5 Do’s and Don’ts for Weight Loss Motivation

By Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD

A study released last week made fewer headlines than I hoped it would. Conducted by University College London, it concluded that discrimination against overweight and obese people, or “fat shaming” as it’s often referred to, leads to weight gain, not weight loss. The lead researcher stated, and I agree, that there is no justification for discrimination against people because of their weight, which may include being treated disrespectfully, or being harassed.

Trouble is, many of my clients fat shame themselves, and talk to themselves silently in ways that they’re often too embarrassed to share with me out loud. If you find yourself doing this, I hope you can stop, because in my 15+ years of helping clients lose weight, I’ve seen this pattern only lead to discouragement, or depression, and abandonment of health and weight loss goals.

If you really want to motivate yourself to slim down and healthy up, especially in ways that will last, consider these five Do’s and Don’ts.

Don’t: Beat Yourself Up

In my experience, one of the main triggers of throwing in the towel is negative self-talk. Coming down hard on yourself for small indiscretions, like sneaking an extra square of dark chocolate, or taking a bite off your partner’s plate, can have damaging consequences, including emotional eating, or engaging in risky purging behaviors (e.g. compensating by undereating, overexercising, taking laxatives or diet pills, vomiting…). One exercise I often carry out with my clients is to compare how they talk to themselves to what they would say to their best friend if he or she were in the same circumstances.


The comparisons are eye opening, and the objective is to consciously work on adopting the same kind of nurturing, caring, and encouraging dialogue you use with the people you respect and love with yourself. I’ve seen just this one change result in major shifts in motivation, as well as transitions from on again/off again yo-yoing to steady, sustainable strides. In other words, just committing to being nice to yourself has the power to transform your relationship with food, your body, and your health.

Do: Celebrate Every Success

Most of my clients want to reward themselves when they hit their weight goal, perhaps with new clothes, a trip, or a spa service. But I encourage them not to wait. When you’re working on changing your lifestyle, there are numerous victories along the way, and each one should be honored. One client recently told me that it dawned on her that she automatically reaches for water over diet soda, and no longer misses her former daily fix—that’s a huge win! Another shared that her kids are now asking for fruits and veggies. A third remarked that everyone’s been commenting on how radiant her skin looks.


Even if you’re still pounds away from your weight goal, revel in these achievements, and commemorate them, even if just in small ways, like buying flowers for your office or home, doing a happy dance in your living room, or taking a silly selfie to share with a friend. Recognizing these moments will keep you going, and it’s important to recognize that they’re really the foundation of your long-term success.

Don’t: Focus Solely on Your Weight

One of the reasons the “do” above is so important is that it creates a shift in perspective. When I’ve worked with clients who remain laser focused on weight, they’re often willing to compromise health for the sake of weight loss. For example, I’ve had really smart clients tell me they took up smoking, fully knowing the risks, as a means of losing weight. As a health professional that makes me very sad, and it’s one of the reasons why I talk to clients about things like mood, sleep quality, energy, immunity, digestive health, strength, endurance, and help them monitor health indicators like blood pressure, cholesterol, and liver values. I generally find that over time, all of these factors that contribute to wellness, become much stronger motivators than weight or size, because they so strongly influence day to day quality of life. When this happens, you may even decide to banish the scale altogether, which is incredibly freeing, because you’ll have far better—and less fickle—ways of gauging your progress.

Do: Find Positive Support

I hate to say it, but most of my clients have at least one person in their lives who either consciously or unconsciously sabotages their healthy efforts. It may be a significant other who doesn’t want to lose his or her partner in crime, so in turn brings home a box of donuts or a piping hot pizza. Sometimes it’s a competitive co-worker who becomes critical, or a family member who says things like, “You don’t need to lose weight.” A lack of support, even from those you’re close to, is a common conundrum for most people who’ve adopted healthier habits.


You may not be able to change this, but you can counterbalance it by finding positive support. Even if your cheerleader or confidant is online or long-distance, just having at least one person in your corner who really gets what you’re trying to do and is on the same page can help you stay on track. Spending a little time each day on social media can also help, as long as it’s empowering, so find ways to connect that make you feel like you’re not in this alone.

Don’t: Set Unrealistic Expectations

One of the biggest pitfalls I see is setting unrealistic expectations, either results-wise (e.g. I’m going to lose 30 pounds in 30 days), or behavior wise, such as vowing to work out seven days a week, or cut out all carbs. On the flip side, the lasting transformations I see—that is, people who lose weight healthfully and keep it off for good—come from focusing on progress and consistency, not strictness or perfection. You know yourself better than anyone else. If you can’t realistically see yourself maintaining a goal you’ve set for yourself one, three, or six months from now, modify it. When I ask my clients about their weight history, most tell me they’ve lost and gained back the same 20 or so pounds over and over again. And what finally allows them to shed it for good is ditching any approach they know that can’t stick with!


