foxfieldco
03-16-2004, 12:25 AM
Weed Out Bad Weight-Loss Behaviors
If a gardener wants beautiful blooms in her garden, she has to both plant flowers and also remove the weeds. It's a great way to think about your weight-loss life, too: With some hard work and dedication, you can remove your weight-loss "weeds" and replace them with plants that grow more beautiful blooms.
Get Dirty!
You've probably heard your Leader or other Meetings Members talking about Switching, one of the powerful new tools from Weight Watchers Tools For Living. It's a great way to weed out unwanted habits.
Here's how it works:
Decide which behavior you want to get rid of. Say you want to stop the habit of drinking too much soda, for example.
Close your eyes and make a big, bright picture in your mind of what you see just before the unwanted habit begins — like a glass of soda coming toward your mouth. Then clear away the picture.
Now make a big, bright picture of the habit you'd like to have instead. For example, picture yourself pushing away the glass of soda and reaching for water instead. Clear away the picture.
Go back to the first picture — the picture of the bad habit. But this time put a small picture of the habit you'd rather have in the corner.
Now switch the two pictures by making the picture of the healthier habit bigger and brighter. Repeat the switch five times.
Test your results. Try to imagine the "bad habit" picture again — it should be more difficult. If it's not, repeat steps 4 and 5.
Sometimes old habits creep back into your life, like weeds growing back. If that happens to you, stick with it — developing new habits takes some sweat. Just use Switching whenever you need it, until your new habits really start to take root.
17 Things To Do Instead of Overeating
It's amazing what boredom can do to your weight-loss plan. You're driven by motivation and determination when you're busy, but the minute you've got some downtime, it all goes down the tubes.
You're not alone. But there's a way to help yourself. According to Cynthia G. Last, Ph.D., author of The 5 Reasons We Overeat (Birch Lane Press, 1999), the trick is really understanding your triggers.
Ask yourself what's really wrong, and why you're using food to feel better. Talk to friends and family. And know that, as Last says, "Boredom that never feels like it goes away might be part of a depression." If you think that's the case for you, ask your doctor for help.
"But if your plans are thrown off track by occasional boredom eating, it's probably a habit," Last continues. "Or something you're just used to doing as a pleasurable activity."
Or, says Samantha Heller, MS, RD, senior clinical nutritionist at the New York University Medical Center in New York City, eating when you're bored might actually be a sign of stress — you feel like you have so many things to do that you're avoiding all of them.
"If you understand your triggers," says Heller, "you're better able to control how you behave when they happen." Make self-analysis your first step toward beating boredom eating.
Whatever's behind your boredom eating, your second step after understanding your motivation is to come up with a plan. Try this:
1. Analyze your pattern. When does boredom eating usually become a problem for you? Mid-week? Evening? If you know when it's most likely to strike, you'll be better prepared for the battle.
2. Come up with alternatives. Know ahead of time what you'll do instead of eating the next time you're bored. "On an index card, make a list of alternate activities," says Last. "Have the list with you at all times, so you can take it out when you need it."
Make sure your list is full of fulfilling things you like to do (a list of boring activities won't help). And try to include a variety of things that will suit different moods and times of day. Be sure to add a few items that will help you toward your weight goal, too. Here are some ideas to get you started:
If you have 10 minutes …
Write down the foods you've eaten so far today.
Make a grocery list of healthy foods.
Schedule your next exercise session.
Make a pot of herbal tea.
Shop online for a sexy new dress.
If you have 30 minutes …
Go for a walk.
Look through past weeks in your POINTS® Tracker. Check out weeks that worked, and see if there's anything you did then that you can do again this week.
Check out the message boards in the WeightWatchers.com Community.
If you have a buddy on the plan, too, call or email and see how he or she is doing.
Write a personal page in your Journal. How do you feel about your weight loss so far? What can't you wait to accomplish?
Read some of a favorite book.
If you have an hour or more …
Look through healthy recipe ideas.
Clean out your closets. Throw away clothes that are now too big, or donate them to charity.
Go for a long bike ride.
Start a craft project. Needlepoint or decoupage will keep your hands busy, and you'll have something to show for it in the end.
Take your kids to the park.
Go to a Weight Watchers Meeting.
