Feeling Comfortable at a Party
Do you sometimes go to a party, feel uncomfortable because you don’t want to eat everything insight and most people are making a pig of themselves? If you answered yes to this question you are not unique. If you would ask 100 people this question I am sure a majority would answer the question with a loud “YES.”
I was talking to a client last week who was invited to a Christmas party, who has been eating healthy and losing weight. She was very nervous about going to the party and in no way wanted to change her plan of eating. We discussed her fear which was real and should not be ignored. Her greatest fear was that she would just start eating and not be able to stop. I reassured her she always had a choice and no one could make her do anything she did not want to do. My telling her this did not make her feel better.
We then brainstormed ideas she could use when she got to the party to give her confidence. Some of the ideas were:
1. Call her friend and see what she was serving.
2. Plan what she will eat before going to the party.
3. Put the rock she received from her daughter in her pocket and touch it often to remind herself that she is special.
4. Only put food on her plate she planned to eat.
5. Under no circumstances go back for more food.
6. Talk to two people who are not her close friends and find out about them.
7. Go to the bathroom whenever she felt overwhelmed and picture a bright light protecting you.
8. Seek out friends at the party and ask for support.
9. When she got home to send me an email letting me know about her experience.
10.Reward herself with reading a fun novel before going to sleep.
My client went to the party last night and I received an email saying she ate healthy and had the best time ever because she was able to listen to everyone instead of focusing on the food.
Now is your turn to prepare before going to a party. I would love to hear what steps you plan to take in order to ensure you eat healthy at the party and take care of yourself after the party. I can be reached by leaving comments on this blog or sending me an email at helen@loveyourselfcoaching.net.
Showing posts with label can't stop eating. Show all posts
Showing posts with label can't stop eating. Show all posts
Friday, December 7, 2007
Monday, December 3, 2007
STRENGTHENING YOUR NEGOTIATION AND HAPPINESS SKILLS
Jeffrey, my seven year old grandson and I spent last week together while his parents were on vacation. We had a great time together and learned a great deal from each other. I learned how to negotiate, different science terms and strengthened my math and spelling skills.
During the first hour of our special vacation together we devised a plan we both would follow. Jeffrey’s rule was he would go to bed at 8:30pm instead of 8:00pm. My rule was we would not disagree. Keeping his rule was easy and following my rule a little difficult.
We were both learned how to express our feelings without getting angry and finding a solution together for the situation. Negotiating with a seven year old is quite a learning experience. At one point he told me that all I had to do was remind him about his rule because sometimes he forgets.
We both bought journals. We now each have a personal journal to write whatever we want and a happiness journal that we are sharing. In our happiness journal we wrote what made us happy each day. It is amazing what little things make a child happy and how complex we are as adults.
I invite you to strengthen your negation skills with yourself and become aware of what little things make you happy. Following is an exercise which will help you with your negation skills and becoming aware of what makes you happy.
• Every time you have a negative thought, STOP, and ask yourself, “Is this thought making me happy and if not what can you tell yourself instead.
Example:
1. Thought, “I would love that piece of cake.”
2. STOP and ask yourself, "Is this thought making me happy."
3. Answer “Yes, for the moment and later I will beat myself up for eating it.”
4. Another Thought, “I am so happy I have kept my commitment to eat healthy for today.”
• Keep a small journal in your pocket and every time you have a happy thought write it down.
• Several times during the day read the happy thoughts. I am sure it will put a smile on your face.
• At the end of the day congratulate yourself for negotiating with yourself and listing your accomplishments and lessons learned.
As always, I would love to her what you learned about yourself by completing the above exercise. I can be reached by leaving a comment on this blog or sending me an email at helen@loveyourselfcoaching.net
It is officially the holiday season and now is the best time to take care of YOU. Remember the key is keeping your commitment to a healthy lifestyle and BEING KIND TO YOURSELF.
Jeffrey, my seven year old grandson and I spent last week together while his parents were on vacation. We had a great time together and learned a great deal from each other. I learned how to negotiate, different science terms and strengthened my math and spelling skills.
During the first hour of our special vacation together we devised a plan we both would follow. Jeffrey’s rule was he would go to bed at 8:30pm instead of 8:00pm. My rule was we would not disagree. Keeping his rule was easy and following my rule a little difficult.
We were both learned how to express our feelings without getting angry and finding a solution together for the situation. Negotiating with a seven year old is quite a learning experience. At one point he told me that all I had to do was remind him about his rule because sometimes he forgets.
