We are now half-way through our series on the Top 4 Excuses For Being Overweight. So far, we’ve tackled two of the biggies. Let’s look back to see what we have learned so far.

• I Eat Because I’m Bored – The reason why people who have weight problems gravitate immediately to thoughts of food when they are bored is because they have trained themselves to look to food as the answer to their every whim.
• I Eat Because I Like The Taste Of Food  – You eat because you are motivated by food’s sheer yumminess. People who can’t seem to resist the intoxicating draw of food need to look at food as their drug of choice.

If you suffer from either of these excuses, I encourage you to look back at the first two posts in this series. If you would like to dive deeper into the “why” behind your food struggles, check out my book, Find Your Weigh.

I Eat Because I Am Stressed

Stress is an inevitable byproduct of being human. We all face situations and circumstances that are beyond our control, yet our modern-day society can trick us into thinking that we should be in control at all times.  Although technology makes many life tasks easier, it also makes us feel like we should have our act together all the time! You may be saying, yep that’s me…I eat because I am stressed!

So, how does all this stress affect our weight? One common defense mechanism is the fight or flight mode. This is the tendency to either stand up to your problems and responsibilities or run from them. All of us cope with stress differently. Some of us stand up to the problem, look it squarely in the eye and deal with it without another thought. Others of us find it difficult to process stressful events, which triggers the flight response.

And where does the stress eater run? Yep, straight to food. Food provides immediate satisfaction because it stimulates the pleasure sensors in our brains and, most importantly, it doesn’t talk back.

Food provides immediate satisfaction, it stimulates our pleasure sensors and it doesn’t talk back.
Click To Tweet

But, while it may not talk out loud, it can wreak serious havoc on your metabolism. How does stress affect our metabolism?

Studies have shown that hormones play a role in elevating the desire to eat foods containing carbohydrates during prolonged periods of stress. When our brains receive stimuli that indicate a period of stress on the body, they respond by releasing cortisol, a hormone whose primary function is to raise blood sugar and promote the metabolism of carbohydrates, protein and fat. In response to higher blood sugar levels, the pancreas releases extra insulin, which has the effect of lowering blood sugar rather quickly. This, in turn, causes a craving for foods rich in carbohydrates – e.g., comfort foods.

Source: Mind Over Matter: Effects Of Stress On Metabolism

Solutions To Stress Eating

1. Do Not Allow Yourself To Become Hungry

Hunger itself produces stress. Hunger is your body’s way of signaling that your fuel tank is empty and needs refilling. Actually, the physiological feelings of hunger can closely resemble our physiological response to stress: irritability, inability to think clearly and light-headedness. Now, pair the natural feelings of hunger with a stressful situation and you have the perfect breeding ground for poor food choices.

It helps to take hunger out of the picture. Make sure you plan healthy, satisfying snacks to be eaten throughout the day at 2-to-3-hour intervals. Make sure that these snacks are rich in fiber and protein and low in sugar. Anyone who has read many of my posts will know that I highly recommend nuts as a go-to snack because they satisfy hunger and they consist of healthy fats. If your body is well-satisfied, you will have more energy and attention to focus on the element of stress.

2. Recognize Your Physiological Triggers To Stress

All of us react differently to stress. For some, stress can interfere with one’s concentration(reading over the same page multiple times), others may notice a slight tremor in their hands and still others react by becoming increasingly agitated or easily provoked.

If you are a stress eater, it will help you greatly to pinpoint and identify your trigger.  Then, you can equip yourself to deal with the stress in positive ways that don’t involve food.

3. Predetermine An Activity That You Will Perform When You Notice The Triggers

Ok, you know your trigger, now what? You need to predetermine a calming action. It can seem counterproductive to take a time-out when you are stressed with too much to do. However, performing a calming action gives you the focused opportunity to acknowledge your stress and deal with it proactively.

Here are some possible calming activities (several of these can also be performed simultaneously).

• Remove yourself from your location. Walk around the block or the office. (Physical exercise releases feel-good endorphins).
• Take some deep breaths.
• Recite a favorite poem or verse.
• Listen to a song.
• Flip through a slideshow of your favorite pictures.
• Chew a piece of peppermint/spearmint gum.
• Journal your immediate thoughts or frustrations.
• Repeat a memorized affirmation.
• Call and vent to your spouse or friend. (Preferably someone who is not involved with the situation. They can provide perspective. Note: do not go to the same friend repeatedly as this can wear them out.)
• Table the stressful activity, if possible, to allow yourself time to reflect and brainstorm an effective resolution.

Now, in terms of stress eating, here is the key. You must vow to yourself that you will not resort to food before you have performed a calming activity.

vow to yourself that you will not resort to food before you have performed a calming activity
Click To Tweet

Wait to eat until you are no longer experiencing the physiological trigger. This will help to reinforce the habit of mindful eating. Reducing stress will not only help you bring your weight in check; it will also enhance your outlook and relationships.

