break

Chapter 3 Break 5 Habits

Changing any habit can be challenging. Changing a habit that has been going on for many years, that involves our emotional, social and psychological lives, is difficult. But change is possible. Here are 5 habits to break that can make a difference in your weight.

Matthew Clark, Ph.D.      Psychology

By using the right strategies for you, you can succeed in breaking the five unhealthy habits detailed in this chapter. Try these ideas:

Have confidence in yourself. If we believe in ourselves, we can succeed. Anticipate urges and plan strategies for managing urges. If every day at work, for the past 10 years, when I’m under stress I’ve walked to the break room and had a candy bar, I shouldn’t expect my desire for candy bars to just disappear. Having an urge is OK. Giving in to the urge is the problem. When you get an urge:   1. Tell yourself the urge will last for at most 20 minutes — just manage the next few minutes.   2. Do something. Mentally distract yourself (call a friend, read a book), use positive self-talk      (remind yourself of your goals), or physically do something (clean your house, take a      walk). Focus on what you’re adding to your life. Many people losing weight have told me it often seems that they’re avoiding doing things, like not eating ice cream. Sometimes, it can be more successful to focus on what I need to do, rather than what I’m trying not to do. Use social support. Being around positive people that we care about can help us make changes.

Changing habits is challenging, but with confidence and the right strategies, you can succeed.

What:

Don’t watch TV while eating (or, flipping it around, no eating while watching TV). Same applies for any “screen time,” such as computer use. And, spend only as much time watching TV as you do exercising.

Why:

Studies show that watching TV contributes to increased weight — you aren’t moving, and there’s also a good chance that you’re sipping or nibbling on something. If you establish the rule of no TV or “screen time” while eating, and only as much time watching TV as time you spend exercising, you’re breaking one bad habit (mindless nibbling) while developing a good one (being more active).

How:

Put a sticky note on the TV and the remote control to remind yourself that you need to exercise before watching TV or while watching TV. Put a sticky note on your computer to remind yourself not to eat while using the computer. Build up TV time by exercising before you turn on the set. Don’t use TV minutes before you’ve earned them. Turn the TV off while eating — you may be more likely to overeat if you get lost in a TV show and don’t pay attention to how much you’re eating. Exercise while watching TV. The possibilities are limited only by your imagination.

Some ideas include:

› Walking “laps” around the living room › Walking on a treadmill › Using a stationary bike › Marching in place › Doing calisthenics › Lifting weights › Using exercise bands

If you’re watching a longer program, exercise during the program and take recovery breaks during the ads, or vice

versa if you’re very new to exercise. If you’re pinched for time, record programs and skip through the commercials when you watch later on. This can reduce watching time by about one-third. Record your TV time as you do exercise time, using The Mayo Clinic Diet Journal. The two times should match.

Use a weekly TV programming guide to schedule exercise at the times when your favorite shows are on. There’s no reason to exclude enjoyment while you control the amount of time you watch. Stick to your schedule once it’s set. Skip the TV altogether and go outside for a walk, bike ride or run, or to do vigorous yardwork. Look for alternatives that help you break the habit of watching TV as you do other things. You’re more likely to move more if you listen to the radio or to books on tape. Put on some music and move! “Out of sight, out of mind,” may be the best way to reduce the temptation of turning on the TV. Move your set so that it’s not a focal point of the room. Watch TV at only one place in the house. Disconnect or remove all other TVs. In particular, TV sets located in bedrooms and kitchens can lure you into motionless watching.

Use positive self-talk — “I can do this!” instead of “I can’t do this.” Talk yourself up, not down. Focus on positives, not negatives.

What:

If you want something sweet, eat fresh fruit. Otherwise, no sugar from common sources — candy, table sugar, brown sugar, honey, jam, jelly, desserts, sweets, and foods that contain more than a tiny amount of sugar or high-fructose corn syrup (such as soda and some coffee drinks).

Why:

Sugar has calories but no nutritional value. Sugar intake has increased tremendously in the United States over the past few decades and has contributed to the increase in obesity.

