lose weight monkey

       after                                                                  befor

                                               

Keeping Your Weight Loss Permanent

 

    1 -A Healthy Attitude                                2- How You Eat

    3 - Exercise                                                 4- Motivation and Support

                        5- Carefully Choose Your Weight Loss Plan

Have you ever heard the term 'monkey on his back'? This term was first used in the 

1800's to describe someone who had a troubling problem that would not go away. 

Sometime during the 1940's the term became used for drug addiction, today the

 term is used to describe just about anything. For instance, a person might say 

"I've got a $20,000 monkey on my back" in reference to a car loan.

Even the most resolute dieter falls victim to having a 'monkey on his back'

. I call this little creature the 'binge monkey'. The binge monkey hates weight loss,

 and is not happy when someone is being successful on a weight loss program.

He sits in the background unseen and waits for the perfect opportunity to strike.

 He is incredibly patient, crafty and sometimes demonic.

 He will strike when you are tired, have skipped breakfast or lunch, 

or are in a particularly bad mood.

When the binge monkey is attached to your back, be begins to whisper in your ear,

 "cookies... ice cream... candy... chocolate cake." Somehow he knows all your

 favorite 'goodies'. If you don't respond immediately his whispers become louder 

and louder until your head is filled with his screeches and dancing images of your 

favorite foods abound, leading you to a blissful binge of huge proportions. He won. 

You feel terrible.

How can you win the battle with this evil creature? The following are x tips

 to win the battle:

The first step is to be aware that he is always there, waiting for the opportunity

 to strike. As they say, 'Knowledge is Power.'

Be prepared. Keep snacks, or the ingredients for them in the kitchen. 

Aim for both salty and sweet snacks. Items such as jello, apples and peanut butter

, baked zucchini chips or cauliflower popcorn are just some of the snacks that

 can be used to ward off the desire to go into 'full binge mode'.

Do not skip meals. Everyone gets busy, unforeseen tasks appear from nowhere 

to prevent you from eating lunch, Again, be prepared. Keep a yogurt in the

 fridge at work, take fruit with you to work, keep a small jar of peanut butter

 in your desk drawer for emergencies. (The one meal that you should never 

skip is breakfast.)

Try to always have dessert as a part of your evening meal. There are many

 recipes for 'diet friendly' deserts available. Try having a smoothie for dessert

 or evening snack. They are filling, sweet and take a while to consume! Keep a 

yogurt in the freezer. While it is not ice cream, it's a great substitute.

And, as a last resort, Give In! Did I just say that? Yes, I did. There comes a 

time for everyone when nothing works. You cannot get that candy bar, or what

 ever your passion is, out of your mind. When this happens, get whatever it is

 that is tormenting you. Do this before you get to the point of eating everything

 in sight. The benefits of doing this are; your craving will diminish, you have not

 completely trashed your diet and you did it with a clear head - no guilt to deal with.