Overcoming 5 Common Weight Loss Obstacles
If you're new to dieting (and maybe even if you aren't), you may think that a successful weight-loss journey is one that's struggle-free. It starts the day you snap out of your old habits and start eating and exercising the right way, and ends the day you are at the weight of your dreams. And there isn't a single hitch along the way.
Well, here's something you ought to know. Samantha Heller, MS, RD, senior clinical nutritionist at the New York University Medical Center in New York City, says, "In the course of a weight loss journey, everybody encounters obstacles."
"We can't be perfect," says Heller. But getting thrown off track occasionally does not mean you've messed up for good. Don't set yourself up for failure by believing that. In any process that requires changing lifestyle habits, there are going to be ups and downs. Understand that, and you're on your way to lifelong success.
Obstacle Advice
That said, expecting ups and downs is the perfect way to make them work for you, rather than against you. We asked several dieters what they think are the most common weight-loss obstacles. Here's what they said, and what you should do when you come across these challenges on your weight-loss journey.
Common Obstacle #1: Shame
One dieter said: "My biggest mistake? Skipping my weekly weight-loss meeting if I think I gained some weight. That's when I need help the most!"
How to jump the hurdle: Knowing you overindulged can be upsetting, says Heller, but instead of punishing yourself, learn from the lesson. Out of shame, you may feel tempted to stop keeping track of what you eat, or to stop stepping on the scale. Don't! "Keeping a good food diary keeps you conscious and aware of what you're doing," she says. You can use it — together with your scale — to find out how well you're doing, and most important, why you're getting the results that you are.
Common Obstacle #2: Unrealistic Deadlines
One dieter said: "Every time I say I want to lose weight by a certain date or event, I wind up not losing anything and sometimes gaining. That has been my biggest downfall."
How to jump the hurdle: The temptation to try to get to a certain weight in time for an event such as a wedding or reunion is strong. But doing so, says Heller, could set you up for failure. Not making your deadline could turn you off to weight loss altogether. "Be patient with your body," she says. "Set realistic goals, then work hard to get to them." Remember, reaching your weight goal will feel just as great if it takes you longer to get there, and taking the time to establish healthy habits will help you stay at your weight goal for life.
Common Obstacle #3: Temptation
One dieter said: "I used to say, before starting a diet, 'I'll never eat X again' in order to lose weight. 'Never' is a long time, and restricting foods from my diet just made me want to eat that restricted food even more!"
How to jump the hurdle: If you have favorite foods that are very high in calories, and you really love them, deciding you'll never eat them again is a recipe for disaster. Because then, when the temptation wins (and it probably will), you'll feel as though you've failed. The trick is to find ways to fit the food in without going off track. Look for low-fat versions, for example. Or allow yourself an occasional splurge. "Just always understand the pros and cons of eating whatever the food is," says Heller, and plan accordingly.
Common Obstacle #4: The "Diet" Mentality
One dieter said: "When I think of weight loss as 'this is how I'm living my life now,' instead of calling it a 'diet,' it is less overwhelming. Just 'something I do.' Otherwise, I get hung up on 'I can't wait until I can eat X again.'"
How to jump the hurdle: "Something you do for a couple weeks to a month is not going to change your life," says Heller. Create habits that you know you'll be able to keep up every day for the rest of your life, and, even if it's one habit at a time, dedicate yourself to making the changes for good. This way, your weight loss will be for good, too!
Common Obstacle #5: Plateaus
One dieter said: "When I read the stories of people who have been really successful at this, they have hung on despite plateaus and gains. Being impatient is probably my biggest mistake."
How to jump the hurdle: "Understand that it's totally okay to reach a plateau in your weight loss," says Heller. The reasons could be your body's natural reaction, or it could mean you've loosened up on the good habits you've developed. Either way, break through by keeping at it and increasing your exercise. Just be patient, and you will make your goal!
How to Banish Bad Habits
We know. You've repeatedly tried to give up your bad habit. But several weeks down the road, you're still smoking, eating junk food, loading your coffee with sugar or biting your nails. The problem is not your resolve, it's that your expectations are too high. Rome wasn't built in a day and, similarly, saying goodbye to a bad habit takes months. As you give it up, you need to put strategies in place to understand your compulsion and prevent a relapse. Here's how to withdraw without weakening:
Take it Slowly
Old habits die hard. And the more years you've had yours, the more time you may need to give it up. So don't do anything too suddenly. 'Though the cold turkey approach can sometimes work, it's usually only successful for a minority of people,' says psychologist Bregita Martin. 'For the majority, it's better to learn to live without your habit in stages.'
