Extremely busy right now, just checking in to say Hello,
and to let you know I am eating correctly for Maintenance.

  This would be a good time to check out the Archives
to see if there are articles you've missed or would like to re-read.

Set a very specific goal.

Losing weight requires a change in thought and behavior,
so set goals for your emotions and weight.
Don't just set vague goals like, "I want to lose some weight."
Be specific:
How much weight do you want to lose?
How do you want to feel?
Close your eyes and visualize yourself after you've reached those goals.
Use this visualization to feel commitment and inner strength.

Get a plan.

Work out a detailed strategy because willpower doesn't work!
To lose weight and keep it off, you must have a strategy.
Plan ahead.

Identify small, measurable steps.

implement steps that will fit your lifestyle, not somebody else's.
Be sure to move toward a positive goal, not just not to be fat.
Every step you take will bring you closer to being who you want to be.

Create a healthy, realistic timeline.

Don't expect to see huge results overnight;
take the time to change your lifestyle,
and you'll change your weight.

Create meaningful monitoring and accountability.

If you commit yourself
to log in all of your food into a computer software program,
you’ll know you have to face your eating behavior,
and you'll be more likely to stick with your plan.

        
Consistency is a highly under-rated trait,
but it is one of the behaviors that is most necessary
for successful weight-loss and maintenance.

The definition of Consistency is:
reliability or uniformity of successive results or events
To be consistent means to constantly adhere
to the same principles, course, or form.

There are many different ways to eat,
and many different diet plans.
Most all of them will work
IF they are consistently followed.

We don’t all have to have the same diet,
or the same eating plan,
but to be successful,
we have to develop a pattern of eating
which gives us the same or less calories
as our individual body burns.

We don't always have to eat the same things,
or always eat at the same times,
or even always eat the same amounts.
But we need overall consistency
minute after minute, hour after hour,
day after day, week after week,
month after month, year after year.

When talking about weight-loss or maintenance.
I think a “lifestyle change” means that
we have to change the patterns of eating
that made us become overweight or obese,
and replace it with another, lower-calorie pattern.

This, of course, involves and requires consistency.

Portion control is understanding
how much a serving size is
and how many calories a serving contains.

Portion control is important for weight management
since a person’s weight is determined by their total calorie intake.

Healthy eating, (using Aristotle's philosophy)
is the desirable middle between
the extremes of excess and deficiency (over-eating and not eating enough).

A "serving size" according to a package
may bear little resemblance to the amount of the food
which most people eat at a time.

First-time dieters can find the process of calculating serving sizes
and calorie counting confusing;.
and because there are so many varieties of supermarket products,
serving sizes are commonly inaccurate.

Portion sizes can be estimated by using objects as a point of reference.
One way of determining portion size is to compare hand size.

For example a healthy serving of protein should not be larger
than a palm size piece of meat.

Carbohydrate servings such as pasta can be measured by fistfuls.
A healthy serving of pasta should be one fistful.

A great many people don’t understand that
a standard “serving size” is NOT the amount of food
that their parents, family, friends, or restaurant places on a plate
and serves to them.

Here are some examples of standard serving sizes.
If you only have half, you’re having one-half a serving;
and if you have more,
consider the fact that you’re having extra servings.

One serving of grain:
one cup of whole grain cereal, one fourth of a bagel, one cup of pasta.

One serving of vegetables:
five cherry tomatoes, five sticks of celery, one whole carrot.

One serving of fruit:
a medium apple, fifteen large grapes, half a banana.

One serving of dairy:
one cup of milk, three cheese cubes, half cup of low fat cottage cheese.

One serving of meat:
1/4 chicken breast, daily guide line: one fist full per meal.

Fats and Sugars:
as little as possible, dairy and meat contain plenty of necessary fat,
while fruits contain enough natural sugars.

What is Burnout?

Burnout is a state of emotional, mental, and physical
exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress.

It happens when we feel overwhelmed
and unable to meet constant demands.
As the stress continues,
we begin to lose the interest or motivation
that led us to take on an activity in the first place.

Burnout reduces our productivity and saps our energy,
leaving us feeling increasingly helpless, hopeless, cynical, and resentful.
Eventually, we may feel like we have nothing more to give.

Most of us have days when we feel bored,
overloaded, or unappreciated;
when what we do isn’t noticed or rewarded;
when it’s hard to drag ourselves out of bed.
But if one feels like this most of the time,
they might be experiencing burnout.

Symptoms of Burnout:

• Every day is a bad day.

• Caring about self, work, or home seems like a total waste of energy.

• One is exhausted all the time. Most of the day is spent on tasks 
             that we find either mind-numbingly dull or overwhelming.

• We feel like nothing we do makes a difference or is appreciated.

There is a difference between stress and burnout
Burnout may be the result of unrelenting stress,
but it isn’t the same as too much stress.

Stress, by and large, involves too much:
too many pressures that demand too much physically and mentally.
Stressed people can still imagine, though,
that if they can just get everything under control, they’ll feel better.

Burnout, on the other hand, is about not enough.
Being burned out means feeling empty,
devoid of motivation, and beyond caring.
People experiencing burnout often don’t see
any hope of positive change in their situations.

Excessive stress is like drowning in responsibilities,
while burnout is being all dried up.

Another difference between stress and burnout is that
while one is usually aware of being under a lot of stress,
one doesn't always notice burnout when it happens.

Stress vs. Burnout

Stress: Characterized by over engagement
Burnout: Characterized by disengagement

Stress: Emotions are over reactive
Burnout: Emotions are blunted

Stress: Produces urgency and hyperactivity
Burnout: Produces helplessness and hopelessness

Stress: Loss of energy
Burnout: Loss of motivation, ideals and hope

Stress: Leads to anxiety disorders
Burnout: Leads to detachment and depression

Stress: Primary damage is physical
Burnout: Primary damage is emotional

Stress: Could kill one prematurely
Burnout: Could make life seem not worth living.

Burnout recovery strategies

Slow down

When one has reached the end stage of burnout,
adjusting one’s attitude or looking after one’s health
isn’t going to solve the problem.
One must force oneself to slow down or take a break.
Cut back whatever commitments and activities possible.
Give oneself time to rest, reflect, and heal.

Get support

When one is burned out,
the natural tendency is to protect
what little energy one has left by isolating oneself.
But during difficult times,
friends and family are more important than ever.
Turn to loved ones for emotional support.
If loved ones are unavailable, use professional help.
Simply sharing feelings with another person
can relieve some of the burden.

Reevaluate goals and priorities

Burnout is an undeniable sign that something important in one’s life is not working.
Take time to think about hopes, goals, and dreams.
Is something being neglected that is truly important?
Burnout can be the chance to rediscover what really makes one happy
and to change one’s course accordingly.