How:

Before you start the program, rid your home of sweets and sodas, stock up on fresh fruit, and replenish it regularly. Keep fresh or unsweetened frozen or canned fruit available at home and at the office so that you’ve got healthy snacks available. Instead of sugar, put fresh fruit on your morning cereal, toast, pancakes or plain yogurt. Avoid cereals that contain sugar. Instead, try whole-grain cereals such as oatmeal, and use fruit and spices to enhance flavor. Experiment with spices — try cinnamon in unsweetened applesauce as a spread on pancakes or toast. Other spices that may add sweetness include allspice, cardamom, cloves, ginger and nutmeg. Read labels to look for sugar in products. If corn syrup, dextrose, sucrose, glucose, fructose, maltose, turbinado sugar, molasses or high-fructose corn syrup is listed among the first few ingredients on a label, the product likely has a high sugar content and should be avoided. Make your own fruit popsicles by blending one or more fruits with a little juice and freezing the mixture. Alcohol is counted as a sugar, and no alcohol is allowed in Lose It! Substitute fruit juice mixed with sparkling water for soda. Or make a fruit smoothie in the blender, mixing fat-free vanilla frozen yogurt and fat-free milk with fruit or frozen juice concentrate. Be creative and test your culinary skills. For dessert, prepare baked apples or grilled pineapple. Try new tastes that challenge and motivate you — and help divert your attention from more familiar, sugar-laden food. Serve fruits such as kumquat, lychee, mango, papaya, pomegranate, star fruit or Ugli fruit, which can be obtained at many grocery stores or specialty food stores.

To be successful, it helps to believe that you can lose weight and to visualize yourself accomplishing your goal. Believe it, see it, do it!

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NEED TO SOOTH YOUR SWEET TOOTH?

Why not just stock up on foods containing low-calorie artificial sweeteners? Sounds like a perfect solution, adding the sweetness of sugar without all the calories or carbohydrates. Not so fast! Many ready-to-eat foods using low- calorie sweeteners — such as diet sodas, candies and cookies — have little nutritional value and should be avoided. In addition, new studies have raised concerns that consuming foods containing low-calorie sweeteners may actually lead to increased calorie intake and weight gain (if you don’t feel inhibited by the sugar, you may eat more than you would otherwise). Low- calorie sweeteners can be part of a healthy-eating plan — if they’re used with care and in moderation. But in the two-week Lose It! phase, avoid sugar substitutes.

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What:

If you want to snack between meals, make it only vegetables or fruits and nothing else.

Why:

Common snacks typically have a lot of calories and little nutritional value for their volume. Vegetables and fruits are just the opposite — they can fill you up without contributing many calories to your daily total, and they’re packed with healthy nutrients. Snacking can be a double-edged sword — snacking on vegetables and fruits a couple of times a day can actually help you manage your weight, while snacking on some conventional commercial snacks can pack on pounds.

How:

Before you start the program, remove from your home all conventional snacks, including cookies, chips, candy and ice cream. Don’t tuck them away in the back of a cupboard or freezer. Don’t think you can resist the temptation of opening the package. Get rid of them! If it’s in your house, it’s in your mouth. Stock your home with plenty of ready-to-eat vegetables and fruits. Don’t expect to get by just on baby carrots — they should be one of many different options you can choose from. Keep vegetables and fruits available at the office so they’re handy for snacks. Try a variety of vegetables and fruits so you don’t get bored with one kind. For example, for fruit, instead of the familiar apples and oranges, try kiwi, mango, Bing cherries and apricots. Experiment with sprinkling different spices and herbs on vegetables and fruits to create new flavors. Establish a pattern of healthy eating every day. Space meals at intervals that are not too long. Allowing too much time to pass between meals can create a ravenous hunger that drives you to mindless snacking. Have some shelf-stable fruits and vegetables at home, for example, unsweetened canned or frozen fruit, frozen vegetables or low-sodium vegetable juice. If you’re not in the habit of reaching for vegetables and fruits first, make an effort to choose them anytime during the day, both as a snack and at the beginning of meals. Identify situations that lead you to snacking, and then try to avoid them or find alternate activities. If you habitually snack during work breaks, try going for a walk instead. If you can’t resist a candy bar whenever you walk past the drugstore, find a different route. If emotions such as anger or sadness give you ice-cream cravings, call or talk to a friend who can listen and help relieve your urge to snack. Distraction is one of the best ways to get you past a snack craving. Prepare a list of enjoyable activities that you have at the ready for when a craving starts. Some form of exercise is an easy method of diverting your attention, but you