Have you been following along with this series? Have you successfully integrated any of the solutions so far? If so, I would love to hear from you. It would be a great encouragement!

~ Shellie

Catch all my posts by subscribing to my newsletter list in the footer of this page or Follow with Bloglovin’! Check out the fabulous linkups I’m joining this week – My Linkups!

(This post first published in May, 2015)

The post Stress Eating | I Eat Because I Am Stressed appeared first on Shellie Bowdoin | The FABulous Journey.

Eating really is fun, isn’t it? It is probably the most agreed upon expression of culture and community around the world. No matter where you go or what you celebrate, food is almost always the center peg around which everything else revolves.

It’s not surprising that we immediately gravitate to thoughts of food when we’re bored. After all, food is where the party is! But there’s a problem with running to food every time you have a lag in activity…food has calories and typically “fun” foods have even more calories. And unfortunately, our bodies just can’t process an overabundance of calories without turning them into fat storage.

So, it’s time to come up with a plan B for those times when our brain tries to tell us that food is the answer to our boredom. Here are some suggestions of things you can do instead of eating when boredom strikes.

8 Things To Do Instead Of Eating

1. Go for a walk.

Remove yourself from temptation and flee from the fridge. It’s time to get the blood pumping a little bit. Walking helps to clear your head and it stimulates your other senses as well. Plus, walking actually provides a fitness benefit, so you are essentially killing two birds with one stone.

2. Call, text or tweet a friend.

Your mind drifts to food because you want stimulation, so you need to search elsewhere than the kitchen. Use your food cravings as a reminder to reach out to others. A good conversation can do wonders for redirecting your attention.

3. Clean something.

It’s funny how quickly our mind turns to food and how slowly it considers cleaning the kitchen floor ;)!

4. Organize something.

Consider that stack of old pictures, the pile of shoes in your closet or jumble of plastic containers in your kitchen cabinets. Taking the time to organize something bring order into your life in some small way.

Actually, an increased sense of order can also spill over into your own thinking. Some people turn to food because they can’t take the messiness or chaos of things around them. By taking control of some aspect of your life, even if it is only matching the proper lid to its corresponding container, you gain a sense of accomplishment that eating a bag of chips can’t supply.

5. Research an upcoming vacation.

Find something else to get excited about that doesn’t involve food. Start researching for an upcoming vacation. Look for hotel deals, attraction discounts and tourist reviews.

6. Paint your nails.

Painting your own nails takes time and concentration. Not only that, but you can save a good bit of money by doing them yourself. You can use the money you save to go on that vacation you’re planning!

7. Give Yourself A Facial.

The internet are full of natural concoctions for various facial scrubs, moisturizers and masks. Instead of going to the kitchen for a snack, round up some food options and do a DIY facial.

8. Look through your closet for new wardrobe combinations.

For women, clothes are one of the few things that can run a close second to food and may even inch it out from time to time. Look through your closet for new wardrobe combinations. Mix and match different separates that you have never tried before. You can also look at your favorite blogs or Pinterest boards for inspiration. Find inspiration outfits and then try to copy them with items you already own.

You Have To Short Circuit The Immediate Eat Response

All of these are great ways to get your mind off food, but first you have to short circuit the immediate eat response. The time to come up with alternative activities to eating is BEFORE you put any food in your mouth. Snacking is often an unconscious activity. You grab a bag of chips and before you know it half the bag is gone and you can’t hardly remember it going in.

The good news is this…once you have trained yourself to recognize your tendency to eat when you’re bored, you can actually develop a habit of listening to your stomach for cues of when to eat.

~ Shellie

Catch all my fashion posts by subscribing to my newsletter list in the footer of this page or Follow with Bloglovin’! Check out the fabulous fashion linkups I’m joining this week – My Linkups!

(This post first published in October, 2015)

The post When Boredom Strikes | 8 Things To Do Instead Of Eating appeared first on Shellie Bowdoin | The FABulous Journey.

The holiday season is chock full of celebrations…all revolving around eating. It’s no wonder some of us feel helpless with all the festive food choices.  It’s enough to make you want to throw in the towel. But, I am here to say that several scattered occasions do not have to send you careening off the weight wagon. As long as you remember one important thing when it comes to controlling weight over the holidays…Everyday can’t be a party.

Today is the second part of the Holiday Food Survival Guide. We have all talked about how to approach the loaded holiday table.

Controlling Weight Over The Holidays

It’s easy to adopt the mindset, “Well, I blew it at last night’s party, so I guess the whole month of December is a wash” mentality. Typically, Christmas parties offer an enticing array of rich, sumptuous delicacies that few of us can resist.

It’s easy to adopt the mindset, “Well, I blew it at last night’s party, so I guess the whole month of December is a wash” mentality.
Click To Tweet

Let’s assume that you are planning to attend five Christmas parties plus a New Year’s Eve party this holiday season. That’s six days out of a total thirty-one days when you will likely overeat. So what are you going to do with the remaining 25 days of the month?

