The idea is that you take inspiration from their thoughts to work out your own self-help regime, setting yourself tasks to do that will help you improve things bit by bit over the coming days or weeks, based on the self-help information. You don't have to do everything the article says for things to work, and you don't have to do the things you do do in the exact way the article suggests people do them. Just do what you like the idea of, and what you think will be of most benefit.

Imagine this article is somehow giving you privileged access to the thoughts of Christine, the main character in the following article about someone contemplating ways of losing weight, and you plan to use the ideas she has about what might change her situation as inspiration to turn your life around. Her circumstances might not fit yours exactly, but you may be able to adapt her ideas to fit your own circumstances.

The characters discovering the information in the articles in this series are fictional, but the events are true to life.

The Way Things Are Before they Begin to Improve

Christine has been told by a doctor that she's obese. She knows she's very overweight. She can't do a lot of the things she used to do because she's not fit enough, and she's too embarrassed to go out and do others because of the stares she gets. The isolation is making her depressed, which makes her want to eat more for comfort. She's tried dieting in the past, but it hasn't worked.

Sometimes, she feels hopeless, as if she may as well just eat and eat, because she can't do anything about her weight, and so eating's the only thing she's got left in life.

One day, though, a friend encourages her, telling her stories of people who lost a lot of weight over a fairly short period of time, who started enjoying life much more afterwards. Christine starts to feel much more optimistic after this. She begins to feel she might be able to make a success of losing weight after all, and makes plans for how to go about it.

Christine's Contemplation of Several Things she Hopes Will Turn her Life Around

She thinks:

Part One
Eating More Healthily, and Snacking Throughout the Day Without Putting On Weight:

 To safeguard one's health at the cost of too strict a diet is a tiresome illness indeed.
--Francois De La Rochefoucauld

The biggest seller is cookbooks and the second is diet books - how not to eat what you've just learned how to cook.
--Andy Rooney

I keep trying to lose weight... but it keeps finding me!
--Author Unknown

 I should be able to get my weight down by eating healthier food. I think one reason why my diets have failed in the past is that I've always tried to just eat less of the foods I really like, and it's been so easy to give into temptation, and eventually I've given up the diet altogether. But maybe if I find some healthy, low-calorie foods I really like, which I might, I can eat quite a lot of them, and yet still lose weight.

I'll go out looking for some recipe books of healthy recipes, and then put the ingredients I need on my shopping list. I'll see if I can find some recipes that are quick to cook. I'm sure there are some. I find cooking a bit boring. But maybe it wouldn't be so bad if something was going on in the background while I was doing it. And I wouldn't have to do it all in one go every day. Maybe I could spend time in the evenings with the radio on, or story tapes from the library, preparing food for the following day, like chopping vegetables. And it could be time that I now spend in front of television programmes that aren't actually that good, so they're really a bit of a waste of time, I suppose.

I'll enjoy doing that, knowing I'm working towards a healthy goal. And I might enjoy the story tapes and radio programmes I have on in the background just as much or even more as the television programmes I now sit in front of. I'll investigate what tapes the library have, and read the radio listings.

I'm not going to expect too much too soon from my change of lifestyle. I know that going on a crash diet would be unhealthy. If I aim to lose just a couple of pounds a week, I shouldn't be disappointed, and might be very pleased if I lose more.

I do like salad, and I've enjoyed eating it in the past when I've been bothered to make it. I could prepare a lot of it in the evenings, and put it in a box or a bowl in the fridge, and then the next day, I could take it out and put it by my side, and nibble on it throughout the day, instead of going to get cakes and biscuits. And I could eat some as part of a healthy meal in place of quite a lot of the fatty foods I now eat for dinner as well. It means buying a lot more of it, but it isn't going to be much of an expense when I think of all the money I'll save on all the cakes and biscuits I'm no longer buying. I'll try out different vegetables to find out which combinations I like best in salad, and which individual ones I like to gnaw on best. I've hardly ever bothered with salad before, because I thought it wasn't very filling and took a while to prepare. But if it isn't very filling, and it isn't high in calories, it just means I can eat more of it.