Source: http://news.health.com/2014/09/19/best-and-worst-weight-loss-motivation/

10 More Ways to Stop Bloat

1. Switch your birth control.

Oral contraceptives contain estrogen, which causes your adrenal glands to produce fluid-retaining hormones, explains Mary Jane Minkin, MD, clinical professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences at the Yale School of Medicine. The experience is highly individual: Some women don't notice an increase in bloating, while others feel themselves puffing up within days of starting a new pill. If you fall in the second camp, talk to your ob-gyn about trying another brand. Both Yasmin and Yaz contain the hormone drospirenone, which may ease bloat, since it's also a diuretic. Of the 70 percent of women in a recent study in the journal Contraception who reported abdominal bloating while taking birth control pills, about half said their symptoms were gone after six months of switching to Yasmin. One caveat: Because drospirenone can increase levels of potassium in the body, women who frequently take other medications that increase potassium (such as NSAIDs and ACE inhibitors) aren't good candidates for this type of oral contraceptive.

2. Go easy on diet drinks.

Many sugar-free beverages, candies, and gum contain the sweetener sorbitol. Though it's a great calorie cutter, sorbitol isn't digestible, so it sends stomach enzymes into overdrive, Gidus says. When patients with abdominal bloating were put on sorbitol-free and sugar-free diets, nearly half saw their symptoms disappear, one study found. Although the FDA requires companies to put a warning label on products that "may result in a daily consumption of 50 grams of sorbitol," experts note that as little as 10 grams can trigger stomach trouble. Sorbitol can add up quickly: One piece of sugar-free gum has about 1.25 grams, for instance.

3. Trim the fat.

You ate fried onion rings on Friday night, but now it's Saturday afternoon and you swear they're still hanging out in your belly. It's possible: High-fat foods delay the emptying of the stomach, which may lead to bloating and an overall feeling of fullness. A study in Australia found a direct correlation between bloating and the amount of fat in women's diets. "I've seen many women who assumed they were lactose intolerant because they felt bloated after eating a bowl of ice cream; it turned out it wasn't the milk but the fat that was the culprit," Kirkpatrick says. Don't eliminate fat: "Foods rich in heart-healthy fats, such as avocados, olive oil, and nuts, are actually low-gas producing," Dr. Gerbstadt says. "The key is to focus on these good fats and pair them with lean protein, such as chicken or fish, which aids in their digestion."'

4. Eat broccoli every day.

It sounds counterintuitive, but regularly eating foods that are likely to cause gas, like beans, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, and onions, helps your body adjust and learn to break them down efficiently. "I've seen women run into problems when they eat these foods infrequently, say once a week," Kirkpatrick says. "Their digestive tract isn't used to them, so they produce a ton of extra gas and bloating."

5. Slow down.

"A lot of my clients are busy working moms who are eating food either in their car or walking to the office," says Jeannie Gazzaniga-Moloo, PhD, RD, spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. "The problem with eating on the go is that you take big bites of food and don't chew properly, so you end up swallowing a tremendous amount of air." Her advice: Take 15 to 20 minutes to eat each meal -- yes, even if you're munching on the run. "Take a deep breath after each bite and chew with your mouth closed. This forces you to breathe through your nose, which relaxes and slows you down." While you're at it, if you're sipping on the go, opt for a cup, not a straw: The latter promotes ingestion of gas.

6. Choose supplements carefully.

If you take a calcium supplement, know which compound is in it. One that contains calcium carbonate, like Tums or Os-Cal, is more likely to cause gas and bloating because it's harder for your stomach to break down than one with calcium citrate, such as Citracal, according to the National Institutes of Health. Either way, taking a supplement with an acidic drink, such as orange or grapefruit juice, will help you absorb calcium. Many women also experience bloating if they use an omega-3 supplement, Gazzaniga-Moloo says. "Put it in the refrig?erator and have it cold; this seems to help reduce the burping and bloating that often come with taking such a supplement," she says.

7. Cut back on the sweet stuff.

Fructose, the simple sugar found in syrup, honey, and soft drinks, may be the source of some of your tummy troubles: Three out of four people with unexplained GI symptoms, such as bloating, had fructose intolerance, according to a University of Iowa study. Like lactose intolerance, this condition can be diagnosed with a simple breath test. The good news: Being fructose intolerant doesn't mean you have to swear off this healthy, sweet diet staple. "Most people are fine with actual fruit, especially if they spread their servings throughout the day, but you may need to steer clear of processed foods or soft drinks made with high-fructose corn syrup, like sweetened drinks or soft drinks," Dr. Saito says. Juice may also trigger a reaction, since it's more concentrated.

8. Get checked for allergies.

If your bloating is accompanied by nasal congestion, allergies may be the surprising reason. "When your nose is stuffed up, you end up primarily breathing through your mouth, which means you swallow a lot of air, which could cause bloating," Dr. Saito says.

9. Be takeout savvy.

"Steamed veggie plates seem like a smart option if you're ordering Chinese food, but if you're prone to bloating, you should realize that many of the vegetables, like bok choy, can produce tons of gas," says Jackie Keller, a celebrity nutritionist in Los Angeles.

10. Skip the salt.

You've heard it before, and we'll say it again: Salt causes your body to retain fluid. That's good news if you're training for a marathon. Bad news if you're trying to squeeze into a new dress for your friend's wedding. The biggest culprit? "Sauces and salad dressings," Keller says, "especially at restaurants." To play it safe, order dressings and sauces on the side, or season lightly with olive oil and vinegar.

Source: http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/weight-loss/expert-advice/quick-answers/beat-belly-bloat/?page=2