Everyday Can’t Be A Party – Balancing Act

What are you eating in between the parties? I have discovered that controlling your weight over the holidays is a balancing act.

1. Plan For The 2 Days Before And Two Days After A Party

If you know that you will be attending a Christmas party on Saturday, it’s time to make a plan for the 2 days before and the 2 days after the party. Make plans to rid your diet of all “extras” for those 4 days.

This means choosing black coffee over fraphchoochoos and passing on the fries for four days.

2. Plan To Exercise At Least 30 Minutes On Two Of Those Days

On top of that, plan to exercise for at least 30 minutes on two of those days. Several of you have told me that it is hard to keep up with a fitness plan during December. Here is where you have to take proactive steps to plan movement into your days.

• If you can’t make it to the gym, walk around the block.
• Get off the elevator 5 floors early and walk up the stairs.
• Park in the furthest parking space and walk in.
• Turn on some festive music and walk laps around your living room or dance with your kids.

3. Refuse To Give In To The Urge To Wait Until January To Get The Weight Off

How many times have I told myself that I would just wait until January to get the weight off?…a lot! Here’s the big problem with this way of thinking. It removes all restrictions to your eating. Most likely, if you pigged out on 6 occasions during the month of December, but kept the rest of the month in check you might likely gain one to two pounds….or maybe none at all! But, if you defer all self control for 31 days, it’s likely you could end up 5 to 10 pounds heavier by January.

Even more damaging than the extra weight, is the feeling of defeat you feel when January rolls around. In essence, putting off your self control by throwing off all restrictions on food just defers the emotional pain.

You may not actually lose weight over the holiday season, but controlling your weight over the holidays is achievable if you aim to keep things even until life gets back to its normal pace in January. Next week we’ll tackle holiday sweets.

Are You Ready To Try Something Different With Your Weight?

What if you tried looking at things differently? What if you were to anticipate something different when the New Year rolls around instead of dreading the inevitable diet?

Instead of trying to pack in all the food you can in anticipation of a depriving diet, why don’t you begin asking God to do something new in you? Ask Him to open your mind up to new possibilities and hopefulness that you can change with His help.

I’m excited to say the Find Your Weigh book and the companion Find Your Weigh: Walk In Freedom Bible Study (including free video content) will release on January 6, 2020 and Pre-Orders open on December 5…just in time to help put you on the right track for the New Year. It’s real, it’s practical and it’s grounded in God’s Word…better still, it’s not a diet at all!

So, what do you say? Are you ready to kick-off the next decade with a renewed mind and a new mindset for approaching food? Why don’t you plan to get a few girlfriends together to share the journey?

~ Shellie

Catch all my posts by subscribing to my newsletter list in the footer of this page or Follow with Bloglovin’! Check out the fabulous linkups I’m joining this week – My Linkups!

The post Holiday Eating Survival Guide – Controlling Weight Over Holidays appeared first on Shellie Bowdoin | The FABulous Journey.

Thanksgiving is by far one of my favorite holidays. I love the whole idea of setting aside a special day to celebrate our bountiful blessings with family and friends. And of course, you can’t talk about Thanksgiving without mentioning all the yummy foods that go with it. It seems appropriate to kick off the Holiday Food Survival Guide with a post on “How To Approach The Loaded Holiday Table.”

></div

How To Approach The Loaded Holiday Table

My family has certain dishes that they expect to see on the Thanksgiving table, so the holiday also brings a good bit of nostalgia with it as well. Sometimes biting into that old family recipe will just bring memories flooding to the surface.

There is one essential factor that I want to establish at the very beginning of the series, Holiday Food Survival Guide, and that is, food is a great thing! We love food because it is a sensory experience that puts us in touch with our culture and our past. Food is a vital part of the human experience.

Too many times we want to demonize food and blame it for all our weight problems. However, I want to say this loud and clear, “Food does not make you eat it!” For years I lived with this mentality. I was convinced that I had no control over food; especially during the holidays.

Food does not make you eat it!
Click To Tweet

If you want to make it through the next six weeks without gaining weight, then you need to start by taking responsibility for your food choices. You choose the foods you put in your mouth, the food doesn’t choose you.

Now, having said that, I should mention a few things about my food mindset.

• I enjoy special holiday foods and I would not dream of going through Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year without eating my favorite things.
• I like sweets. The idea of going cold turkey on dessert is unthinkable to me.
• This girl cannot live on vegetables and lean meats alone.

Am I saying that my way is the best way…no! The internet offers a vast array of healthy diet plans and nutritional options, which I cannot begin to compete with, nor would I try. If I could be satisfied with eating only the right foods needed to fuel my body, then I would never have gained the kind of experience I have on my weight journey.

Instead, I had to find a way to keep my weight in check and still enjoy the foods that I like. In the end, I found out it’s all about balance. If any of you have read my earlier posts on weight, then you already know that successfully navigating our relationship with food requires that we engage our minds.

