Don’t you wish you had a fairy godmother to give you some MAGIC HELP with your weight program? We all do. So I am here to give you some MAGIC HELP.
No, it is not a pill. Not a liquid. It is, in fact, the touchstones I wrote about a few days ago.
Go to the craft store and buy some elastic to make a bracelet out of. Then get the alphabet beads that spell out M A G I C H E L P. Get whatever other beads you want to put between and around the bracelet in whatever color you want. Making the bracelet long enough to be comfortable around your wrist, put a small bead between each letter, with 2 or 3 between the C and H to separate the words. Fill the rest of the bracelet up with the rest of the beads. Or, make a tassel type string for your key ring using the same letters. Or just carry the string of letters in your pocket.
Each of these letters is a touchstone which stands for a principal or standard. Looking at and/or touching the bead is to remind us of important principals that will help us reach our goals. So, let’s talk about the touchstones.
M – Meal plan. Remember you have a plan for your eating today. You have a breakfast, a lunch, and a supper. You have two snacks and a desert. You are going to spread these out throughout the day, eating smaller portions every three hours. You are going to have something for breakfast within 30 minutes of getting up. It may be a non-fat yogurt, a fruit, a cup of skim milk (or small fat free, sugar free latte), or an actual breakfast meal. You have spent time choosing what you will have today and have a list in your pocket or purse to check off each item. And, if you should feel the need to have an extra snack, you will choose one of the free foods such as raw carrots, cucumber, summer squash, or other raw non starchy veggie. You will make sure you have the liquids you need including water and non-sugar drinks (limit dairy milk to two cups a day).
A – Awareness. One of the biggest habits I have and I know a lot of people have is rushing through the day getting everything done. I tend to eat while driving, watching TV, working at the computer (which I do at work, then again in the evening on the internet), etc. I seem to always be multi-tasking. What we need to do is to do eating, and everything we do, consciously – being aware of what we are doing. When you eat, take the time to chew your food. Feel the texture, enjoy the taste, and be aware of what your body is feeling as you eat. Notice your hunger being satisfied. If you are not aware of eating, you won’t remember eating, and your mind will tell you that you should be hungry.
There are many times I get something to eat, sit down to the computer, take a bite, work on the computer, and then reach for another bite. The food is gone. I ate the whole meal or snack thinking about the computer or internet instead of my food. It leaves me wanting some more. On the other hand, if I sat and ate the same food, conscious of the eating experience, I am satisfied.
Another facet of awareness is being able to distinguish what your body and mind really want when you feel ‘hungry’. Are you hungry, thirsty, sad, stressed, nervous, lonely, just what is it that you really want? Lots of ‘diets’ say only eat when you are hungry. That is a good rule, but you need to first realize when you body is hungry versus using food to satisfy other ‘hungers’, usually emotional.
That’s enough for today. We will tackle the other touchstones in later posts.
Listen to this post 
