Shape Up! 4-Alternative Weight Loss Solutions

I am embarrassed to admit how many different commercial weight
loss programs I’ve tried. I don’t know about you, but after
a while I grow tired of talking heads touting empty promises.
None of them helped me look the way I think I should and most
of them left me agonizing over eating the same foods over and
over.

What’s a body to do?

In this article I’ve outline a few different ideas that I’ve
found to really work. Ideas I continue to come back to again
and again. Whether you need to lose a few pounds or are looking
for a healthy lifestyle change, these 4 solutions will help
get you started.

Solution #1: Use Creative Visualization

Creative visualization a great way to bring about lifestyle
change. “Seeing” yourself thinner is one of the most successful
ways to decrease your body size and improve body image. Guided
imagery works by training your mind to stimulate changes within
your body.

This can be accomplished using a few of my favorite tools:

Affirmations: Using affirmations will train your mind by stating
or affirming your intentions. It will retrain your thinking
toward positive thoughts.

When I use affirmations, I like to use positive statements
such as these:

MY BODY IS BEAUTIFUL! I LOVE MY BODY!

To increase their effectiveness, I write these messages to myself
on an index card or piece of paper and carry them with me. I
review them several times throughout the day.

Tapes: If you are an auditory person, you will love the guided
imagery and weight loss tapes available from Health Journeys
( http://www.healthjourneys.com ). Their positive learning tapes
will walk you through the thought process of building a stronger,
leaner body.

Books: One of my favorite positive affirmation books is Love Your
Body! By Louise L. Hay. Inside this book, Louise has created
affirmations for you. If you read through them each day you are
sure to reap the rewards of loving your body.

Solution #2 Try An Herbal Wrap

If you need to lose a few extra pounds, you may want to try
an herbal wrap. Herbal wraps help the body lose water and
inches. You can get a wrap from your favorite salon however,
they tend to be expensive. It’s just as easy to give yourself
a spa treatment at home. Herbal wrap products are everywhere.
If you’d like to get a wrap but prefer the privacy of your own
home, check out: http://www.slenderwrap.com

Some of the benefits of herbal wraps include:

• Weight loss
• Water loss
• Decreased inches
• Smoothness of Tissue

Solution #3 Stop When You Are Full

In her book Appetites, Geneen Roth gives us a simple outline to
manage portion control. Her two major mantras are: take time to
eat and stop when you are full. These are both shape-shifting
ideas. To some people, including myself, food is a friend.
Therefore the tendency to overeat stems out of emotion; food
provides comfort and security. Others are in a hurry. Food and
the need to eat are just obstacles that get in the way.

In effort to break free from these unhealthy behaviors, ask
yourself several questions:

Am I enjoying what I am eating? Do I eat standing up or on the
run? Do I continue to eat even after I know I am full?

Next, begin to carve out time to eat and enjoy food with friends
or family. Or to take time to enjoy a nourishing meal even if
you are alone. Eat to the point of being full, then stop. Most
of the time, weight loss can be easily stimulated through
portion control.

Solution #4 Keep a Food Journal

In addition to the aforementioned, it may be wise for you to
keep a food journal. By tracking what you eat every day, you
hold yourself accountable for everything you place in your mouth.
It’s simple to start. Record everything you eat for a week and
document your weight each week.

At the end of the week take inventory of yourself. Have you
gained weight? Lost? Remained the same? If you are gaining weight,
simply cut back on your refined sugars (sweets) and heavy carbs
like white rice or white potatoes. For these, substitute brown
rice or sweet potatoes instead. Track your habits for a second
week.

When you’ve reached the point in your eating program where your
weight remains the same, you will need only consume a few less
calories (or burn a few extra during exercise) each week to lose
weight. Keep in mind: in order to lose weight, your body needs
to burn more calories than it consumes. First, find your melting
point, then adjust your portion control and exercise program
accordingly.

In Conclusion: With just a few adjustments and an enjoyment of
food – recognizing its beauty for nourishing your body - you can
shift your focus from frustration to enjoyment. Give these
alternatives to weight loss a try. Your health and your waist
line will thank you for it.