Week 4- Common Weight Loss Obstacles and Ways to Succeed
At this point in the weight loss challenge, obstacles start to arise which can destroy your resolve to continue on your path to good health. Let's look at some common roadblocks and how to get around them.
- Stress or Boredom Eating- If you find yourself at the mercy of chocolate, sweets and other high calorie foods when you are stressed or bored, take charge of your environment and get those tempting foods out of the house. Replace them with easy to grab snacks such as cut fruit, string cheese, low sugar frozen chocolate bars, low-calorie dip with cut up fruit or whole grain granola bars. The key will be to make sure these snacks are easy to get to, so be sure they are ready to go in the refrigerator or pantry. Also, try diverting your attention with a phone call or going for a walk when boredom eating hits. Keep a list of these "boredom busting" activities on your refrigerator to make it easy to get away from food related thoughts.
- No time to prepare healthy meals- Keep simple, easy to prepare ingredients handy to make cooking less time-consuming. When you have extra time, try roasting a chicken and slice the meat and freeze for adding to salads and sandwiches throughout the week. Keep a salad ready in the refrigerator for a quick meal or side dish. Whole grain breads and rolls, frozen fruit, and frozen veggies can provide a quick way to round out your meals.
- My family won't eat healthy foods- Try to introduce healthier foods slowly and be sure to offer just one new item at mealtimes. Involve your family in meal planning and get their input on which foods they would be willing to try.
- Diets never work for me- Forget the mentality of "going on a diet" and work towards a lifestyle change. In order to make this work, it is important to make slow changes, ones that can be continued long-term. Examples of such changes might be: switching from sugar-sweetened beverages to water, ordering a salad instead of french fries at lunch, or eating fruit for dessert instead of cake or pie.
- I've been losing weight, but now I'm stuck at the same weight- When your weight loss comes to a halt, you may be experiencing a "plateau". Plateaus can be discouraging and may lead to stress eating. Try trimming your calorie intake slightly and/or increase your exercise time. Look for opportunities throughout the day in which to add more activity. This could include taking the stairs at work, parking further away at the shopping center, and incorporating extra walking at work each day.
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