Tips To Approach The Loaded Holiday Table

1. Do Not Starve Yourself In Anticipation Of The Big Meal

Many of us are guilty of this. In anticipation of a big meal, we often skimp on meals earlier in the day as a way to “save our calories” for the fun food. However, this typically means that we are starving by the time we hit the holiday spread.

It’s much better to eat normally prior to a special meal. That way your mind will be making the choices when it comes to the richer holiday foods, instead of your screaming stomach.

2. Do Not Pig Out On Appetizers

Remember, the meal is the star of the show, so the appetizers are just previews for the main attraction. If there are nuts available, satisfy yourself with a handful of them.

3. Size Up The Food Before You Put Anything On Your Plate

Remember, the food does not control you. First, size up the food to see what it available. Determine which items are must haves and which items you can pass on. Just because the food is there doesn’t mean you have to eat it.

4. Make Servings 1/3 The Size Of What You Think You Want

Our eyes are often much bigger than our stomachs when we first go through the line; not to mention that the variety is often endless when it comes to holiday spreads. If you have already looked the table over, then you already have a good idea of what you want to eat. Plan to serve yourself only 1/3 of the amount you think you want.

Generally, a 1/3 size serving will not be more than 2″ in diameter. The one exception will be the protein; especially if it’s baked turkey. The lean breast of a baked turkey is a delicacy you can afford to eat more of.

5. Put All Gravies And Sauces On The Side

Gravies and rich sauces add a lot of extra fat and calories. Spoon a small pool of gravy beside your food instead of on top. You can still get the taste by dipping the edge of your meat or mashed potatoes into the gravy instead of pouring it all over your food.

6. Wait At Least 10 Minutes After Eating Before Considering Seconds

Do you need more food? If so, narrow done your return trip to 2 food items, then only serve yourself a 1/3 sized serving.

7. Wait At Least An Hour After The Meal To Eat Dessert

Wait at least an hour after the meal to eat dessert. This allows your stomach to register fullness from the main meal. When you do eat dessert, use the same rules as you did with the main meal; except, seconds are not an option when it comes to sweets because they have no nutritional value.

I hope these tips help you to approach the loaded holiday table with confidence and enjoy your time with family and friends. Next, we’ll dive into the second part of our holiday eating survival guide, Controlling Your Weight Over The Holidays.

I learned how to make these kinds of choices five years ago when I decided to get off of the weight roller coaster. I spent years yo-yo dieting and my yo-yo inevitably went up every year when the holiday season rolled around. For years I felt helpless and hopeless against the lure of food…so basically, when I was approached with too many yummy choices I gave in to the draw of food every single time.

Maybe you’ve also wondered why you can’t seem to resist the draw of food. It always seems like a situation that’s bigger than your willpower or your resolve. I always blamed my overeating on a lack of willpower, but now I’ve come to realize how much I need God’s strength in the midst of my weakness.

¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Corinthians 12:10

If you’re like me then you have always thought of your weight as personal issue that you had to deal with on your own. But God is just waiting for you to call Him into your story. He longs to speak strength into your weakness.

I’ve written a book to help you learn how to approach God with your weight frustrations by uncovering what you really believe about food. Once you’ve uncovered your faulty thinking, then you can counter that thinking with a renewed mind and new, workable habits you can see yourself following next week, next month and next year!

I’m excited to say the Find Your Weigh book and the companion Find Your Weigh: Walk In Freedom Bible Study (including free video content) will release on January 6, 2020…just in time to help put you on the right track for the New Year. It’s real, it’s practical and it’s grounded in God’s Word…better still, it’s not a diet at all!

So, what do you say? Are you ready to kick-off the next decade with a renewed mind and a new mindset for approaching food? Why don’t you plan to get a few girlfriends together to share the journey?

~ Shellie

Catch all my posts by subscribing to my newsletter list on the blog/home page or Follow with Bloglovin’! Check out the fabulous linkups I’m joining this week – My Linkups!

The post Holiday Eating Survival Guide: How To Approach The Loaded Holiday Table appeared first on Shellie Bowdoin | The FABulous Journey.

We all know that weight loss does not just happen without a plan. However, many of us choose drastic measures instead of making small changes to our existing lifestyle.  While drastic diets do work in the short run, most of us probably have a personal story of how they failed miserably in the end because they did not ever really develop a weight loss mindset for the long haul. Here are 5 eating habits that yield lasting weight results.

After I got started, I realized that all ten would constitute a particularly long post, so instead, I am writing a two-part series.

1.Replace sugared beverages with water or unsweetened tea.

The term “soft drink” refers to any beverage with added sugar or other sweetener, and includes soda, fruit punch, lemonade and other “ades,” sweetened powdered drinks, and sports and energy drinks. People who drink sugary beverages do not feel as full as if they had eaten the same calories from solid food, and studies show that people consuming sugary beverages don’t compensate for their high caloric content by eating less food.