We both bought journals. We now each have a personal journal to write whatever we want and a happiness journal that we are sharing. In our happiness journal we wrote what made us happy each day. It is amazing what little things make a child happy and how complex we are as adults.
I invite you to strengthen your negation skills with yourself and become aware of what little things make you happy. Following is an exercise which will help you with your negation skills and becoming aware of what makes you happy.
• Every time you have a negative thought, STOP, and ask yourself, “Is this thought making me happy and if not what can you tell yourself instead.
Example:
1. Thought, “I would love that piece of cake.”
2. STOP and ask yourself, "Is this thought making me happy."
3. Answer “Yes, for the moment and later I will beat myself up for eating it.”
4. Another Thought, “I am so happy I have kept my commitment to eat healthy for today.”
• Keep a small journal in your pocket and every time you have a happy thought write it down.
• Several times during the day read the happy thoughts. I am sure it will put a smile on your face.
• At the end of the day congratulate yourself for negotiating with yourself and listing your accomplishments and lessons learned.
As always, I would love to her what you learned about yourself by completing the above exercise. I can be reached by leaving a comment on this blog or sending me an email at helen@loveyourselfcoaching.net
It is officially the holiday season and now is the best time to take care of YOU. Remember the key is keeping your commitment to a healthy lifestyle and BEING KIND TO YOURSELF.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Struggling With Food
STORIES WE TELL OURSELVES
Are you telling yourself , “I can’t lose weight because I love food so much.” This is very common and you are not alone. There is a solution to this problem.
John (name changed) was on the diet merry-go-round, he would start a diet every Monday morning and by Tuesday afternoon be back into the junk food. He would beat himself up and his self-esteem would take a nose dive. Does this story sound familiar?
One day he decided enough is enough and started looking for professional help. One of his friends suggested he hire a Diet Coach. The next day I received a call and we started working together. During our sessions together John discovered he was telling himself constantly, “I love food so much, it makes me feel better and I can never lose weight.” We started exploring his story and discovering what was behind it. John was unhappy in his job and instead of focusing on finding a new job he ate to make himself feel better. Once John discovered the real reason for his food obsessions he could take the steps to find a new job and lose weight at the same time.
Working together John realized he really loved working with people instead of sitting behind a desk and writing computer programs. We devised a plan where he would start talking to other computer programmers. What John found there was a need to help people understand the new software programs they just bought. John researched different companies that hired software trainers. While conducting an informational interview with a software company he was offered a job as a trainer.
During this process, John stopped focusing on the food and put all his attention on finding a new job. A miracle happened, he was able to eat healthier meals, give up the junk food and to his amazement he lost weight.
What is behind your story that you can’t lose weight? I invite you to try the following exercise:
1. Write down all the things that are making you unhappy.
(Example: 1. Neighbors are not very friendly.
2. There is no place within walking distance to walk my dog, etc.)
2. Rate them from 1 to 5 (1 not important and 5 very important)
3. Determine which of the items you rated a “5” is the most important.
(Example: Neighbors are not very friendly.)
4. Write why this item is stopping you from moving forward in your life.
(Example: I feel alone and worry if I have an emergency no one will help me.)
5. Decide what action steps you are going to take to solve this problem.
(Example: I am going to start saying hello and talk to my neighbors.)
Please let me know what you have discovered while completing the exercise above. Once you have uncovered what is behind your story you can take the steps to make the changes and stop focusing on the food. I can be reached by leaving a comment on this blog or sending me an email at helen@loveyourselfcoaching.com
Are you telling yourself , “I can’t lose weight because I love food so much.” This is very common and you are not alone. There is a solution to this problem.
John (name changed) was on the diet merry-go-round, he would start a diet every Monday morning and by Tuesday afternoon be back into the junk food. He would beat himself up and his self-esteem would take a nose dive. Does this story sound familiar?
One day he decided enough is enough and started looking for professional help. One of his friends suggested he hire a Diet Coach. The next day I received a call and we started working together. During our sessions together John discovered he was telling himself constantly, “I love food so much, it makes me feel better and I can never lose weight.” We started exploring his story and discovering what was behind it. John was unhappy in his job and instead of focusing on finding a new job he ate to make himself feel better. Once John discovered the real reason for his food obsessions he could take the steps to find a new job and lose weight at the same time.
Working together John realized he really loved working with people instead of sitting behind a desk and writing computer programs. We devised a plan where he would start talking to other computer programmers. What John found there was a need to help people understand the new software programs they just bought. John researched different companies that hired software trainers. While conducting an informational interview with a software company he was offered a job as a trainer.