Solution: Instead of trying to get rid of your habit, aim to indulge in it less. Once you feel like you have more control, try cutting back even more. This habit-reduction method ca n be successfully applied to many kinds of habits. Over time you'll be able to cut back more and more, and, eventually, stop altogether.
Identify Why You're Hooked
What's driving your habit? 'Anxiety, boredom, frustration or depression are often at the heart of our longest held habits,' says Martin. 'If one particular emotion seems to chronically overwhelm you, maybe you should consider some counseling to examine why it's an issue and discuss some counter strategies.'
Solution: Identify your triggers - the situations, places or feelings that cause you to eat a whole box of cookies or pick at your cuticles. Write them down, listing them in order from strong to mild. Once you know why you are hooked, you can work on strategies to counter those triggers.
Avoid Temptation
You know you have to avoid unhealthy foods. But every time you go for a cappuccino with a girlfriend or to McDonald's with your kids, you can't seem to control yourself.
Solution: 'For the first few weeks of quitting, it is a good idea to avoid situations that you know will trigger your craving,' say Dr. Robyn Richmond and Kathy Harris in their book Becoming a Non-Smoker. 'This will give you a few weeks to build your confidence before you expose yourself to potentially risky situations.'
Create New Behavior Patterns
Do you chew on your nails or reach for a cigarette whenever you're feeling stressed? How about whenever you're bored?
Solution: The next time you catch yourself in the middle of this knee-jerk response, stop and do something else - count to fifty, stretch your arms or flex your fingers. Have a small repertoire of behaviors you can use to replace the habit.
Be Prepared For Relapse
Everything was going so well, but then you had a horrible day so you cut yourself some slack. Now you're slipping back into old patterns.
Solution: Don't go down the self-defeatist road of thinking, 'Oh well, I just can't kick it.' Regard your relapse as one small step back and focus on the many forward steps you've taken. Now go into damage control. According to Richmond and Harris: 'A relapse can be a momentary lapse or can be a return to your habit. But there is a way to bypass this mental tug of war. Be constructive and analyze the relapse, identifying why it happened, in what situation, how you were feeling and what you can do to prevent the same thing from happening again. Then renew your commitment to quit.'
5 Ways to Tame Food Temptations
Images of delectable foods saturate the media. Well-meaning friends and relatives offer you fries, pies and everything in between. How often are you able to resist? If the answer is less often than your waistline would like, try these five "T's" to help you tame that temptation tiger:
Timing. When do your munchies strike? Mid-morning? Between lunch and dinner? Right after work? Midnight? Identify your most vulnerable time for calorie calamities, and plan ahead by keeping healthy snacks handy. You can't eat an infinite amount of them, but they'll help you avoid higher-calorie indulgences.
Hitting the sack earlier is another timely strategy. According to psychological researcher John De Castro, PhD, of Georgia State University, exhaustion makes us more vulnerable to overeating. So the more you sleep, the less you're likely to be tempted.
Tasting. Temptation thrives on all-or-nothing behavior, so turning down something you crave might only serve to fuel your craving. Just because a slice of cake is high in calories doesn't mean you can't try a bite or two – just be sure not to overdue it. Next time you're at a restaurant, let someone else order dessert, and allow yourself a spoonful. Savoring a small taste can be surprisingly satisfying.
Teaching. Let's face it, you know what foods are extra-hard for you to resist. So identify them and do something about it. That might mean keeping Ben & Jerry out of your freezer and Sara Lee out of your fridge. Or it could entail finding another route to the bus stop if your regular route takes you past Dunkin' Donuts. Knowing your triggers will help you tackle the toughest temptations.
Taking charge. For every situation that rattles your control, come up with one good rebuttal. Say, for example, the couch looks more tempting than that bicycle collecting cobwebs in your garage. Remind yourself that getting even five minutes of physical activity is beneficial, according to the Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute. Focus on what you're getting – a fitter body – rather than what you're giving up – a sitcom.
Talking. Have you kept quiet about your weight-loss goal because you're worried you might not reach it? Many people do, often out of fear of failure. But in fact, says Vermont psychologist Sally Mattson, making a public commitment often has the opposite effect. Sharing your goal can strengthen your resolve and create a support community. After all, most people love to offer encouragement. You, in turn, may inspire others to lose weight – or at least discourage them from offering you tempting treats.
