5-Steps Permanent Weight Loss Program by Kathryn Martyn, M.NLP

The last time you went on vacation did you plan where you'd go,

where you'd stay, how long the trip would last, what you might do

when there? Most of us follow a plan every day, even on days we

do the same thing as always, we still have a basic structure to

our day. Why then do we attempt to lose weight without making a

similar plan? How are we supposed to make progress if we simply

hope for the best and then go face the world? It's no wonder we

forget our resolve to eat better by 10 AM.

It's far easier to reach your destination with a map; therefore,

here is your roadmap to permament weight loss. Follow these five

steps, every day for one week. At the end of the week (say Sunday

evening) take stock. How has the week gone? Did you follow

through? Did you make a plan and then follow your plan?

Make adjustments where necessary. That's the whole point. When

you discover a plan that really is workable, you'll be much more

likely to work toward following through until that new plan

becomes your new habit.

Each week decide if you'd like to follow the steps for another

week. It takes some discipline to follow-through, but anything

worthwhile takes effort. Even the lottery requires buying a

ticket.

STEP 1: State What You Want to Achieve in the Next Month

"I want to lose 50 pounds."

Is that achievable in the next month? If not, break it down into

smaller mini-goals. "I want to lose 5 pounds this month."

What other ways can you describe what you want? Try using other

senses such as what you'll see, what you might hear (compliments,

etc.) and what you will feel:

"I want to step on the scale and see (a certain number) of pounds

(remember keep it reasonable for something you can achieve in one

month).

"I want to feel my pants getting looser."

"I want to see myself in the mirror wearing last year's bathing

suit and it fits."

"I want other people to notice my clothes are getting too big for

me."

"I want to easily bend over and touch my toes."

"I want to get up from a seated position, easily and gracefully."

Those are positive goals. Focus on what you want. How you want to

feel, what you want to experience. Imagine hearing these things,

feeling these things. Does it "feel" right? Are there any issues

that pop up regarding what you are imagining? If so, you'll be

able to refine your goals as you progress.

STEP 2: Make A Plan

Get out your weekly calendar and start with eating less (portion

control), eating more (healthier foods), or eating differently in

some way. Obviously, you're going to need to make some changes

but that doesn't mean you have to find the latest fad diet to

follow. Absolutely the best thing is to look at how you eat now

and see where you might make some changes.

Do you eat pizza every Friday night? What if you ate it only

three Fridays a month? What if you stopped at one slice less than

usual? I've noticed that Friday nights I can easily eat four

slices yet Saturday leftovers one slice seems to be plenty.

What's different is that Saturdays don't have the "indulgence"

atmosphere that I associate with Friday nights. Have you noticed

anything similar in your eating habits?

Do you mindlessly snack out of the bag of chips until they're all

gone? Start to use some portion control. Take a small bowlful to

your chair instead of the whole bag. Decide in advance how many

bowls you'll eat, and stick to your plan. Be reasonable. If you

know it's going to take three bowls full of chips, fine. It's

still probably less than eating the whole bag, and later you can

cut it back to two. One day you'll find a handful or two is

plenty.

Gradually cutting back on quantity, gradually introducing other

ideas such as an apple here and there, modifying what you prefer

to eat is a far better approach than eliminating all your

favorites. The former is a way to develop an eating style that

works for you and that you can live with. The latter (fad diet

approach) is fine for short-term weight loss but that weight

inevidebly comes back simply because you'll eventually go back to

the eating style you prefer.

STEP 3: Consider Exercise

Adding regular exercise helps more than anything else because the

more active you become the more calories you burn, and if you

build muscle, the more calories you'll burn at rest. What, when,

how often? Do you need equipment, books, tapes or can you just

get started and gather the other ingredients as you go?

Write it all out. Your plan should include which days of the week

and at what time. Don't make the mistake of trying to decide

you'll exercise every day. You're not likely to stick to a plan

that doesn't have build-in off days. Make it easy at first. You

can always add more later.

Hate to exercise? Think outside the box. Exercise does not have

to mean getting sweaty to the oldies. It can be gardening, bike

riding, it can be enjoying nature. Anything where you're up and

doing something other than sitting watching TV, unless of course

you're using DDR (Dance, Dance, Revolution) or the new

Yourself!Fitness program for X-box, PC and PlayStation. Dance,

play, go fishing. Whatever floats your boat but get out and get

busy.

STEP 4: Decide Whether Your Plan Is Workable For You

Take a look at your plan and decide whether it's possible. If

not, make changes until it is.

Start by listing each individually what you want to achieve, and

then answering the question of how you will achieve it?

1. I want to eat less quantity. I'd achieve it by having half or

three-quarters of the amount I usually have. See if that is

sufficient. Keep a food diary for one week, religiously writing

down everything that goes in my mouth.

2. I want to eat more, healthier foods. I'll achieve this by

adding more fruits and vegetables for snacks, so when I'm hungry,

or think I'm hungry, I'll have an apple or some carrots. This has

the added benefit of more nutrition.

3. I want to eat in a different manner. I'd achieve this by pay

more attention while eating. Turn off distractions. Think of each

Go to Page 2

BIO:

Kathryn Martyn, Master NLP Practitioner, author of the free
e-book: Changing Beliefs, Your First Step to Permanent Weight
Loss, and owner of http://www.OneMoreBite-Weightloss.com

Get The Daily Bites: Inspirational Mini Lessons Using EFT and
NLP for Ending the Struggle with Weight Loss.
http://www.onemorebite-weightloss.com/getnews.html

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