Sometime in the early morning when I am writing here,
I feel enthusiastic about an issue and words pour forth.

Other mornings...like today..
it is a struggle to feel the tiniest bit of optimism
about any subject at all...especially all the matters
that surround the issue of dieting and weight-control.

I believe this is typical and universal, rather than individual,
and that it is true of almost all of us. 

 Our individual choice is the behavior that we choose
for ourselves during the times when we feel less than positive.
That behavior choice can make us feel better, or worse.

This is the time when the positive Habits that we've established over time
can be extremely helpful to get and to keep us on track toward our ultimate goals.

So today I begin my day by sitting at my computer.
updating my graphs and tracking information;,
entering my weight and the breakfast I plan to eat;
reading a few new posts at forums I regularly follow;
and writing this article....
...which although not particularly inspiring or informative...
is nonetheless authentic.

                          
One definition of a qualification is
a restriction or modification...like...
"an offer with a number of qualifications".

That's the kind of ANYTHING that become possible,
when we make enough little changes.
The body has some natural limits. 
Some limits of the body are across the board for everyone,
and some of them are specific to one's own individual body.

I can't fly...no matter what I do.
I can't grow taller or younger...no matter what I do.

My body won't change from an endomorph into an ectomorph.
None of my fat cells will ever disappear.
I will never stop wanting to naturally eat a greater amount of calories 
than the calorie amount my body needs to keep me normal weight.

 Some days I wonder if my arm will completely heal,
and if I'm ever going to be able to make a fist with my left hand again.
Some days I wonder if my body is ever going to go back under 120 lbs
and remain there, even on less than 1000 calories a day.

So it the following saying is with qualifications... i.e. Restrictions and modifications....

When we make enough little changes,
(.....almost....) .Anything IS possible.

Attitude is a feeling about a person or thing.
It is a tendency or orientation of the mind.

I frequently address the issue of Attitude
because I've found it to be extremely important in my own life.
Whether my own attitude is positive or negative
makes a big difference in how I feel, and what I accomplish.

I don't see any purpose in feeling bad about myself,
if feeling good about myself is possible,
so I continually work toward that goal.
I also work to feel good about others,
and about the things and events in my life. 

I use the term "work" because that is exactly what it is.
I wasn't born with a "pollyanna" personality,
or taught as a child to focus on the positive.

This is a skill I've had to learn,
and for me, it is a deliberate choice
...one that takes conscious effort...
to sustain an attitude that is primarily positive.

                                
                       Happy 4th of July

  
Dieting is a common practice among those
who want to remove excess pounds from their bodies.

The term "Dieting" means:

to eat sparingly
or
to eat according to prescribed rules.

There are many different weight-loss Diets in existence,
and many people adopt a weight-loss Diet
without really understanding the methodology behind it. 

Many popular Diets allow people to indulge in their favorite foods at least once a week,
and incorparate structured periods of unrestricted eating
calling them  "cheat" meals or "exception" days

The logic behind this is that if people completely avoid their favorite foods,
the temptation to have them would prove irresistible and lead to binge eating.
The belief here is that it is better for a person to indulge one day a week 
than to jeopardize their entire dieting regimen.

Some people also consider their weekend indulgence
to be a treat or reward for following their diets throughout the week.
In any case, most dieters who indulge in weekend binges
...or unrestricted eating... believe that it does them no harm.

  Whatever Diet each of us may choose to follow is an individual choice.

Some bodies appear to thrive on larger amounts of carbohydrates than others.
We, also, don't all have the same biological clocks.  
Some of us are "morning" people, others are not.
Some of us do best when eating small amounts frequently,
Others do best when eating one to three large meals daily.

One purpose of dieting is to get one's body used to a daily pattern of low food intake,
and making that low food intake pattern into a lifelong habit,
and many dieting experts believe that weekend binges tend to defeat this purpose.

Unfortunately,.....despite the specific Diet chosen.......
Dieting is a 24/7 commitment, with no off days.
Every calore consumed counts, irrespective of the day of the week.