Harvard T.H.Chan School of Public Health, Nutrition Website

A 12 ounce can of coke contains 39 grams of sugar and 149 calories, while a Snapple Lemon iced tea has 23 grams of sugar and 100 calories. Compare these numbers with the American Heart Association’s recommendation of no more than 6 teaspoons of sugar for women (25g) and 9 teaspoons for men (37.5g) per day. This really gives you a better idea of the sugar content in just one serving of a sugary drink.

we seldom count our drinks toward our daily food intake.
Click To Tweet

Essentially, the primary issue with sugar is that it has zero nutritional value. So, when you waste 150 calories on a sugary drink, your body receives absolutely no nutritional benefit. What’s more, we seldom count our drinks toward our daily food intake. Whereas, we may consciously cut back on something during the day because we ate a donut for breakfast, we are far less likely to even consider the calories from a beverage.

However, if you pass on the sugary drink, you then have 150 calories to spend on a food choice that will actually satisfy your hunger and fuel your body. Bottom line, save the calories for food.

One reason I often go for unsweetened tea is for the caffeine source. Since I don’t drink coffee, tea is my primary source of caffeine.  Although, there are those who would suggest banning caffeine from your diet as well, that is not a step I am ready to take at this point in my life journey. I guess it’s just an issue of picking your life battles.

2. Use the “three bite rule” when eating sweets.

Most of us have a sweet tooth. Just one stroll down the grocery store aisle attests to that. Couple this with the fact that every main holiday or celebration comes with its own celebratory confection. Unless you are one of those rare individuals who doesn’t really care for sweets, you are always going to be tempted to indulge. So, stop trying to ban all sugar from your life. Instead, take it from the realm of indulgence to that of enjoyment.

The “three bite rule” has been around a long time and it works on a simple principle. The first bite of a rich, decadent dessert is heaven to the taste buds and the second bite is usually just as stimulating as the first. But, by the third bite, your taste buds have grown accustomed to the taste, so the food begins to lose it’s initial appeal.

Calorie wise, three bites seldom pack enough punch to derail your daily calorie expenditure.
Click To Tweet

For sake of illustration,  a piece of classic cheese cake from the Cheesecake Factory is 710 calories. It is safe to say that three good bites would be about 170 calories. So, you can see how this technique works well to keep the calories in check, because calorie wise, three bites seldom pack enough punch to derail your daily calorie expenditure.

Even so, remember that you can only do the “three bite rule” once in a day. Also, some desserts are so treacherous that three bites could pack quite a calorie wallop. I found a dessert on the Cheesecake Factory menu called Chocolate Tower Truffle Cake that rolled in at a hefty 1680 calories. Um, those gold standard desserts should be reserved for very special occasions.

3. Pass on chips at lunch and add a slice of cheese to your sandwich instead.

In this instance, it is not only important to consider the calorie-count of a particular food, but also the quality of those calories. In the case of chips, a snack-size bag of Lay’s classic potato chips has 220 calories and 14 fat grams, which is 25% of the daily fat allowance.

On the other hand, a slice of chedder has about 120 calories and 10 grams of fat, but it also has 7 grams of protein that will help satisfy your hunger for much longer. Also, this choice has some nutritional benefit.

You may be thinking, “Wouldn’t it be better to pass on the cheese as well?” A simple answer to that, in terms of fat and calories, is yes. But, successfully navigating food choices for the long-haul involves a give and take. Ultimately, the slice of cheese adds a level of richness to a food while still lending some nutritional value.

There are also other cheese choices that are equally satisfying with fewer fat calories,  like provolone or feta.

4. Eat sandwiches and burgers with only one bun instead of two.

This is a big one for me because I have always been a huge bread lover. I couldn’t envision a life without bread at all, so instead I decided to put some limits on it instead.

The main problem with bread, especially the white bread in your typical hamburger bun, is that it is classified as a simple carbohydrate. Now, the human body relies on carbohydrates for energy. When you eat carbohydrates, the body breaks them down to create glucose or blood sugar.

as far as your body is concerned, your hamburger bun might as well be a cupcake
Click To Tweet

The problem with simple carbohydrates is that they also contain sugar. This means that once your body extracts the energy it needs, it reads white bread almost identically to pure unadulterated sugar. As far as your body is concerned, your hamburger bun might as well be a cupcake, because it breaks down and processes simple carbohydrates and sugars in the same way.

By limiting half of your bread serving , you lower the carbohydrate level and proportionately increase the protein level of a meal.

5. Plan to always have a mid-afternoon snack.

I want you to consider hunger as the arch enemy of informed food choices. Plainly put, you just can’t get your head screwed on straight when you are hungry. This is the time when you slip up and wreck all the progress you have made throughout the day by rushing to eat the first food in sight.

You need to actively plan for a mid-afternoon snack. Your body will need fuel, and unless you plan ahead, you are left with two unappealing options. Either you suffer through the afternoon with the negative effects of rapidly dropping blood sugar or you head to the vending machine to purchase a high-calorie snack.