I know there are vegetables I do enjoy eating, and if I can get recipe books of healthy meals, I might discover there's a whole variety of different foods I can make low-fat healthy meals with that I didn't even know about. And I might be a bit wary about trying new foods, but if I just buy a small amount at first, I might find out that I really like lots of things I'd never heard of before.

I've heard that many ‘low-fat’ foods have extra calories from sugar, so in the supermarket, I'll have to look at the ‘energy’ content as well as the ‘low-fat’ label.

I know that part of my problem with fat has come about because I drink too much alcohol. I know I drink beer partly to cheer myself up, and partly because I think I may as well, because I don't think it's worth looking after myself because I look so bad anyway. But if I aim for a new, healthy, much slimmer me within six months, or maybe a significant improvement within three, I'll have a goal, so it'll be worth giving up the beer to help me aim for it.

When I'm a lot thinner, I'll be more confident because I can go out without worrying that people are saying horrible things about my weight, and I might have a lot more energy, so I'll feel happier doing the things I enjoy again. I'm going to look forward to all the things I'll have the confidence and energy to do when I've lost weight. I'm going to think of them all one by one and imagine doing them. Then I'll be happier about giving up the fatty foods I like now.

I know I ought to avoid salt in food because too much of that can put me at risk for high blood pressure and strokes. Since I'm already at increased risk of having those because I'm so overweight, I don't want to aggravate that. I've heard that canned food and microwave meals often contain a lot of salt. Eating fresh vegetables and doing my own cooking would help with that.

Part Two
Doing More Exercise:

 Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness.
--Edward Stanley

A man too busy to take care of his health is like a mechanic too busy to take care of his tools.
--Spanish proverb

Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it.
--Plato

I'll start doing more exercise. I can't do anything strenuous, because I'm not fit enough. But I could put music on when I'm on my own sometimes and dance to it. And I could find some gentle keep fit exercises on the Internet to do, or buy one or two tapes or CD's of keep fit exercises, or pluck up the courage to go to my local sports centre and ask if there are any gentle keep fit classes going on there. Going to one of those could be good, because I might meet people who are trying to lose weight just like me there, and I could make new friends.

I've heard that half an hour's brisk walking every day does most people a lot of good; but walking briskly might not be so good for me, because I might put too much pressure on my knee joints with all the weight they're carrying. They're a little bit arthritic as it is, and the doctor says it's aggravated by the weight they're carrying, so I wouldn't want to make it worse. Gentle walking will probably do some good though. And as I slim down, I could speed up. I could do several circuits of the park every day, at least when the weather's nice. I might find that a bit boring, so I don't know if I'll be able to discipline myself to do it. But maybe I could get someone to go with me sometimes. And if I decide on a set time of day to do it, I'll know that's my walking time, so I won't keep putting it off and never get around to it. I know there are nice things to look at in the park. I'll make a special point of noticing the flowers, children playing, birds flying around, and other things that make it look nice.

And I could perhaps make going round it a bit like a sport. I could time myself going round, and try to improve by a few seconds each time. As long as I discipline myself not to go too fast at first, I should be allright. I could write down how long it took each time, and at the end of each few weeks, I'll look back at the speed I was at the beginning of them, and notice how I've speeded up. That'll be encouraging, and it'll motivate me to carry on, especially if I notice I'm feeling more energetic.

And it'll be even more encouraging if I'm weighing myself and noticing my weight's going down, and if I go to my doctor, and my blood pressure and cholesterol level are getting lower. I know exercise can lower the blood pressure. And my change of diet should lower my cholesterol level.

I won't push myself to walk too fast at first in case I hurt my knees, but as the weight comes off, I should notice they're not hurting so much in general, so I can risk making them do a bit more work.

And perhaps I'll brave the stares and start a bit of swimming. I think breast stroke would be bad for my knees, but other strokes should be allright.
Well, perhaps I'll wait till a bit of my weight's come off because of my change in diet and the other exercise I've been doing, and then do that.

I've heard that when people do more exercise, they can feel much better. I've heard it can even help people who are depressed come out of their depression.