During this process, John stopped focusing on the food and put all his attention on finding a new job. A miracle happened, he was able to eat healthier meals, give up the junk food and to his amazement he lost weight.
What is behind your story that you can’t lose weight? I invite you to try the following exercise:
1. Write down all the things that are making you unhappy.
(Example: 1. Neighbors are not very friendly.
2. There is no place within walking distance to walk my dog, etc.)
2. Rate them from 1 to 5 (1 not important and 5 very important)
3. Determine which of the items you rated a “5” is the most important.
(Example: Neighbors are not very friendly.)
4. Write why this item is stopping you from moving forward in your life.
(Example: I feel alone and worry if I have an emergency no one will help me.)
5. Decide what action steps you are going to take to solve this problem.
(Example: I am going to start saying hello and talk to my neighbors.)
Please let me know what you have discovered while completing the exercise above. Once you have uncovered what is behind your story you can take the steps to make the changes and stop focusing on the food. I can be reached by leaving a comment on this blog or sending me an email at helen@loveyourselfcoaching.com
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Changing Behaviors
Are you always working and don't have time to relax? Welcome to the human race! The best part is we are able to change our behavior anytime we want.
Yesterday was one of my special days! My grandson, Dillon and I spent the day in New York City. We shopped, had an expensive lunch and saw a Broadway show, “Les Miserable.”
While on the train I was watching someone working and saw myself. When he got on the train he took out his Blackberry, laptop computer and notes. He composed a document from his notes, scheduled appointments and had conversations with various people. This all took place within 45 minutes. It was quite amazing.
While watching him, I thought about my work habits and spending a limited time relaxing and having fun. To make matters worse, while in one of the stores, I stood on a beam of light and my personality trait was, “I think too much and should eat more chocolate.” How true, I am always thinking and never relaxing.
Today is a new day and I am going to take a small step in changing my work habits. I will only work 4 hours today, enjoy myself relaxing and spending time with Dillon. By being the CEO of my life, I can always start a new behavior anytime I want.
What behavior would you like to change today? Remember all it takes is one little step to start the process of changing the habit. Have fun with the experiment and let me know about your new behavior and small step you are going to take. I am always available to support you in making these changes.
I would love to hear about the behavior you would like to change and the small step you are going to take. You can leave your new plan on this blog by hitting the commitment button at the bottom of this article or send an email to helen@loveyourselfcoaching.net. I am looking forward to hearing from you.
Yesterday was one of my special days! My grandson, Dillon and I spent the day in New York City. We shopped, had an expensive lunch and saw a Broadway show, “Les Miserable.”
While on the train I was watching someone working and saw myself. When he got on the train he took out his Blackberry, laptop computer and notes. He composed a document from his notes, scheduled appointments and had conversations with various people. This all took place within 45 minutes. It was quite amazing.
While watching him, I thought about my work habits and spending a limited time relaxing and having fun. To make matters worse, while in one of the stores, I stood on a beam of light and my personality trait was, “I think too much and should eat more chocolate.” How true, I am always thinking and never relaxing.
Today is a new day and I am going to take a small step in changing my work habits. I will only work 4 hours today, enjoy myself relaxing and spending time with Dillon. By being the CEO of my life, I can always start a new behavior anytime I want.
What behavior would you like to change today? Remember all it takes is one little step to start the process of changing the habit. Have fun with the experiment and let me know about your new behavior and small step you are going to take. I am always available to support you in making these changes.
I would love to hear about the behavior you would like to change and the small step you are going to take. You can leave your new plan on this blog by hitting the commitment button at the bottom of this article or send an email to helen@loveyourselfcoaching.net. I am looking forward to hearing from you.
Friday, June 29, 2007
Eating Does Not Make You Feel Better
Do you ever think, “Wouldn’t it be great to sit down with a large bag of pretzels, ice cream and a large bottle of soda with sugar and caffeine?” Join the group!!! I then ask you the question, “Will doing this really make you feel better?” At first the answer would be ‘YES’ and then thinking about it, your rational thoughts would say, “NO.”
I was watching the movie “The Holiday” last night, which is about two women in dead-end relationships who decided to swap homes. In one of the scenes Los Angeles resident Amanda (Cameon Diaz) tells her employees that she is taking a week off to get away and eat as many carbs as she wants. After arriving in England, she goes to the food store and buys all the carbs she can find. While paying for her food the person asks, “Are you having a party tonight?” I have been there and done that. It is so embarrassing I wanted to hide.
