Weight Loss Programs & Weight Loss Support

Staying Connected to The Weight Management Center - September 28, 2009

“Life just happens for me. It’s good, and I love it, but it’s killing me,” said a patient in one of our Living IT groups this week. We were talking about the importance of making plans to maintain weight loss. She was commenting about how it feels like she “doesn’t have the discipline” to do what she knows is necessary to maintain her weight. In fact, this patient said healthy eating goes right out the window when it’s a choice between what she is “supposed to do” or “what’s fun.”
Why? First of all, it’s exhausting to imagine doing without our favorites for the rest of our lives. Eating is one of life’s true pleasures. And in our hurried, over worked, over committed lives, we need the mini-vacation that a good meal provides. I recall one patient, an attorney for a large international law firm, recently telling me that lunch at his favorite restaurant was his “only opportunity to be off duty” each day. Who would want to give that up forever? 

Unfortunately, the dieting mindset robs us of the feeling that we will ever be able to indulge in our favorites again. In order to feel any control we excessively exercise, restrict intake, go back to as many beverages as we can muster. And then? We swing back the other way given the slightest nudge. It’s these extremes that are most harmful to our health, our weight and most importantly to the sense of confidence that we can do this-over the long haul. These extremes challenge our stability and our core beliefs: if I can’t stay on plan eating the same grilled chicken and non-starchy veggies forever, what hope will I have to stay at a stable weight? Let me reassure everyone, man was not meant to live on chicken and beverage alone. In fact, it might be useful to challenge the belief that grilled chicken should even be on the menu this week.

But we do need a plan to move forward. That way, the changes we make will be ones that more closely resemble what we want to see happen and produce the kinds of results we are looking for-long term, lasting. So, let’s change it up. Let’s come up with a plan that works, including a turkey wrap (using a high fiber tortilla with a yogurt herb spread). Or a plan to order a subscription to Eating Well (one of my favorites), coming to class, or finding a new cookbook to get some ideas? It is possible to eat well and live well if we put our energy into making a plan do it. We are here to help.

REMINDER: Support group is now open for beverage sale. If one New Direction supplement would help you get back on track, come in on Wednesday, 10/14/09. Kim and I will be here at 6:30 to answer questions and check in.

We hope to see you in class soon!
 

Stefanie C. Barthmare, M.Ed., LPC
Licensed Professional Counselor, Supervisor
Weight Management Center
The Methodist Hospital
6501 Fannin, NB1-001
Houston, TX 77030
713-441-4944
Email: sbarthmare@tmhs.org