If a gardener wants beautiful blooms in her garden, she has to both plant flowers and also remove the weeds. It's a great way to think about your weight-loss life, too: With some hard work and dedication, you can remove your weight-loss "weeds" and replace them with plants that grow more beautiful blooms.
Get Dirty!
You've probably heard your Leader or other Meetings Members talking about Switching, one of the powerful new tools from Weight Watchers Tools For Living. It's a great way to weed out unwanted habits.
Here's how it works:
Decide which behavior you want to get rid of. Say you want to stop the habit of drinking too much soda, for example.
Close your eyes and make a big, bright picture in your mind of what you see just before the unwanted habit begins — like a glass of soda coming toward your mouth. Then clear away the picture.
Now make a big, bright picture of the habit you'd like to have instead. For example, picture yourself pushing away the glass of soda and reaching for water instead. Clear away the picture.
Go back to the first picture — the picture of the bad habit. But this time put a small picture of the habit you'd rather have in the corner.
Now switch the two pictures by making the picture of the healthier habit bigger and brighter. Repeat the switch five times.
Test your results. Try to imagine the "bad habit" picture again — it should be more difficult. If it's not, repeat steps 4 and 5.
Sometimes old habits creep back into your life, like weeds growing back. If that happens to you, stick with it — developing new habits takes some sweat. Just use Switching whenever you need it, until your new habits really start to take root.
17 Things To Do Instead of Overeating
It's amazing what boredom can do to your weight-loss plan. You're driven by motivation and determination when you're busy, but the minute you've got some downtime, it all goes down the tubes.
You're not alone. But there's a way to help yourself. According to Cynthia G. Last, Ph.D., author of The 5 Reasons We Overeat (Birch Lane Press, 1999), the trick is really understanding your triggers.
Ask yourself what's really wrong, and why you're using food to feel better. Talk to friends and family. And know that, as Last says, "Boredom that never feels like it goes away might be part of a depression." If you think that's the case for you, ask your doctor for help.
"But if your plans are thrown off track by occasional boredom eating, it's probably a habit," Last continues. "Or something you're just used to doing as a pleasurable activity."
Or, says Samantha Heller, MS, RD, senior clinical nutritionist at the New York University Medical Center in New York City, eating when you're bored might actually be a sign of stress — you feel like you have so many things to do that you're avoiding all of them.
"If you understand your triggers," says Heller, "you're better able to control how you behave when they happen." Make self-analysis your first step toward beating boredom eating.
Whatever's behind your boredom eating, your second step after understanding your motivation is to come up with a plan. Try this:
1. Analyze your pattern. When does boredom eating usually become a problem for you? Mid-week? Evening? If you know when it's most likely to strike, you'll be better prepared for the battle.
2. Come up with alternatives. Know ahead of time what you'll do instead of eating the next time you're bored. "On an index card, make a list of alternate activities," says Last. "Have the list with you at all times, so you can take it out when you need it."
Make sure your list is full of fulfilling things you like to do (a list of boring activities won't help). And try to include a variety of things that will suit different moods and times of day. Be sure to add a few items that will help you toward your weight goal, too. Here are some ideas to get you started:
If you have 10 minutes …
Write down the foods you've eaten so far today.
Make a grocery list of healthy foods.
Schedule your next exercise session.
Make a pot of herbal tea.
Shop online for a sexy new dress.
If you have 30 minutes …
Go for a walk.
Look through past weeks in your POINTS® Tracker. Check out weeks that worked, and see if there's anything you did then that you can do again this week.
Check out the message boards in the WeightWatchers.com Community.
If you have a buddy on the plan, too, call or email and see how he or she is doing.
Write a personal page in your Journal. How do you feel about your weight loss so far? What can't you wait to accomplish?
Read some of a favorite book.
If you have an hour or more …
Look through healthy recipe ideas.
Clean out your closets. Throw away clothes that are now too big, or donate them to charity.
Go for a long bike ride.
Start a craft project. Needlepoint or decoupage will keep your hands busy, and you'll have something to show for it in the end.
Take your kids to the park.
Go to a Weight Watchers Meeting.
Overcoming 5 Common Weight Loss Obstacles
If you're new to dieting (and maybe even if you aren't), you may think that a successful weight-loss journey is one that's struggle-free. It starts the day you snap out of your old habits and start eating and exercising the right way, and ends the day you are at the weight of your dreams. And there isn't a single hitch along the way.
