Weight Loss: A Side Effect of Adaptive Wellness
Author: Dr. Dorothy McCoy

Changing any behavior has its challenges. Changing the way you have eaten for a number of years may take a little more time than some other habits. Perhaps, you like the way you eat, you simply do not like the consequences. Left to my own choices, with no nasty consequences, I would eat chocolate cake at least twice a day until I couldn’t stand to look another morsel in the face. However, it does not work that way, there are health related consequences. Good food is one of the great joys of life and you have the right to enjoy it. Healthy food can also taste wonderful. No matter what you have heard-- they are not mutually exclusive terms.

With the new low-fat sugar-free foods out there, along with our yummy vegetables and fruits it is much easier to eat healthy in the 21st century than it has ever been before. You do not have to give up the foods you enjoy, thought if you want to feel healthier “now” you may decide to substitute ingredients or eat smaller portions.

There is no magic wand to transport one from unhealthy behaviors to healthy behaviors. It will require rethinking your food consumption and committing time to beneficial activities.

Even with the healthy changes you will make, there are other variables at work that impact on your weight: age, childhood obesity, cigarette smoking, medical problems and gender. If you think of your goal as becoming the “ideal you” you may sabotage your wellness program. Most of us will not look like Cindy Crawford (I am sure you men out there are relieved to hear that). However, we can make substantial changes in our appearance and health. Beauty has many faces.

Hint: It is much easier to do this if you have a Wellness Buddy. Call someone who also wants to feel better and get them involved. It is more fun and you will encourage and motivate each other.

Hint: If you are craving chocolate and that is all that will satisfy your craving, perhaps, you should go ahead and eat it. Chocolate boosts serotonin, a neurotransmitter, which has been linked to mood. However, try to be creative. A little chocolate served in a creative way (i.e., drizzle a small amount of fat-free chocolate sauce over plain yogurt or a baked apple) may be all that you need to satisfy that sweet tooth. You are not trying to punish yourself; you are merely trying to be healthier. Thriveonline.com has some delectable recipes, as do many websites. Cooking Light Magazine is a virtual smorgasbord of healthy, tasty recipes and there are literally thousands of nutrition-focused cookbooks just waiting for you. Furthermore, you will find a long list of resources in the appendix. Now, you deserve a nice pat on the back for caring about yourself and your health-pat, pat, pat. The Power of Positive Thinking

If you think you can do something, or you think you cannot, you are right. Henry Ford

Changing to a healthy lifestyle is not an easy choice to make, even thought we know about all the rewards for doing so. It means we must give up some of the pleasures we have previously enjoyed, or more accurately, we must exchange them for other joys. A healthy lifestyple is within your power. Taken from Weight Loss: A Side Effect of Adaptive Wellness








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Dr. Dorothy McCoy is a psychotherapist in North and South Carolina and has authored five Self-Help workbooks and CDs: Fear of Flying, Anxiety/Stress Management, Anger Management, Social Phobia, and Weight Loss. www.Counseling.com/DrMcCoy/ or e-mail to us for our free Wellness Newsletter dlamp@lowcountry.com

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