Preparation is the key to mindful eating. Purchase a variety of high-fiber snacks to have on hand at all times. Then, set a time to have a snack BEFORE you actually feel hungry. Typically,  the best time for snacking is a few hours after lunch.

There you have the first five habits to yield lasting weight results. Why don’t you give them a try this week and then I’ll be back next week with five more.

Just remember, I am in this with you. Everything that I mention or suggest on this site has worked successfully for me and has yielded big results. I am confident these steps can do the same for you.

~ Shellie

Catch all my posts by subscribing with your email in the right side bar, Follow with Bloglovin’ or you can subscribe to just the weight journey posts feed. Also, check out the other fabulous lifestyle linkups I’m joining this week – My Linkups!

The post 5 Eating Habits That Yield Lasting Weight Results appeared first on Shellie Bowdoin | The FABulous Journey.

A lot of us are guilty of defeatist thinking when it comes to food. We just assume defeat is inevitable; that we’re powerless to its magnetic draw. What’s interesting is that this affliction appears to be no respecter of persons. Defeatist thinking with food takes down men and women, rich and poor, the corporate CEO and the suburban housewife.

Why is it such a struggle to gain control over food? The answer lies in what we think about the food we eat.

I am convinced that a person can never fully gain control over food until she gains control of her thoughts about food. It’s time to realize that it’s more than the food itself. Let’s look at 5 defeatist thoughts that make us powerless over food.

a person can never fully gain control over food until she gains control of her thoughts about food.
Click To Tweet

5 Defeatist Thoughts That Make Us Powerless Over Food

1. Food is just too good to resist.

Defeatist thinking says you might as well accept weight gain as inevitable because, after all, food really is just too irresistible. When allowed to flourish, this thought pattern can easily become an emotional scapegoat. If you approach food with zero planning…then, couple that with the foregone conclusion that food’s draw is too much for you to handle…you can definitely expect to gain weight.

It’s like a cheesy Sci Fi movie…the alien turns on the tractor beam as the helpless subject is unwilling drawn to the light.

How many of you have ever compared a bad eating episode to an “out-of-body” experience? You just lost your mind somewhere between the door and the buffet table, only to regain it hours later as you unbuttoned the top button of your jeans in the car.

It’s a lot easier to pass blame than to take personal responsibility for your actions. When you say a food is just too good to resist, you are actually passing the blame for overeating to the food. In so doing, you view your actions and food choices externally or separate from yourself…the food was so yummy, it made me eat it.

I write more of this in Excuses For Being Overweight – I Like The Taste Of Food.

2. I will just have to pay for it later.

Putting off the consequences of poor food choices typically leads to the situation where one pound quickly piles on top of another. Eventually, “later” is postponed so long that it will take a lot more than a few days at the gym to make up for the extra calories.

3. Food is part of the fun.

No one will deny that tasty food is fun. But, what happens when fun and entertainment become the norm instead of the exception?

Problems arise when we grow to expect food to consistently entertain us. This expectation causes us to gravitate toward foods that appeal to the pleasure centers of the brain. It’s natural to enjoy extra food when we attend a special party or celebration as long as we have eaten sensibly every other day.

However, things quickly spiral out of control when our mind tells us that EVERY MEAL should be a little party for one.

4. Eating food makes me feel better.

If you are hungry, food can make you feel better, physically. However, food cannot alleviate emotional pain. In fact, a lot of foods, like sugar and fatty foods, actually cause your mood to spike before it comes crashing down.

Long-term exposure to sugar and processed foods has actually been linked to depression.

Long-term exposure to an unhealthy diet is a risk factor for depression, according to the findings of a 2014 study in the online journal PLoS One that looked at diet and depression in 3,663 people. What constituted an unhealthy diet, for purposes of the study, was one that was high in sugar and processed foods.

Source: EverydayHealth.com

5. I am supposed to gain weight.

If you tell yourself that you will gain weight over a holiday, vacation or business trip away from home; chances are you will do exactly that! Why?…because our behavior follows our beliefs.

Are you guilty of any of these flawed thoughts? Maybe it’s time to target your eating habits at the thought level. Weight gain is not inevitable unless you tell yourself it is. You always have a choice, so why not choose to focus your thinking on positive, proactive steps toward a healthier you.

Philippians 4:8

⁸ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

If you would like to read more about the excuses we often use when it comes to food, check out my post on the problem with focusing only on the symptom of weight. A list of excuses is provided at the end of the post…you can also type any of those titles into the search bar to learn more about each excuse.

Remember, your thoughts can make you feel powerless over food. But, you are only truly powerless when you allow yourself to be!

Catch all my posts by subscribing with your email in the right side bar of the blog/home page or Follow with Bloglovin’! Check out the other fabulous lifestyle linkups I’m joining this week – My Linkups!

~ Shellie

The post 5 Defeatist Thoughts That Make Us Powerless Over Food appeared first on Shellie Bowdoin | The FABulous Journey.

