Retrain Your Brain

Many people who read my blog have been telling me their weight-gain stories, as in, "I used to be able to eat anything I wanted and not gain weight, but once I hit (fill in milestone age here), that all changed and the weight crept on." It's not their imagination. Our metabolism does change with age, and we hit a point where we can no longer ignore nutrition and let our bodies take care of the damage we've wrought. Age 40 is often that point, but sometimes it's 30. Maybe you had some lifestyle changes--a more sedentary job, a new baby--that prevented you from exercising or planning proper meals. There are many reasons for it, but there is a solution: retraining your brain to think of healthy choices rather than what you've always done.

If the weight has crept on over the years or started to pile on once you hit a certain age, you need to make a real, consistent change in order for it to come off. I found that by seriously examining what I ate--every element of my diet--and the amounts of it that I ate, I was able to piece together an eating plan that worked for me and allowed me to take off weight that I'd been unable to budge for most of my adult life. You can start by writing down what you eat each day, the food choices you're making, and deciding whether or not it helps or hinders your weight-loss efforts. Are you a bagel-and-coffee breakfaster (or not a breakfaster at all)? How many fiber-rich foods do you eat in a day? What do you do when you pass the vending machine at work? Do you consistently take second helpings, even when you're not particularly hungry?

By changing the way you look at food--as a source of nourishment and a means to get you to the weight you want to be, rather than as a source of comfort or numbing or a reward for a bad day--you will change your actions and allow yourself to reach your goal. Don't get me wrong: I love to eat and that will never change. But I don't feel deprived anymore because I'm giving my body food that will keep me strong and healthy. I changed the way I look and think about food--and you can, too!