foxfieldco
10-08-2004, 11:24 AM
Weight Watchers eTools article of the week: Find Your Comfort Zone
~~ Get in the Comfort Zone
Imagine you're at the gas station about to fill your car up for a long day of driving. You probably wouldn't want to fill the tank to only 1/8 of its capacity, but you wouldn't keep pumping until the tank is overflowing either. To get your car to perform at its best, you're most likely going to put in an amount that's "just right."
The same theory applies to your body and its fuel. Like a car, your body functions best when it's got enough food to feel "just right" – not too full, and not running on empty. But recognizing your food comfort zone can be tricky, especially if you're used to eating too much or too little. So how do you learn to gauge your hunger accurately?
Learn the Hunger Scale.
You may have heard your Leader or other Meetings Members talking about a hunger "comfort zone." To better understand this concept, ask yourself how hungry you are, on a scale of zero to five – zero meaning starved and five meaning stuffed. The following chart may help:
0-1 – Very Hungry/Hungry
At this level you probably feel weak or dizzy, you may have trouble concentrating, and there is a gnawing, empty feeling in your stomach.
2-3 – Getting Hungry/Satisfied
At level two you're thinking about your next meal, but aren't ready to eat for at least another 30 minutes. And at level three you are completely comfortable and not thinking about food at all.
4-5 – Full/Very Full
At this level you probably feel like you've eaten too much, the thought of food may make you nauseous, and it's possible to feel sluggish or tired.
Now that you know the physical indicators of your comfort zone, it's important to listen to your body before and after each meal. You should aim to be within the 2-3 range at all times. For some people, eating three satisfying meals a day may do the trick, while others may need to eat five or six smaller meals and snacks throughout the day to stay within their comfort zone. By letting yourself get too hungry, you are setting yourself up to overindulge when you do finally eat. But if you learn to eat when you're hungry but not starved, it will be much easier to stop eating when you feel satisfied. Equipped with the right know-how, eating until you feel "just right" can be easy, and seeing the results in your weight-loss efforts can be a filling reward.
~~ How to Stop Mindless Eating
Go ahead and take a deep breath. Greater self-awareness seems to be a key element in putting the breaks on unconscious eating.
"The more we're aware of our thoughts, feelings and actions during the day, the more in control of unconscious forces we'll be," says Jeff Fine, MS, CSW, adjunct professor at New York University's Department of Nutrition and Food Studies. Fine proposes that we become more conscious of our physical actions in order to bridge the gap between psychology and our actual eating patterns.
Step One: Self-Awareness
"Stop, slow down and take a look," says Fine. One of his favorite time-halting methods: Sit in a comfortable position for 10 to 15 minutes a day and "watch your thoughts." Perhaps you'll uncover emotions and habits that lead you down the path to unconscious eating.
Fine suggests getting more in tune with your behaviors by trying some advanced journal keeping. Don't just record your food intake, but assess how you feel emotionally at different times of the day, too. "The very act of writing makes you more conscious," says Fine.
Step Two: Changing Your Responses
Once you start to uncover the situations that cause you to eat, it's time to do something that disrupts your robot-like responses and routines. Here are some strategies:
Resign from the Clean Plate Club (even though Mom taught you to finish every last morsel). "Think of food as medicine — or as fuel," suggests Fine, and break the habit by knowing it's okay to leave a bite or two over if you're full.
If you're compelled to grab jelly beans from the office candy jar every time you pass the kitchen, try walking a different route. Only one way to go? Then pass the kitchen with both of your hands already full (with a book, papers, a cup of water) and tell yourself you'll have your own meal or snack soon.
When a social call to a friend's house chronically turns into coffee and one too many cookies, make sure you have a satisfying snack before you go. Or suggest catching up on a walk through the park instead.
If you eat when you're stressed, create a list of ten other things you can do to address that emotion, like jumping rope, reading or playing the piano. You'll end up feeling cared for by doing something more positive for yourself.
Imagine yourself passing up those free samples given out at the supermarket by having a few rejection lines prepared. Ensure your success by not shopping on an empty stomach and by having a scrumptious but low-calorie dinner pre-planned so that you have extra incentive to stay away from those freebies.
~~ 15 Things to Do Instead of Overeating
What makes you blow your diet? A big presentation at work? A fight with your hubby? Absolute boredom?
Whatever it is, you're not alone. According to Cynthia G. Last, PhD., author of The 5 Reasons We Overeat (Birch Lane Press, 1998), 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, 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.
Plan what you'll do instead of eating the next time you're bored or stressed. "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 Weight 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 section.
Write in your diary or journal. How do you feel about your weight loss so far? What can't you wait to accomplish?
Read 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.
