Losing weight and increasing your health and well-being does not have to be difficult. What can make the process difficult is relying on dieting methods that have failed most people in terms of losing the weight and keeping it off permanently. Most diet plans do not help you address and change the ways you might use food that have led to excess weight. Many diet plans also encourage you to restrict calories to the point that the metabolism slows down. This means that your body stores more calories as fat. If too many calories are restricted you feel hungry and deprived. This is all a set-up for diet failure.There is, in fact, a better way. Here are a few tips to creating permanent changes in your health and weight:
·Keep a food journal. This will keep you more conscious and aware about what you eat. After looking over a week’s worth of eating, highlight foods that are high

in fat and high in sugar. You may choose to “tweak” or adjust your intake of these foods in the coming week. For example, if you put a tablespoon of butter on your oatmeal every morning you could use half a tablespoon instead. Or if you have a sugary coffee drink on the way to work every morning you might substitute a plain coffee with milk every other day instead. Over time, these kinds of adjustments add up to pounds lost and without a sense of deprivation. The change is easily achieved and maintained indefinitely.
·Shift your focus from a number on the weight scale to a focus on Health. Losing 10, 20, or 50 pounds is not achievable today. Increasing your health is achievable every day. In fact, every healthy snack or meal you eat makes you that much healthier. Getting healthier can be your doorway to a slimmer body.
When you simply make small changes over time that you can live with the changes require less effort and are easily integrated into your daily habits and lifestyle. The changes are more likely to be sustainable and permanent. Losing no more than one to two pounds a week helps you avoid intense hunger that can lead to bingeing. Hunger is not an enemy. It is simply your body’s signal that you need some fuel.

Lastly, keep in mind that your body weight does not define who you are. You are an individual with talents, personality, and positive qualities. You are someone who has set a goal to be healthier and you are taking steps everyday to get there.

Sue Stevenson, Ph.D., is a psychotherapist in private practice in Littleton and is the author of Adventures with Guided Imagery: Using Your Mind and Imagination to Nurture Skills and Master Life. 303-794-8194 www.suestevensonphd.com