gain

nourishment and we need it for survival. As stated above it has

come to be a tool to cope with emotions, show love, fill voids and

other roles that foods were not meant to play, therefore are

ineffective in doing anything but satisfying our physical hunger and

giving us the energy and vitamins necessary to survive. If food has

become a problem or an addiction in your life, I encourage you to

talk to a professional to overcome this difficulty and gain a

healthy relationship with food. Ask yourself " Has my life become

unmanageable because of food? " If the answer is yes, help is

available.

Having a healthy, balanced relationship with food is as important as

other relationships in your life. It can be as satisfying and

fulfilling, as you want it to be. It is part of the body, in our

mind, body, and spirit approach to living healthy. Become aware of

the role food plays in your life. This awareness will lead to

insight that can lead to any changes or modifications that need to

be made.