Part Three
Changing the Family's Eating Habits:

To lengthen your life, shorten your meals.
--Proverb

If food is your best friend, it's also your worst enemy.
--"Grandpa" Edward Jones, (1978)

In general, mankind, since the improvement of cookery, eats twice as much as nature requires.
--Benjamin Franklin

I'm going to try to change the whole family's eating habits, because my children are becoming too fat, and I think it's partly my fault. I have to change for the sake of the children even if not for myself. I want to do my best to make sure they're healthy. And I do want to be around to look after them while they're growing up, and to see their own children if possible. So it is worth making an effort.

I'll test healthy recipes on the whole family till we find things we all like.

I could try preparing bowls of chopped raw carrots and leaving them by the side of the kids when they come home from school, in the hope that they'll get to like nibbling on those and so eat less sweets. I'll eat some of them first and tell them how nice I think they are - I love raw carrots; it's just that I haven't been bothered to prepare them in the past because I've enjoyed fatty convenience foods so much. But I'll start eating more vegetables now, and if the children like the raw carrots I prepare, I'll do them often.

I think they're influenced by television advertising to a large extent. They clamour for me to buy the sugar-filled soft drinks and sweets they've seen advertised. I could try taking them out for walks more to get them away from the television for a while, and talk to them about how unhealthy things like sugary foods can be. I was thinking of buying them their own televisions to go in their bedrooms, but maybe that isn't a good idea. They'll be able to watch adverts for unhealthy food without anyone knowing then, giving me more trouble at the shops, as well as watching other things I'd prefer they didn't, like violent programmes, perhaps. I'm sure the television's influencing them. If they don't have televisions in their rooms, I'll have more control over what they watch.

Part Four
Cutting Down the Temptation to Snack on Fatty and Sugary Food:

Gluttony is an emotional escape, a sign something is eating us.
--Peter De Vries

I bought a talking refrigerator that said "Oink" every time I opened the door. It made me hungry for pork chops.
--Marie Mott

The one way to get thin is to re-establish a purpose in life.
--Cyril Connolly, (The Unquiet Grave)

I'm going to try to think of several little practical ways of cutting down the amount I eat. I can think of some. I know:

I'll go shopping just after I've eaten quite a big meal so I don't feel hungry. It might lessen my temptation to buy treats like biscuits, cakes and chocolate. I know I always buy more when I'm hungry. If I haven't bought them, I can't give into temptation on an impulse in the house and eat them!

And if I decide in advance what to buy, rather than browsing around the shelves, I'm not so likely to look at so much tempting stuff.

If I walk to the shops instead of driving, it'll contribute to my new exercise regime, partly because I'm walking instead of driving, and partly because I'll have to go there more often to make up for having to carry less. Since I won't be able to carry so much food back, I won't be able to buy so many sweet or fatty things at once. I could walk there sometimes.

I know that if I go down the street where the bakery is, I find it very difficult to resist going in there and buying a cake ... or two. I'll use a different route to get where I want to go so I don't have to pass it.
I'm going to work out everything that triggers off a craving for food in me, write it down, and then plan how to avoid those things as far as possible.
Another one is that I know that watching cookery programmes on the television makes me hungry for a big snack. I'll stop watching them. I could go and prepare a nice big salad when they're on and nibble on some of it the next day while I'm doing other things.

I could drink water instead of eating sometimes. If I drink more of something non-fattening, it should fill me up more so I don't want so much food.
Water sounds boring though. Maybe I'll have cups of tea some of the time. I'll try tea without sugar, to see if I can get used to it.

When I get an urge for a sugary snack, I can promise myself that I'll have something to eat, but I'll go to the kitchen to get it via the end of the road, the scenic route. After the exercise, I might not want it anymore. Or if I do, at least I'll have done something healthy beforehand.

In the afternoons, when I've eaten earlier but my teeth haven't had a clean for a while, if I fancy a snack, I could clean my teeth first. I might not want to spoil the cleanness of them just after that, and also, the minty flavour of the toothpaste might make me feel a bit better.

If I do give into a sugary treat, instead of standing at the cupboard eating biscuit after biscuit, I'll take out one or two, put them on a plate, go into another room, and eat them there, slowly, chewing each mouthful a lot to savour the flavour and make them last longer. When I've finished, I'll be less likely to be tempted to have more, because I'll be out of reach of the source of temptation.

