Throwing Mud

I don't want people to lose weight.  We have all done that...and then promptly gained it all back. Plus some! The trick, I've learned, is to change your habits.  You know the "lifestyle" changes we hear about all the time?  That's what I'm talking about.  My grandpa used to say, "If you throw enough mud at the wall, some of it is bound to stick."  What does that have to do with health, wellness, and weight loss?  Well, I'm talkin' habits.  Throw those habits at the wall.  Some of them will stick.  My grandpa lived to be 100.  He knew a thing or two about a thing or two.

 

There are countless weight loss tricks, tips, and habits to be tried.  You know the ones.  Drink a glass of water before meals.  Eat off a small plate.  Chew each bite 20 times before swallowing.  Don't eat late at night.  Always eat breakfast.  Don't eat in front of the TV.  The list goes on.  I tell every patient I consult that motivation will get you started but HABITS keep you going.  Good habits can carry you through when will power just isn't enough.  We all tend do things on auto pilot, like getting ready in the morning or driving to work.  Your quality eating habits should be auto pilot too.  And if you do them consistently, day after day, they will be.

 

I eat two eggs for breakfast every day.  I fry them in a pan with a bit of canola cooking spray.  I like them just a bit brown with a sprinkle of cheese and salt and pepper.  This is what I do.  Every day.  It's my habit.  I know it sounds dull.  But, if this weren't my habit, day in and day out, I would grab a Pop Tart on the way out the door if I were running late.  Or I would hit the McD's drive thru for an Egg McMuffin if I were early.  Or I would eat the donuts that the reps bring to my office.  But I have a routine.  A habit.  It's my auto pilot.  It works for me.  It carries me through when will power just isn't enough.  It doesn't work all of the time, but it works most of the time ( see post Just Good Enough. )

 

So I say bring on the tricks!  Try them on.  One at a time or all at once if you like.  Some of them are bound to stick.  I've tried them all and have kept my favorites.  I eat the same breakfast every day.  I fill my plate with vegetables first before I add anything else.  I sit down at the table when I eat.  I don't eat late a night ( often. )  I don't drink my calories...unless it's Margarita night!  You don't have to master them all.  A few good ones will suffice.  One habit I have never mastered is eating slow.  I just can't do it.  I thought that I could blame this on my "hard time" in the Marine Corps but my Mother had made it very clear that I have been a food shoveler since childhood.  Thanks Mom.