Well, here's something you ought to know. Samantha Heller, MS, RD, senior clinical nutritionist at the New York University Medical Center in New York City, says, "In the course of a weight loss journey, everybody encounters obstacles."
"We can't be perfect," says Heller. But getting thrown off track occasionally does not mean you've messed up for good. Don't set yourself up for failure by believing that. In any process that requires changing lifestyle habits, there are going to be ups and downs. Understand that, and you're on your way to lifelong success.
Obstacle Advice
That said, expecting ups and downs is the perfect way to make them work for you, rather than against you. We asked several dieters what they think are the most common weight-loss obstacles. Here's what they said, and what you should do when you come across these challenges on your weight-loss journey.
Common Obstacle #1: Shame
One dieter said: "My biggest mistake? Skipping my weekly weight-loss meeting if I think I gained some weight. That's when I need help the most!"
How to jump the hurdle: Knowing you overindulged can be upsetting, says Heller, but instead of punishing yourself, learn from the lesson. Out of shame, you may feel tempted to stop keeping track of what you eat, or to stop stepping on the scale. Don't! "Keeping a good food diary keeps you conscious and aware of what you're doing," she says. You can use it — together with your scale — to find out how well you're doing, and most important, why you're getting the results that you are.
Common Obstacle #2: Unrealistic Deadlines
One dieter said: "Every time I say I want to lose weight by a certain date or event, I wind up not losing anything and sometimes gaining. That has been my biggest downfall."
How to jump the hurdle: The temptation to try to get to a certain weight in time for an event such as a wedding or reunion is strong. But doing so, says Heller, could set you up for failure. Not making your deadline could turn you off to weight loss altogether. "Be patient with your body," she says. "Set realistic goals, then work hard to get to them." Remember, reaching your weight goal will feel just as great if it takes you longer to get there, and taking the time to establish healthy habits will help you stay at your weight goal for life.
Common Obstacle #3: Temptation
One dieter said: "I used to say, before starting a diet, 'I'll never eat X again' in order to lose weight. 'Never' is a long time, and restricting foods from my diet just made me want to eat that restricted food even more!"
How to jump the hurdle: If you have favorite foods that are very high in calories, and you really love them, deciding you'll never eat them again is a recipe for disaster. Because then, when the temptation wins (and it probably will), you'll feel as though you've failed. The trick is to find ways to fit the food in without going off track. Look for low-fat versions, for example. Or allow yourself an occasional splurge. "Just always understand the pros and cons of eating whatever the food is," says Heller, and plan accordingly.
Common Obstacle #4: The "Diet" Mentality
One dieter said: "When I think of weight loss as 'this is how I'm living my life now,' instead of calling it a 'diet,' it is less overwhelming. Just 'something I do.' Otherwise, I get hung up on 'I can't wait until I can eat X again.'"
How to jump the hurdle: "Something you do for a couple weeks to a month is not going to change your life," says Heller. Create habits that you know you'll be able to keep up every day for the rest of your life, and, even if it's one habit at a time, dedicate yourself to making the changes for good. This way, your weight loss will be for good, too!
Common Obstacle #5: Plateaus
One dieter said: "When I read the stories of people who have been really successful at this, they have hung on despite plateaus and gains. Being impatient is probably my biggest mistake."
How to jump the hurdle: "Understand that it's totally okay to reach a plateau in your weight loss," says Heller. The reasons could be your body's natural reaction, or it could mean you've loosened up on the good habits you've developed. Either way, break through by keeping at it and increasing your exercise. Just be patient, and you will make your goal!
How to Banish Bad Habits
We know. You've repeatedly tried to give up your bad habit. But several weeks down the road, you're still smoking, eating junk food, loading your coffee with sugar or biting your nails. The problem is not your resolve, it's that your expectations are too high. Rome wasn't built in a day and, similarly, saying goodbye to a bad habit takes months. As you give it up, you need to put strategies in place to understand your compulsion and prevent a relapse. Here's how to withdraw without weakening:
Take it Slowly
Old habits die hard. And the more years you've had yours, the more time you may need to give it up. So don't do anything too suddenly. 'Though the cold turkey approach can sometimes work, it's usually only successful for a minority of people,' says psychologist Bregita Martin. 'For the majority, it's better to learn to live without your habit in stages.'