I'll make sure I throw empty packets or sweet papers away where they're out of sight and I can't smell the scent of the food they had in them, since that will only awaken the cravings in me again.

But maybe I should stop buying biscuits, chocolate and cakes altogether for some time, since when I've had one, I always want more of them far more than I ever wanted the first one.

When I get a craving for a biscuit or a cake or chocolate, I could try spending several seconds imagining a horrible lump of fat in front of me in the shape of what I wanted to eat. It might put me off.

I could write a list of all the illnesses that can be brought on or made worse by obesity, and stick it on the cupboard, and make sure I always read it all before having a snack. I've heard the illnesses can include:

Type 2 Diabetes

Colon cancer

osteoarthritis

Heart disease

High blood pressure

Strokes

Lower back pain

Daytime sleepiness.

I've got a few of those coming on already, like high blood pressure, and something like arthritis in my knees. Hopefully they'll improve as I lose weight.

As I get thinner, I could buy smaller clothes, and give my bigger ones away, and then wear my smaller ones even if I start to put on a bit of weight and they get tighter, so I'll have a constant reminder that my slimming regime's slipping, so I'll have more incentive to start it up again.

If I try to do more enjoyable things that don't involve eating, it'll take my mind off food so I won't eat so much. Maybe I could find out about interesting evening classes on topics I like the sound of. And I could investigate learning a new skill that would be of use to people. If I did that, I'd feel better, because I'd know that I was contributing something of value to the community.

And I'll try to think of all the things that make me laugh or that I enjoy, and do more of them.
One thing that makes me eat for comfort is worrying about some of the things that are going on in my life at the moment. I know that worrying makes them seem worse, so the more I can take my mind off them by doing new and interesting things the better.
And I'll try to apply my mind to thinking of solutions to the problems when I do think of them, instead of just thinking about how bad they are, like I often do now.

Part Five
Organising the Time so as to Fit the Extra Exercise, Food Preparation, New Hobbies and Commitments In:

The trouble is that eating more healthily, and doing more exercise, and getting out more, and learning new things, will mean I'm going to have to organise my time better, so I can work out how to fit all the extra things in.

I've found a bit of advice in an article about time management. I'll read it and see if it gives me some good ideas.

Yes, there are a few things I could do.

It suggests we cut down the amount of things we have to do ourselves by getting children to help with the housework.

The thing is, I like to do things myself so they're done properly. But there are probably things I could train them to do. Then I could organise a rota, and allot certain jobs to certain people all the time. So it could be one person's responsibility to do the dusting every week, and another person's responsibility to do the hovering, etc.
I could plan how they could help me with the cooking, maybe mixing things.
I'll think about what else they could help me with.

I might be able to cut down on the time I spend shopping by going at different times and deciding when the least crowded days and times are. That'll make up a little bit for going more often.

And perhaps I'll keep a notepad in the kitchen and write down things we run out of when we run out of them, or things I notice we're running low on, so I don't have to go round the house before I go shopping each time deciding what we need.

And perhaps I could write a main shopping list on the computer of things we buy at least once a month usually , print out copies of it, and then just tick off what we need each week on one of them, instead of writing the whole shopping list from scratch each time.

I could write the list in order of the way things are laid out in the supermarket, so I'll come across the things in the order of the way they're written on the list. That should save a bit more time.

I'll try those things anyway. And I'll have a think about what other things I could do to save time.

Well, I'm looking forward to starting my new weight loss regime. Hopefully, I'll notice quite a bit of improvement soon. And going out more again and meeting more people will be nice.

The End

Note that if you choose to try out some or all of the recovery techniques described in this article, they may take practice before they begin to work.

Feel free to print this article out to look at in the future if you think it will help, or to add it to your favorites or save it to your computer. If you know of anyone you think might benefit by reading any of the self-help articles in this series, whether they be a friend, family member, work colleagues, help groups, patients or whoever, please recommend them to them or share the file with them, or especially if they don't have access to the Internet or a computer, feel free to print them out for them. You're welcome to distribute as many copies as you like, provided it's for non-commercial purposes.

By Diana Holbourn

Source: http://www.broadcaster.org.uk/section1/

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