When people hear the word trigger, a whole host of images pop into their mind. Depending upon your background, it could be anything from a hammer that sends a bullet racing from a gun and for you super geeks out there, it could be an event executing a piece of code.

When it comes to weight loss, triggers are those bugaboos that can make losing weight some @%$*#! hard.

So what are triggers that make weight loss more difficult? Of course seeing cake dripping with frosting is enough to send your salivary glands into overdrive, but, triggers are not just food. They can be people, places, how you’re feeling or even the way you’re sitting right now.

When it comes to triggers and weight loss, the bottom line is that you need to become more aware of the causes of your triggers.

How to become aware of triggers?

An effective method of combatting triggers is to become aware of when they occur. Time is a key component of triggers. As you begin to track them, you’ll notice that they usually occur during a specific times during the day. The most common time is in the evening.

The reason for this is physical as well as psychological. During the day, when you’re eating only healthy stuff, you’re supplying your body with specific types of nutrients. However, your body as grown accustomed to certain foods and the ingredients in those foods, namely sugar and tasty fats.

When you don’t get that stuff, the trigger is activated. For example, sugar cravings have been linked to low levels of serotonin and endorphins.

To combat the timing of a trigger, prepare for it by having a nutrition bar handy to eat or some other nutritional item to snack on. Not only does this help combat the cravings of the triggers, it also helps to retrain how you react to the triggers.

The following are a list of the major triggers and some practical steps to alleviate them.

People

Your family can be a big trigger in your life. Even though you don’t have the option to get a new family, you can explain to them you’re trying to lose weight and any support they could give would be a big help.

Feelings

Many people think that the only way to change the way you feel is by telling yourself to stop feeling that way. This of course does the opposite, by keeping the feelings in your mind. A quick and effective way to change your feelings is to listen to music. Music can make you feel sad or make you feel on top of the world. So the next time a feeling triggers you to want to pig out, plug in your ipod and enjoy some tunes.

Events

Probably the single greatest event that triggers you to want to overeat is watching tv. To help, make a bowl of veggie snacks before you sit down. Just munching on them while you watch may be enough to keep your mind off the fatty snacks you tend to eat.

A favorite technique of mine is to squeeze a stress ball or a hand gripper that I keep near by. Just keeping my hands busy helps me out a lot.

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Weight loss is not about just learning what to eat or what type of exercise to perform. It’s also about managing your time. Once you learn how to organize each hour of your day, losing the weight and keeping it off will be a piece of cake. Ah, sorry about that.

The quickest and most consistent way to get yourself on a weight loss schedule, is to write it out. If you rely only on planning it out in your mind, you’ll have an easier time of making and excuse of not following it then you would if it was on a sheet of paper. Don’t take my word for it. Try it for yourself.

Just think about what you want to do for the next several hours. After that time has passed, this time write down what you want to do for several more hours. After you’ve completed this little assignment, I’m sure you will feel that you felt a stronger urge to do the things you wrote down, then the things you just planned out in your head.

Don’t be surprised though. It’s like that with every thing you do. For example, what would be more real to you: imagining a bright red apple or holding one in your hand. If you’re like 99.9% of the people out there, it’s holding it in your hand.

By writing down what you need to do each hour of the day as it pertains to your weight loss program is the same thing. It makes it more real to you than just planning it out in your mind. So, if you want to make quick work of losing that excess baggage, write out a schedule. It’s sure to be time well spent.

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Strategies for Overweight Children - Stop Drinking Calories
By Kalvin C. Chinyere, M.D.

The number of overweight children is at an all time high and the numbers are steadily increasing. Strategies to reverse this disturbing trend must be created and put into action. One strategy would be to stop drinking calories.

What Kids Should Not Drink

Most children drink hundreds of calories a day. Most of these are non-nutritious calories. If they would simply eliminate those empty calories, they would be able to lose weight and keep it off.

What children are drinking:

Soda. Soda provides no nutritional value and is loaded with sugar. Most are made with high fructose corn syrup which has even more harmful effects than regular table sugar.

Fruit Juice. Many parents give their children juice because they think it is healthy. Juice has vitamins and is made from fruit. However, your child would be better served by eating a fruit. The fiber in the fruit would help keep them satisfied longer and they get the vitamins they need.

Fruit-flavored Juice. Fruit-flavored juices are a mixture of sugar and water made to taste like fruits. Some of these drinks com pre-made and some you have to prepare yourself. Either way, these “juices” are bad news. They are filled with sugars and calories.

Sports Drinks. Sports Drinks are for athletes. They should be consumed after long strenuous exercise or after exercising in warm environment. Your child should not be drinking them as a replacement for water. These drinks are also filled with sugars and calories.

Coffee Shop Drinks. Over the last few years I have been watching as the increasing number of children getting drinks at coffee shops. They typically are not getting caffeinated beverages. Instead they are getting some chocolate milk type concoction with caramel, fudge, whip cream, whole milk, chocolate chips, or sugar. These drinks are loaded with calories, fat, and sugar.

What Children Should Be Drinking:

Water. If there was only one drink I could suggest children drink, it would be water. Most of the human body is composed of water. An adequate amount of water is necessary for overall health and for weight loss. Children should drink enough water, so that their urine is clear or close to clear.

Green Tea. Green Tea has many health benefits including weight loss. Most children will not enjoying sipping on hot tea, so consider iced green tea. Make it with Splenda and it will be calorie free.

Lemonade. Children love lemonade. Instead of drinking the sugary version, they should drink lemonade prepared with fresh squeezed lemons and Splenda.

Artificially-sweetened Fruit-flavored Drinks. Artificially-sweetened drinks, such as Crystal Light, provide the taste of fruit juice without all of the calories.

Diet Sodas. Diet Sodas eliminate the worse ingredient in regular soda, which is the sugar. These artificially sweetened beverages will not add pounds to your child’s waistline.

To lose weight, children must burn more calories than they consume. One strategy to consume fewer calories would be to stop drinking them. Encourage your children to stay away from high calories beverages and instead drink their low or no calorie counterparts.

About The Author:

Kalvin C. Chinyere, M.D., fondly known as Dr. Kal, is a weight loss expert and the creator of The Don’t Go Broke Weight Loss Program. Dr. Kal was an overweight child and an obese teen. In his 20’s, he tipped the scale at over 330 pounds. Dr. Kal has since lost and kept off over 140 pounds naturally. Learn more about him and his program at his blog: http://www.drkalblog.com

(c) Copyright - Kalvin Chinyere. All Right Reserved Worldwide

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kalvin_C._Chinyere,_M.D.
http://EzineArticles.com/?Strategies-for-Overweight-Children—Stop-Drinking-Calories&id=1065835

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