Spend the afternoon at your local museum. This will get you out of the house and walking around, and what better way to get your mind off food than to absorb a little culture?
~~ Get in the Comfort Zone
Imagine you're at the gas station about to fill your car up for a long day of driving. You probably wouldn't want to fill the tank to only 1/8 of its capacity, but you wouldn't keep pumping until the tank is overflowing either. To get your car to perform at its best, you're most likely going to put in an amount that's "just right."
The same theory applies to your body and its fuel. Like a car, your body functions best when it's got enough food to feel "just right" – not too full, and not running on empty. But recognizing your food comfort zone can be tricky, especially if you're used to eating too much or too little. So how do you learn to gauge your hunger accurately?
Learn the Hunger Scale.
You may have heard your Leader or other Meetings Members talking about a hunger "comfort zone." To better understand this concept, ask yourself how hungry you are, on a scale of zero to five – zero meaning starved and five meaning stuffed. The following chart may help:
0-1 – Very Hungry/Hungry
At this level you probably feel weak or dizzy, you may have trouble concentrating, and there is a gnawing, empty feeling in your stomach.
2-3 – Getting Hungry/Satisfied
At level two you're thinking about your next meal, but aren't ready to eat for at least another 30 minutes. And at level three you are completely comfortable and not thinking about food at all.
4-5 – Full/Very Full
At this level you probably feel like you've eaten too much, the thought of food may make you nauseous, and it's possible to feel sluggish or tired.
Now that you know the physical indicators of your comfort zone, it's important to listen to your body before and after each meal. You should aim to be within the 2-3 range at all times. For some people, eating three satisfying meals a day may do the trick, while others may need to eat five or six smaller meals and snacks throughout the day to stay within their comfort zone. By letting yourself get too hungry, you are setting yourself up to overindulge when you do finally eat. But if you learn to eat when you're hungry but not starved, it will be much easier to stop eating when you feel satisfied. Equipped with the right know-how, eating until you feel "just right" can be easy, and seeing the results in your weight-loss efforts can be a filling reward.
~~ How to Stop Mindless Eating
Go ahead and take a deep breath. Greater self-awareness seems to be a key element in putting the breaks on unconscious eating.
"The more we're aware of our thoughts, feelings and actions during the day, the more in control of unconscious forces we'll be," says Jeff Fine, MS, CSW, adjunct professor at New York University's Department of Nutrition and Food Studies. Fine proposes that we become more conscious of our physical actions in order to bridge the gap between psychology and our actual eating patterns.
Step One: Self-Awareness
"Stop, slow down and take a look," says Fine. One of his favorite time-halting methods: Sit in a comfortable position for 10 to 15 minutes a day and "watch your thoughts." Perhaps you'll uncover emotions and habits that lead you down the path to unconscious eating.
Fine suggests getting more in tune with your behaviors by trying some advanced journal keeping. Don't just record your food intake, but assess how you feel emotionally at different times of the day, too. "The very act of writing makes you more conscious," says Fine.
Step Two: Changing Your Responses
Once you start to uncover the situations that cause you to eat, it's time to do something that disrupts your robot-like responses and routines. Here are some strategies:
Resign from the Clean Plate Club (even though Mom taught you to finish every last morsel). "Think of food as medicine — or as fuel," suggests Fine, and break the habit by knowing it's okay to leave a bite or two over if you're full.
If you're compelled to grab jelly beans from the office candy jar every time you pass the kitchen, try walking a different route. Only one way to go? Then pass the kitchen with both of your hands already full (with a book, papers, a cup of water) and tell yourself you'll have your own meal or snack soon.
When a social call to a friend's house chronically turns into coffee and one too many cookies, make sure you have a satisfying snack before you go. Or suggest catching up on a walk through the park instead.
If you eat when you're stressed, create a list of ten other things you can do to address that emotion, like jumping rope, reading or playing the piano. You'll end up feeling cared for by doing something more positive for yourself.
Imagine yourself passing up those free samples given out at the supermarket by having a few rejection lines prepared. Ensure your success by not shopping on an empty stomach and by having a scrumptious but low-calorie dinner pre-planned so that you have extra incentive to stay away from those freebies.
~~ 15 Things to Do Instead of Overeating
What makes you blow your diet? A big presentation at work? A fight with your hubby? Absolute boredom?
Whatever it is, you're not alone. According to Cynthia G. Last, PhD., author of The 5 Reasons We Overeat (Birch Lane Press, 1998), 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, 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.
Plan what you'll do instead of eating the next time you're bored or stressed. "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 Weight 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 section.
Write in your diary or journal. How do you feel about your weight loss so far? What can't you wait to accomplish?
Read 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.
Spend the afternoon at your local museum. This will get you out of the house and walking around, and what better way to get your mind off food than to absorb a little culture?