While the specific Diet or food plan chosen can contribute to one's weight-loss;
what is important is one's commitment to a daily eating pattern
which results in an overall reduced food intake over long periods of time,
as that food intake is averaged out over weeks and months
including weekends, and vacations, and holidays,
and other special or stressful occasions.

 A contribution and a commitment are not the same thing.
A contribution means "to play a significant part in bringing about a result".
A commitment means "to carry into action deliberately".

One example of contribution vs. commitment is:
although genetic factors make a contribution to my weight and weight-loss issues,
the process of weight management requires a lifelong commitment from me,
a commitment that involves my personal eating behavior. 

There are days when  I seem to lack inspiration.
Today my plan is to address the issues of Habitual Behavior,
in order to carry out the theme of my Words of Wisdom video,
and I'm just not in the mood.

 My HABIT, however, is to write here each morning,
so I'm working to follow through with my plan,
Perhaps in a "reduced capacity"
but as much as I find it possible at the moment.

Those of you who are familiar with the No S Diet principles
are also very familiar with the concept of Habit,
but I think the Habit concept is still worthy of additional thought.

A Habit is simply an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed
until it has become almost involuntary, or automatic.

Features of an automatic behavior can include:
efficiency, lack of awareness, unintentionality, and uncontrollability.

A "bad" habit is a negative behavior pattern,
and a "good" habit is a positive behavior pattern.
Ultimately Good and Bad are personal  value Judgments,
even when one is talking about Habits.

So...we don't ALL agree on whether a Habit is good or bad
....allthough, as a society in general, many people who 
have values differing from what is considered the norm,
tend to "pretend" they possess those "shared" values in order to "fit in",
and thereby make their lives less confrontational.

Most of life is habitual.
Each of us tends to do the same things we did yesterday,
the day before, and every day for the past month.
It is estimated that out of every 11,000 signals we receive
from our senses, our brains only process about 40.

 Habits, good or bad, make us who we are.
The key is in controlling them.
If we know how to change our habits,
then even a small effort can create big changes.

But before making such an effort,
each of us needs to determine for ourselves
if a change is REALLY something WE want,
or if it is something we think we SHOULD want.

Here is where our personal morality or ethics comes into play.
What makes a Habit good?
Will it really benefit me in a positive way?
And how will it do that?

It is unlikely that we will be successful in either
implementing or overturning Habits 
in order to accomplish things like an overhaul of our diet,
cutting down on TV viewing, or exercising regularly,
unless we truly believe it will result in an improved quality of life.

Re the Question: "How Do I Form A Good Habit?"
The answer is the same for both good and bad habits.
Making a good habit is the same as making a bad habit.
The brain is amoral when it comes to habits.
It does not care if it is good or bad.  All it knows is that
the habit action is routinely performed so it would benefit
from an improved neurological pathway for more efficient processing.

Creating a habit is actually easy.
All you need do to form a habit is to repeat the activity.
With enough repetitions it becomes a habit.
The more you do it after the habit is formed,
the more reinforcement you give to that habit.
and the stronger it becomes.

Scientists have come up with the following reasons
why humans stick to bad habits....
Among these reasons are:

• Innate human defiance
• Need for social acceptance
• Inability to truly understand the nature of risk
• Individualistic view of the world
• The ability to rationalize unhealthy habits
• Genetic predisposition to addiction.
  

 However....remember...
it is important to determine WHO is defining the habit as bad...or unhealthy.
Frequently it the person defining the habit is NOT the human WITH the "bad" habit.
Which, of course, IS an important issue which is often overlooked.

I've found that the less committed I am to the VALUE of a particular behavior
the less likely it is that I will ever be successful in making that behavior into a habit,
or in eliminating it as a habit. It all starts with: 
DO I REALLY WANT TO DO ... (OR NOT DO) ... THIS SPECIFIC BEHAVIOR.