Solution: Instead of trying to get rid of your habit, aim to indulge in it less. Once you feel like you have more control, try cutting back even more. This habit-reduction method ca n be successfully applied to many kinds of habits. Over time you'll be able to cut back more and more, and, eventually, stop altogether.
Identify Why You're Hooked
What's driving your habit? 'Anxiety, boredom, frustration or depression are often at the heart of our longest held habits,' says Martin. 'If one particular emotion seems to chronically overwhelm you, maybe you should consider some counseling to examine why it's an issue and discuss some counter strategies.'
Solution: Identify your triggers - the situations, places or feelings that cause you to eat a whole box of cookies or pick at your cuticles. Write them down, listing them in order from strong to mild. Once you know why you are hooked, you can work on strategies to counter those triggers.
Avoid Temptation
You know you have to avoid unhealthy foods. But every time you go for a cappuccino with a girlfriend or to McDonald's with your kids, you can't seem to control yourself.
Solution: 'For the first few weeks of quitting, it is a good idea to avoid situations that you know will trigger your craving,' say Dr. Robyn Richmond and Kathy Harris in their book Becoming a Non-Smoker. 'This will give you a few weeks to build your confidence before you expose yourself to potentially risky situations.'
Create New Behavior Patterns
Do you chew on your nails or reach for a cigarette whenever you're feeling stressed? How about whenever you're bored?
Solution: The next time you catch yourself in the middle of this knee-jerk response, stop and do something else - count to fifty, stretch your arms or flex your fingers. Have a small repertoire of behaviors you can use to replace the habit.
Be Prepared For Relapse
Everything was going so well, but then you had a horrible day so you cut yourself some slack. Now you're slipping back into old patterns.
Solution: Don't go down the self-defeatist road of thinking, 'Oh well, I just can't kick it.' Regard your relapse as one small step back and focus on the many forward steps you've taken. Now go into damage control. According to Richmond and Harris: 'A relapse can be a momentary lapse or can be a return to your habit. But there is a way to bypass this mental tug of war. Be constructive and analyze the relapse, identifying why it happened, in what situation, how you were feeling and what you can do to prevent the same thing from happening again. Then renew your commitment to quit.'
5 Ways to Tame Food Temptations
Images of delectable foods saturate the media. Well-meaning friends and relatives offer you fries, pies and everything in between. How often are you able to resist? If the answer is less often than your waistline would like, try these five "T's" to help you tame that temptation tiger:
Timing. When do your munchies strike? Mid-morning? Between lunch and dinner? Right after work? Midnight? Identify your most vulnerable time for calorie calamities, and plan ahead by keeping healthy snacks handy. You can't eat an infinite amount of them, but they'll help you avoid higher-calorie indulgences.
Hitting the sack earlier is another timely strategy. According to psychological researcher John De Castro, PhD, of Georgia State University, exhaustion makes us more vulnerable to overeating. So the more you sleep, the less you're likely to be tempted.
Tasting. Temptation thrives on all-or-nothing behavior, so turning down something you crave might only serve to fuel your craving. Just because a slice of cake is high in calories doesn't mean you can't try a bite or two – just be sure not to overdue it. Next time you're at a restaurant, let someone else order dessert, and allow yourself a spoonful. Savoring a small taste can be surprisingly satisfying.
Teaching. Let's face it, you know what foods are extra-hard for you to resist. So identify them and do something about it. That might mean keeping Ben & Jerry out of your freezer and Sara Lee out of your fridge. Or it could entail finding another route to the bus stop if your regular route takes you past Dunkin' Donuts. Knowing your triggers will help you tackle the toughest temptations.
Taking charge. For every situation that rattles your control, come up with one good rebuttal. Say, for example, the couch looks more tempting than that bicycle collecting cobwebs in your garage. Remind yourself that getting even five minutes of physical activity is beneficial, according to the Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute. Focus on what you're getting – a fitter body – rather than what you're giving up – a sitcom.
Talking. Have you kept quiet about your weight-loss goal because you're worried you might not reach it? Many people do, often out of fear of failure. But in fact, says Vermont psychologist Sally Mattson, making a public commitment often has the opposite effect. Sharing your goal can strengthen your resolve and create a support community. After all, most people love to offer encouragement. You, in turn, may inspire others to lose weight – or at least discourage them from offering you tempting treats.