No more excuses!

Excuses; everyone makes them from time to time. But, are your excuses holding you back from better health and happiness? This week, we have some strategies to help you change those negatives into positives!

Understanding excuses

Dr Suzy Green, a Sydney-based psychologist and life coach, says most of us make excuses when we’re thinking about a change of behaviour; this change can feel really scary if you are not quite ready to make it. She explains that excuses are essentially 'Health Inhibiting Thinking' (HITs) and that we need to turn them into 'Health Enabling Thinking' (HETs) if we're going to bust through and prevent them from getting in our way.

It helps to consider why we make excuses in the first place. There are typically two reasons:

• You don’t think you can do it. If you have low self-confidence and/or if you have tried to lose weight before with mixed success, it can feel like a monumental effort to try again. Believing in yourself is an absolute must and, if this requires some outside help (like the services of a counsellor or therapist), take this first step and you’ll start moving in the right direction.
• Old habits run deep. It is difficult to shake yourself out of habits that may have taken many years to become a part of your life. Negative thoughts about you and your behaviours can shake your confidence and make it difficult for you to start to make the changes you know you need to make. 

Dr Suzy explains that the excuses people make when they are not ready to tackle their behaviours need to be turned around. For example, if your excuse is, ‘I need to eat something because I feel down’ you could turn this around with thoughts such as, ‘It’s OK to be upset. Everyone gets upset. But, I need to know just why I am feeling upset. I can do this without eating/bingeing and I am going to find a way.’ Depending upon how entrenched your negative thoughts are, you might well need professional help to start thinking in a new direction.

11 common excuses – how to hit them where they hurt...

1. “I don't have time to eat right”. If you can make time to eat unhealthy foods, you can make time to eat well, too. Take breakfast, for example: what could be faster than a bowl of cereal with skim milk? Fruits, such as bananas, are nature’s fast foods; unzip one today. Or if you really can’t face breakfast, have your snack around breakfast time and your meal at snack time. Planning helps to give you more time, too. Try to make sure the right foods are waiting for you in your cupboard/fridge/freezer.
2. “I hate exercise!” Perhaps you haven’t found the right kind of exercise to suit you yet. You'll be more likely to stick to an exercise routine if it's fun, enjoyable and suits your lifestyle. So, if the gym doesn't work for you, try walking. If walking is boring, consider group exercise classes. The secret to pushing through exercise excuses is remembering that you don't have to love doing it, you just have to love the benefits of it.
3. “I can’t do without my treats!” You don’t have to! No foods are banned, it’s the balance of what you eat that really counts. You can fit treats into your diet by recording them in your diary and making the appropriate adjustments to the rest of the day to keep to your calorie target. If you have a blow out, eat fewer calories the next day or increase your exercise to stay on track. Alternatively, you might want to consider a calorie-reduced version of your favourite treat – there are lots of new products around and you never know, you might find a new favourite!
4. “Can’t cook, won’t cook?” Try some of the recipe ideas in the menu plans. They are all devised to be really easy to cook (some of them don’t even require cooking, you just throw them together!) And when you find a favourite recipe, cook up an extra batch or two and freeze it in single portion sizes ready for an effortless meal next time. Learning the basics of cooking is really worthwhile; it can help you to make flavoursome, healthy choices for a lifetime – for you, and for your family.

5. “My friends and family don’t support my get-healthy plans.” It might work to speak with your friends and family about your Biggest Loser Club program and explain just why you want to lose weight and feel good about yourself. Getting loved ones onside is a huge bonus. Do let people around you know what you are expecting from them, too – don’t let food pushers sabotage your plans! And, if they are good friends, if they want you to be healthier and happier, they will support you. If they don’t, are they really the ‘friends’ they say they are?
6. “My job means that I have to eat out a lot.” You can eat well when you eat out, but, there’s no doubt that this can be tricky. Portion sizes at restaurants are typically large, so this is something you need to keep a close eye on. Stick with the good choices on the menu such as grilled fish and meats with the sauce on the side plus salad and vegies. Avoid foods described as fried, creamy or cheesy. Do drink plenty of water with your meal. And when it comes to alcohol, which was once described as ‘liquid cream cakes’ because of its huge calorie content, keep it to a minimum or avoid it all together.
7. “It doesn’t fit in with family meals!” Your individual Biggest Loser Club Plan is devised specifically for you. But that’s not to say that your partner can’t tuck into the deliciously hearty dishes like Pad Thai noodles, chicken nachos and fish curry. Choosing healthier options will benefit the whole family and set children on a path to good health, too.
8. “I have a slow metabolism.” It's a misnomer that being overweight means you have a slow metabolism – typically the opposite is true, as it takes more energy to keep a larger body functioning. But even if you do have a slow metabolism, you can turn it around with exercise which is a sure-fire way to boost your metabolic rate. Aerobic activity (fast walking, tennis, fitness classes, etc) helps strengthen your heart and lungs while resistance training (e.g. using weights) builds muscle. And, as you already know, muscle burns calories fast; it turbo charges your metabolism. So, the more body muscle you have, the more calories you burn automatically – when you work out and when you rest, too. 
   
   That said, there are some medically diagnosed conditions that slow the metabolism but these are rare and the good news is that there are effective treatments available. If you think you have a slow metabolism which could be related to a thyroid or other hormonal problem, do see your doctor.

9. "People expect me to be overweight – how would they react if I wasn’t?” If you really want to live your life, you have to let go of the barriers that are keeping you heavy. Some people use the excuse of being heavy to live on the sidelines of life. It’s time to ask yourself whether this is what you really want to do or can you allow yourself to find the happier, you? It’s true that you might have to deal with the occasional unsupportive/jealous friend or family member and it might be that some people have higher expectations of the new, slimmer you. But, is that really such a bad thing? Take a chance; you won’t lose yourself, you might well find the happier person inside. You deserve success as much as anybody. Living up to other people's expectations can be a major psychological hurdle to get over and Dr Suzy suggests that you think seriously about getting some professional help from an experienced psychologist. For more information on psychology, log onto www.drsuzy.com.au.
10. '“It’s too expensive!” There is no doubt that the fresh fruit and vegies, fish, lean meat and pulses that feature strongly in your Biggest Loser Club plan definitely cost. But compare the costs of a takeout meal with a home-cooked version and a home-made sandwich with a deli-bought version – the dollars (not to mention the calories) will really stack up with the shop-bought options. Another good trick is to check how much food processing puts onto your bills – for example, compare the price of a kilo of apples to a kilo of apple cake, or a kilo of potatoes and a kilo of potato chips. Buying foods as nature intended is always cheaper; it’s the manufacturing and packaging that adds costs which can be staggering.
11. '“It’s all too hard!” Depriving yourself and eating foods that don’t exactly inspire you are really too hard; we know that. The Biggest Loser Club promotes a healthy balanced eating plan that aims to keep you satisfied, your metabolism fired up and your enthusiasm high. While you do need to make adjustments to your lifestyle, deprivation and/or total sacrifice don’t come into it. Instead, it's about getting the balance right. If you really think it's all too hard, share your thoughts on the forums – there are lots of other like-minded people waiting to inspire you and share how they overcame this excuse.