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The Psychology of Weight Loss: Behavioral Changes for a Healthier Life
In this chapter, I ' m going to snow you now to prepare yourself to deal with behavior that may undermine your otherwise sterling efforts at weight control. It is said that fortune favors the prepared mind. If your past history gives you the slightest reason for thinking you might give up on the most effective and satisfying weight loss plan you ' ve ever tried, read this chapter carefully.
Is it possible that part of your weight problem is emotional? You may be using food as nurse, mother or comforter, as well as a source of nutrition. Many people use food for far more than mere sustenance. Okay, I ' ll be honest, we all do-some of the time. But there are individuals-not infrequently, people with serious weight problems-for whom food is a major pillar and support of their emotional life. If this sounds familiar, you may have already considered the psychological components of weight loss.
I also know that right now a few of you are saying, " Dr. Atkins, you told me that being overweight may be due in part to a metabolic problem. I don ' t want to hear about emotional issues; I prefer the simple answer you already gave me." I did give you that answer, and if you ' re already doing Atkins, you ' ve probably discovered how real my claims were. Yet, sadly, there is a small percentage of people who try to do Atkins and discover it isn ' t metabolically suited to them. I ' m talking about the folks who lose perfectly well and feel perfectly fine-but give up anyway. Their situation really troubles me.
Mapping the Patterns of Your Life
Have you failed on weight loss plans before? You won ' t have forgotten my criticisms of lowfat and low-calorie diets. It may seem natural to fail on those programs. But, if your pattern goes back a long way and represents a lifelong tendency to gain and lose, gain and lose, then you may be in the grip of what I call emotional eating.
At this point in the book, you may be doing Induction. Are you staying disciplined on this important phase? Then, perhaps all is well. But if you tend to have meals here, there and everywhere, when you eat what you shouldn ' t, you may need to address other issues.
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