The holiday season is upon us and with it comes the decorations, parties and lots of tempting goodies. We all hold special memories of years gone by and a lot of those memories are wrapped up in food.

Food is an essential cultural element, which means it comes front and center during holiday and family celebrations. Regardless of how disciplined we are the other ten months of the year, many of us find it hard to resist those special memory-laden foods that we only get to enjoy “once a year.” In fact, some of us figure we might as well just give up this time of year…we’ll worry about it after the New Year.

The problem is that we seldom lose that pound or two. According to health.usnews.com:

In actuality, normal-weight people typically gain about one pound over the holiday season. This may not sound like much weight gain, but a recent review published in Physiology & Behavior found that most of us never lose that pound – and year after year, this annual holiday weight gain can lead to health problems such as obesity, heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.

Holiday Eating Survival Kit

Understandably, the intense temptations of the season can cause a lot of us to feel more than a little anxious. We want to eat well and make good decisions, but experience tells us we are in for a fight; one that we may have lost multiple times in the past.

So, what do you do? You put your mind into the game before the temptations come. You make a realistic game plan; keeping in mind that you don’t have to be perfect to be successful at weight maintenance…even during the holidays!

I have compiled a holiday eating survival guide of past posts to help you make a game plan!

Controlling Weight Over The Holidays

How To Approach The Loaded Holiday Table

How To Conquer The Lure Of Holiday Sweets

Above all else, don’t let the stress of weight or gifts rob you of the joy of the season!

Catch all my posts by subscribing with your email in the right side bar of the blog or home page, Follow with Bloglovin’ or you can subscribe to just the weight journey posts feed.

The post Holiday Eating Survival Guide appeared first on Shellie Bowdoin | The FABulous Journey.

Monday, November 14, will mark two years of success on my weight journey! In retrospect, I realize that day is also significant for this blog, because without it I would never have started The FABulous Journey.

Originally, I started blogging to share incites about my weight journey, but I soon discovered I had a lot more I wanted to talk about. So, I started this blog to explore all the exciting parts of life that make the journey fabulous and worth living.

Celebrate With Me

I wanted to celebrate this special day with you because this blog has been such an integral part of the journey for me. I have received such positive feedback on my blog posts about weight loss and fitness. So, I lowered the price on the Kindle version of my book, Find Your Weigh to make sure everyone can enjoy the party!

I started my path to success over weight before the holiday season two years ago and found that I could actually develop life-long habits to address my food issues once and for all. After 25 years of yo-yo dieting, I figured out what made me tick with food, so I could learn to live with it and enjoy it for the rest of my life. Finally, I’m in control and I no longer feel helpless to the draw of food.

From now through midnight Monday, I’ve discounted the Kindle version of my book to $1.99 on Amazon! Whether or not you are ready to start your own weight journey right now, you can buy your copy of Find Your Weigh at a deep discount today…then it will be ready and waiting for the day you are.

Kindle copy of Find Your Weigh, discounted 78% to $1.99 until midnight on Monday, Nov. 14!
Click To Tweet

This special celebration price is only available for five days, so get your copy today!

This book has been such a labor of love for me. I would be thrilled if all my readers could share in it. Not only do I think it will make a genuine difference in your life, but I would also be blessed to receive your reviews and feedback on Amazon!

The post Celebrate With Me! – Book Promo appeared first on Shellie Bowdoin | The FABulous Journey.

Is it a law that weight loss has to be unpleasant? It may not be a law, but it sure is a foregone conclusion for a lot of us. Unfortunately, we learn from past experience and most of us are not new to the prospect of losing weight. If you’ve dieted before, then your past experience is likely to color any future attempt to lose weight.

Still, I believe your next weight loss attempt can be much better if you go into it armed with a positive can-do attitude and the right mindset. Try these 10 steps to insure weight loss success.

10 Steps To Insure Weight Loss Success

1. Build in accountability by telling people.

Weight is a particularly conflicting topic. On one hand, it’s the topic du jour of virtually every girl-talk session. Yet, you would still hesitate to bring it up with a friend who’s struggling for fear of offending her.

Still, it’s easier to find your way on a well-lit path. If you are serious about losing weight and keeping off, then it’s time to put it right out there for everyone to see. Also, the act of speaking out your commitment and intentions helps solidify your resolve to make a change.

speaking out your commitment and intentions helps solidify your resolve to make a change.
Click To Tweet

2. Don’t use the word diet.

Establish the right mindset from the beginning. Diets by there very nature are designed to deprive your body of calories and fat for the purpose of weight reduction. OK, so isn’t the whole point to lose weight? The answer is yes and no. Yes, you want to lose weight; however, you want to set up conditions and habits that can be realistically maintained long after you’ve lost the weight.

When it comes to diets, we typically set a date and steel ourselves for the dreaded day. Essentially, we expect diets to involve deprivation and hunger. Truth be told…we all dread them and can’t wait until they’re over. Ah, and therein lies the problem, because successful weight loss and maintenance never ends. It has to be a lifestyle, so don’t use the diet word.

