Tips of the Week

Weight Management

Reduce your exposure to food to help control your eating.
 
For some people, simply thinking about food can be a trigger to eat. To determine whether you react to the sight, smell, or thought of food, answer these questions:
  • Do you feel like eating dessert when it looks appetizing, even after eating a large meal?
  • Do you always have room for something you like?
  • Do you get excited about a buffet?
  • If you drive by a bakery or fast-food place and smell the food, do you want to eat, regardless of whether you are hungry?
  • Do you feel like eating when you see a picture of a delicious dessert in a magazine? 
If you answered “yes” to these questions, you are sensitive to external food cues or signals, namely the sight, smell, or suggestion of food. Reducing your exposure to food may help you control your eating. Out of sight, out of mouth! One strategy is to serve the food in the kitchen and leave the serving dishes on the counter (not the dining room table). The LEARN Program describes several techniques to help you reduce your exposure to food.   
    
The LEARN Program for Weight Management—10th Edition
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Stress Management

To reduce your stress, stop procrastinating.
 
Procrastination is a major stressor for many people. Everyone procrastinates from time to time. But when procrastination becomes part of daily living, it can increase stress. People who procrastinate may have poor time management and/or problem solving skills. They may also experience performance anxiety and perfectionism. As a result, procrastinators put off what they need to do, feel guilty about it, then procrastinate even more. This cycle leads to more stress.

Procrastinators may hold beliefs about being entitled to a stress-free or work-free existence. This thinking leads them to indulge in more comfortable, desirable distractions. Often, discomfort, anxiety, or fear is at the heart of procrastination. We may fear that a task is too hard, uncomfortable to do, or that we lack the skills to do a good job. Think about tasks that you procrastinate about doing. What beliefs or fears prevent you from tackling those tasks right away? What could you say to yourself to challenge those thoughts? For example, you may think "I'm dreading preparing my tax return because I'm afraid I will make a mistake. I will wait until next month." To help you get started sooner, you might say to yourself, "I can ask for help with this. I will fill in the numbers today and then ask my friend to check my work tomorrow." The Mastering Stress Program can help you develop the skills to overcome procrastination.

Mastering Stress 2001
A LifeStyle Approach
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