Setting the Wrong Goals Sets You Up to Fail

In a recent study on obesity, the use of food as a coping mechanism existed in half of the participants living and was an obvious source of emotional distress over his or her food choices. If you practice stress reduction and mindfulness in food choices, you will be asking yourself whether your lifestyle and food choices are optimal for your needs right now. Never eat when you are feeling excited or frustrated. Setting the wrong goals at the beginning can set you up for failure.

The same is true for adopting a goal that is too vague, so set smart goals that are attainable and meaningful to you. Hedonic hunger is a dimension of appetite and food intake that includes frequent thoughts, feelings, and urges about consuming palatable foods in the absence of prolonged food deprivation. Those who struggle with these emotions often report feelings of guilt or shame over their perceived lack of control over food.

• Listen to Biological Cues - The clearer you hear you body's hunger signals, the better you will be able to manage what you eat, when you eat, and how much you eat.
• Avoid Stress Eating - Sometimes keeping foods off limits can lead to mindless eating, an unwanted food binge and more unneeded calories. Work on how you see yourself, it can have a big impact on how much you weigh.
• Be Accountable - Let everybody know about your decision to lose weight and improve your health. Being accountable to others for your goals is often a great motivator for those trying to lose weight.
• Don't Worship Pounds Lost - Once you have established your menu parameters, you can create portion-controlled meals that will streamline your daily intake of macronutrients and micronutrients.
• Start Moving in the Morning - Over-thinking your situation can derail you from your weight loss plan. Remind yourself why you decided to make a commitment to losing the weight in the first place and stop trying to justify exceptions.

Doctors warn that how you see yourself predicts your actions. If you see yourself as overweight, adverse to exercise and generally unworthy, you naturally will act accordingly. Fortunately, your mind is a flexible tool that allows you to choose a more effective path. Successful weight loss is all about how you feel. Feeling healthy, alert, energetic, confident and proud comes from getting your mind right, which is a proven key to long-term weight loss success.

Whenever your weight changes, your brain will intervene, as it is responsible for maintaining the correct weight. However, what you think your weight should be may or may not be consistent with what your brain prefers. Since dieting is often associated with a quick fix to drop a few pounds, calling any healthy lifestyle change a "diet" is demoralizing and can ultimately cause you to regain the pounds you lost. For personalized help, contact the Metabolic Research Center today.