3. Break up exercise into 10-minute intervals.

If you are new to exercise, the idea of spending 45 minutes on a stationary bike can be enough to derail your fitness goals. So, try breaking up your exercise into three 10-minute intervals. This might mean walking the dog in the morning, taking the stairs to and from the office and walking the block immediately after arriving home from work.

4. Start a blog.

When I started my weight journey I also started a blog to share what I learned….the more I learned, the more I wrote. This is really a continuation of the accountability mentioned in point one. Also, it’s amazing how much writing things down helps to clarify and solidify your thoughts.

5. Stay off of the scale.

It’s important to take the emphasis away from numerical results in the initial weeks. Instead, you want to focus on the process. It would be great if our bodies worked like machines; calories reduced equal immediate pounds lost. But unfortunately, the human body is too complex for that, so it can take a while for weight loss to register.

It would be great if our bodies worked like machines; calories reduced equal immediate pounds lost.
Click To Tweet

I’ve had times when I lost no weight in one week only to lose several pounds in the next, even though I was eating exactly the same. Try to stay off the scale for the first three weeks of a lifestyle change.

6. Take measurements at the beginning.

Your weight does not always give a clear indication of progress; especially if you are adding exercise to the mix. Muscle weighs more than fat.

Taking your measurements at the beginning of a lifestyle change gives a much better indication of your progress. It also helps to steer you away from the compulsion to “be” a particular number on the scale.

Measure these areas:

• around upper back (place tape under armpits)
• bust
• upper rib cage (directly under bust)
• waist (narrowest point)
• hips (widest point)
• upper thigh
• upper arm

7. Start on a busy week.

Many of us eat out of boredom. The first week of a cutback is always the hardest, so try to pick a time when you will be really busy doing other things. This helps cut down on the temptation to raid the refrigerator.

8. Line up websites, podcasts and Pinterest boards for incentive.

It helps to know you’re not alone. There are tons of success stories available at the click of a button.

9. Expect success.

The battle of weight is won and lost in your head. Even if you have started and failed before, today is the start of a new journey. Don’t allow thoughts of defeat to trip you up before you’ve even started.

Don’t allow thoughts of defeat to trip you up before you’ve even started.
Click To Tweet

10. Celebrate small victories and shrug off stumbles.

Too many times, we allow one misstep to discourage us. But, if you truly desire lifelong success with weight, you must prepare yourself to navigate all kinds of food situations. Develop a thick skin and throw off any perfectionist tendencies. If you blow it one day, prepare to be extra vigilant the next day to balance things out.

Get your mind right and the rest will follow!

Catch all my posts by subscribing with your email in the right side bar of the blog or home page, Follow with Bloglovin’ or you can subscribe to just the weight journey posts feed.

The post 10 Steps To Insure Weight Loss Success From The Start appeared first on Shellie Bowdoin | The FABulous Journey.

Last week, my voice went out across the air waves in my first radio interview!

I grew up listening to the radio. In fact, next to air-conditioning, the radio is the most important accessory in my car followed closely by well-placed cup holders. I’m crazy about it!

I often contemplate the radio announcers I hear; trying to guess what they might look like based on their personalities and voices. Also, I’m intrigued by the notion that these professionals can carry on a running conversation with a microphone for hours at a time.

Well, this experience did not disappoint! Pete O’Shea does a 3-hour show every weekday on WTIS in St. Petersburg and he was amazing to watch. I sat there for 30 minutes before my interview just watching him do his thing with ease and finesse.

Then, it was my turn to talk and he made it so easy for me. I was there to promote the upcoming launch of my new book, Find Your Weigh.

Featured Fave From Last Week

This week’s featured fave really spoke to me this week. I appreciate the idea of focusing on the opportunities the empty nest affords, rather than only the sense of loss.

Life With Mrs. R – 7 Delightful Ways An Empty Nester Can Celebrate Fall This Year

How are you planning to celebrate this Fall?

Catch all my posts by subscribing with your email in the right side bar of the blog/home page or Follow with Bloglovin’! Now, let’s get to the linkup.

This week’s Fave was pinned to my Featured Faves Pinterest Board!

Welcome to Thursday Favorite Things! Join us every week as we party and share at the best link party in blog land!

It all starts with a SIMPLE ACT OF KINDNESS

Please read the rules before participating, it will be a much more satisfying hop experience.
Please visit at less two links ahead of yours – Follow Your Hostesses-link to your post not your blog main page. -By sharing with us you are agreeing that the photos are yours or that you have permission to use them, and that we may use your photos to feature your post on social media, Pinterest or as a feature on our blogs.

Have fun we look forward to all you will share. All of the hostesses are now selecting their favorites to share in features on their blogs each week. Share your best work

The post First Radio Interview – Favorite Things appeared first on Shellie Bowdoin | The FABulous Journey.