Daily Weight Management

Weight loss is more than just about focusing on what to eat and what not to eat. Oprah Winfrey hit the nail on the head when she said: "My greatest failure was in believing that weight issue was just about weight."

There are many things you can do everyday to help you with your weight loss. This daily wisdom in weight loss may not have anything to do with what to eat or what not to eat.

1. Brush your teeth as often as possible. Always carry a travel-size toothbrush with mint-flavor toothpaste. Brushing teeth more often not only saves you dental cost but also changes the flavor in your mouth; yes, this may also change your food craving.

2. Add spices, instead of sugar, to your food, even desserts. For example, eating curry or hot chili pepper causes you to drink more water, and thus giving you a feeling of satiety, so you may eat less.

3. Resist the temptation of trying different flavors or versions of the same type of food. If you like chips, just stick to one flavor. Trying one flavor after another only makes you want to eat more and thus gain more.

4. Always prepare your meals ahead of time, such as preparing in advance 2-3 meals instead of just one. The rationale is that you may avoid last-minute rush for fast food or a TV dinner.

5. When you do your supermarket shopping, always get a list of what you need to buy. Do not be distracted by unhealthy food items on checkout lanes. Never shop when you are hungry.

6. Body detox is the foundation of weight loss. Ultimate weight loss occurs only after body cleansing. Mindful meditation is the most natural detox of the body and the mind. Mindful meditation is both breathing meditation and relaxation meditation for weight-loss detox.

Here is how you begin your mindful meditation:

Set aside 10 minutes or so.

Sit comfortably with both feet on the floor.

Good posture brings stability, which is right mindfulness for mindful meditation. Align your spine with your head and neck to allow your breaths to flow freely. Rest your hands on your lap or on your knees.

Start with 3 deep, cleansing breaths. Breathing meditation requires you to breathe naturally. Be mindful of areas in your body that have tension, such as your neck, shoulders, or lower back. Send your breaths to these areas. This is relaxation meditation.

If your mind wanders, notice your breath. If you are aware of any sound around you, notice it, but without consciously hearing it. If you are aware of the temperature in the room, again notice it. Whenever you become less aware of your sensations, return to your breaths. Notice how you inhale and exhale, or hold your breath.

Mindful meditation is breathing and relaxation meditation for body detox. Mindfulness is the most natural weight loss detox.

7. Body awareness is your relationship with your body. Your body awareness is important to weight loss.

Many dieters are concerned with what they see on the bathroom scale, or with the body shape they see reflected on the mirror.

Body awareness helps you optimize your breathing, which facilitates the removal of toxins to lose weight.

Body awareness is mindfulness of how eating makes you feel: be aware of the taste of the food, such as how it feels in your mouth; be aware of how you feel as you eat the food, especially after have eaten it.

You can further enhance your body awareness by the following:

Lie on your back on the floor, wearing no clothes.

Be aware of your body, how it feels against the floor, especially your spine.

Start focusing on your feet—how do your toes feel?

Then, slowly shift your focus up your body—from your legs to the upper parts of your body until you come to your head.

Practicing body awareness on a daily basis will fine tune your body and awaken an internal awareness that will help you in your food choices. Remember, you should eat what you want to eat, and let your body tell you what you want to eat. There are times you want to eat certain food (what you call "forbidden" food), but you eventually decide against it, or at least you end up eating much less than you originally intended to—this is your body awareness working for you. 

To get my FREE book All-Round Weight Loss, click here.

Stephen Lau

Copyright © by Stephen Lau