Going back to the house, eating everything, feeling sick she realizes that the food will not make her feel better. I thought, welcome to reality; food will never make you feel better!
When you are lonely here are some steps you can take to put a smile on your face:
1. Write yourself a love letter and mail it to yourself.
2. Write a list of things that make you happy and try one of them.
3. Call a friend.
4. Go to a local coffee shop or bookstore, buy a cup of coffee or tea or a bottle of water and look at the books.
5. Play a game with your children.
6. Call your grandchildren or nieces and nephews. Calling my grandchildren always make me feel better.
As always, I would love to hear what you are experiencing on your life's journey. Please feel free to contact me with your stories, comments, and ideas. Write to me by leaving your comments at the bottom of this article or send an email to helen@loveyourselfcoaching.net.
I was watching the movie “The Holiday” last night, which is about two women in dead-end relationships who decided to swap homes. In one of the scenes Los Angeles resident Amanda (Cameon Diaz) tells her employees that she is taking a week off to get away and eat as many carbs as she wants. After arriving in England, she goes to the food store and buys all the carbs she can find. While paying for her food the person asks, “Are you having a party tonight?” I have been there and done that. It is so embarrassing I wanted to hide.
Going back to the house, eating everything, feeling sick she realizes that the food will not make her feel better. I thought, welcome to reality; food will never make you feel better!
When you are lonely here are some steps you can take to put a smile on your face:
1. Write yourself a love letter and mail it to yourself.
2. Write a list of things that make you happy and try one of them.
3. Call a friend.
4. Go to a local coffee shop or bookstore, buy a cup of coffee or tea or a bottle of water and look at the books.
5. Play a game with your children.
6. Call your grandchildren or nieces and nephews. Calling my grandchildren always make me feel better.
As always, I would love to hear what you are experiencing on your life's journey. Please feel free to contact me with your stories, comments, and ideas. Write to me by leaving your comments at the bottom of this article or send an email to helen@loveyourselfcoaching.net.
Monday, June 18, 2007
DIETING TIPS FOR PARTIES
Are you tired of eating everything in sight all weekend and feeling disillusioned? As they say, welcome to the human race. I was at my granddaughter’s graduation party on Saturday, watching everyone continuously eat and then complain about feeling stuffed. It took me back many years ago, how I felt at parties. Either I ate so much and felt stuffed or ate nothing until I got home, then the flood gates would open and would eat continuously. There has to be a better way!
As my husband and I were driving home, I was thinking what small steps you could take to end the cycle of compulsive overeating at parties. For the past nine years I have been taking the following steps:
1. Never go to a party hungry.
2. Take a bottle of water when you get to the party and drink it before eating.
3. Talk to at least three people before eating.
4. Don’t sit near the food.
5. Take only a small amount of the different types of food with plenty of salad.
6. Have fruit for desert.
7. Never go back for seconds.
8. After you finish eating take another bottle of water.
9. Walk around and talk to everyone.
10. Don’t stay late.
11. At home do something nice for yourself.
Next time you go to a party, just try some of these ideas and let me know what happens.
I would love for you to join me in writing “Getting Off the Diet Merry-Go-Round Blog, by sharing your special gifts with the world. All it takes is one little step, leave a comment expressing your ideas and experiences.
A special note to anyone who is struggling with food, please leave a comment and I will address you concerns in my blog. Together we will create a plan that will enable you to live a vibrant life.
What are you doing nice for yourself today?
Helen
As my husband and I were driving home, I was thinking what small steps you could take to end the cycle of compulsive overeating at parties. For the past nine years I have been taking the following steps:
1. Never go to a party hungry.
2. Take a bottle of water when you get to the party and drink it before eating.
3. Talk to at least three people before eating.
4. Don’t sit near the food.
5. Take only a small amount of the different types of food with plenty of salad.
6. Have fruit for desert.
7. Never go back for seconds.
8. After you finish eating take another bottle of water.
9. Walk around and talk to everyone.
10. Don’t stay late.
11. At home do something nice for yourself.
Next time you go to a party, just try some of these ideas and let me know what happens.
I would love for you to join me in writing “Getting Off the Diet Merry-Go-Round Blog, by sharing your special gifts with the world. All it takes is one little step, leave a comment expressing your ideas and experiences.
A special note to anyone who is struggling with food, please leave a comment and I will address you concerns in my blog. Together we will create a plan that will enable you to live a vibrant life.
What are you doing nice for yourself today?
Helen
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