#10 (If your new please start from #1) Episode #10 of FIRST POST

Taking Inventory and Staying on Track Welcome to our final lesson(last update on weight management)! Today we will focus on an exercise that is meant to allow you the time and space to take inventory of various factors that might impact your long-term success. By proactively addressing areas of your life that could make weight management more challenging, you maximize your opportunity to address those concerns. Today’s lesson requires a paper and pen or a digital way of jotting down a few notes. Below, you will find different seven areas of life, sorted by topic. Your assignment is to rate your satisfaction in each of these areas, using a scale of 1-10—1 being dissatisfied and 10 being perfect. Then give a brief explanation of why you gave it the rating that you did. Finances Health Eating Habits/Diet Friends Spouse or Significant Relationship Career Self-Care Here’s an example: Career: 3/10. My job is very stressful, and I have to work 60 hours a week most of this season. Self-Care: 9/10. I take time to relax every day and recharge. The only thing that’s preventing it from being a 10 is that I sometimes forget to pack a snack at work, and then I get hungry! Once you have listed your ratings in every area, take a moment to look them over. What areas of your life did you rate lowest? Highest? Are there any connections between your low numbers and your overall health? Often, the items with the lowest scores are small red flags to keep an eye on, as they can quickly detract from making progress. Some people find that their dissatisfaction in one area of life can have an impact in another area of life. Perhaps working 60 hours a week is making it very difficult to manage weight because there is simply no time to work out. Take a moment to think about the interrelatedness of these areas of your life. Is there anything that you need to adjust that would allow you to manage your weight or prioritize your health? This list with your ratings may be a helpful tool to refer back to in the future. Summary As we conclude our course, I hope that you were able to move from the contemplation stage of behavior change into the action stage by using the tools that you gained throughout the course. Here is a quick review of what you learned through our lessons: Your diet should contain foods from each of the macronutrient groups in every meal. In order for weight loss to take place, there needs to be a calorie deficit that will allow the body to use storage as energy. There are two types of hunger: emotional and physical. Emotional hunger is often a craving for a specific food and can occur suddenly. One technique for addressing emotional eating is to address the emotion in a non-food way. Another technique for addressing emotional eating is to eat mindfully, which means taking time to focus on eating while being fully present at the meal. Having an exercise plan is helpful in managing weight because it keeps the body healthy and provides an opportunity to use stored fat as energy, lowering overall body weight. Tracking progress is helpful because it allows you to objectively know if you’re on track with your goals. Planning ahead is crucial for being able to stick with your diet and exercise plans. Thanks again for your active participation! I would love to hear about your weight management journey. I leave you today with this quote:

“Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do.” —krishnasai

Cheers to your health.