There is an old joke about the technique to use when dining on an elephant. If you manage a business, supervise a group or team, you are probably dealing with an overwhelming and overflowing in-box, multiple projects, and a series of last-minute surprises and you’ve asked the question, “How do you eat an elephant?”

Everyone who manages any facet of a business or institution is faced with elephants. Elephants are the massive tasks and challenges we encounter, seemingly every day (or the astonishing number of tasks and details that somehow lands on your desk):

That mountain of paperwork to go through!

The seemingly impossible quotas!

The customers demanding ever higher levels of speed, service, and quality.

Staff that has questions, ideas, due-dates, and requests

Vendors to keep on top of

The endless details of managing our business and personal life!

It’s a whole herd of elephants!

So how do we convert our daily elephants into something of manageable size?

1. Determine the end results and focus on key points.
2. Prioritize those key points (most important / easiest to accomplish / highest return-on-investment / etc.)
3. Delegate as many tasks as possible to people who have the skills and the time to do them correctly and on time (and if they are dealing with elephants themselves, help them by showing them this list). NOTE: create deadlines or you will have even more stuff on your list.
4. Develop a time-line – blend the time needed and the time allotted with checkpoints to insure adherence to the timetable.
5. Break the project into digestible, manageable, and tasty chunks.
6. Get started on task #1 and continue to move forward.
7. Revise and reprioritize the list as new tasks arrive

If you don’t take this methodical approach then every day is chaos, constantly behind and out of breath with a result that some tasks either don’t get done at all or they get finished in a sloppy, low-quality manner which means that they will show up on your desk again to be done or redone which means you’ve wasted the time and effort the first time which produces more chaos, more angst, more overwhelm. Better to get on with eating the elephant.

When the task is an elephant (and aren’t they all?) break that big guy into manageable parts that are focused towards a timely result. In other words, “One Bite at A Time!”

Soon you will be ready for a delicious dessert.

Gelatin is a commonly used substance, which is originally derived from the animal waste, cattle hides, pig bones and skins. It is used in a number of applications because of its countless benefits to your health. Therefore, it is widely used in the number of pharmaceuticals, cosmetic, and food industries. It is used for coating pills and to make gummy candy, along with this, it is also used as a gelling agent and can be found in the yogurt. It contains amino acids, which helps to get rid of digestive problems. Want to know more? Don’t worry; here is a list of reasons that let you understand why everyone should eat Gelatin.

Helps To Balance Out Meat Intake: Needless to say, meat contains nutrients and high-quality protein, which takes you away from many diseases and give you a healthy lifestyle. However, meats and eggs contain methionine, which is not good for your body and to balance out your meat intake you should take the help of Gelatin.

Make Your Skin Glowing: No doubt, Gelatin helps you to get a glowing or blemish free skin, which so many beauty products cannot do. It helps to hide the aging elements and makes you look younger and free from any skin diseases.

Protect Your Joints: If you are going to the gym then they advise you to drink a protein shake, which contains gelatin that helps you in many ways. Rather drinking a protein shake, which contains many chemicals, you should start eating Gelatin, which gives you far better results with no side effects.

Improve Digestion: Gelatin is known to be a very good product, which helps to improve your digestion and you, should eat it. It may also help you to fight various digestive problems in an easier and effective manner, so, start eating it now.

Help To Take A Sound Sleep: It is one of commonly used sleep aid with no side effects that help you to sleep properly. It is a perfect product to add to your diet with the doctor’s advice, especially for the people suffering from such problem.

Helps To Manufacture The Shells Of Capsules: Gelatin has no taste and easily get dissolved in the stomach within a few minutes, which makes it easy to swallow and therefore, it is most probably used in manufacturing the shells of capsules. Commercially, it is widely used in this application.

So, what are you waiting for? From the above, it is clear that it has so many benefits and you should include it in your diet now. Once you start eating it, you will be surprises to see the benefits it gives to your health.

With no jargon or complex scientific studies, the book is written in simple terms and is easy to understand. And while the methods aren't backed with research and studies, they are still highly credible since they come from the author's personal experiences. The main focus of this book lies in actionable methods and strategies that are intended on being used by the reader right away without any procrastination.

"The law of Forced Efficiency says that" There is never enough time to do everything, but there is always enough time to do the most important thing. "

Eat That Frog comprises 21 chapters. Each chapter highlights a new method to be used for increasing productivity and battling procrastination. Below are a few notes and summary of the key concepts mentioned in this book.

Power of Writing:
Like most other time management experts, Brian Tracy also states the importance of writing down things and their power in relation to planning and goal setting. While different techniques are spoken about throughout the book, the emphasis lies on writing them down. And no he doesn't mean typing it on your phone or laptop, he stresses on writing it down on paper and will give you enough evidence to prove its importance.

"Goals are the fuel in the furnace of achievement. The bigger your goals and the clearer they are, the more excited you become about achieving them. The more you think about your goals, the greater becomes your inner drive and desire to accomplish them. "

Eat That Frog:

The main concept of the book revolves around its title-Eat the Frog. This is derived from a famous quote by Mark Twain.

"Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day."

In simple words, start your day by completing the task you like the least and are most likely to procrastinate. By doing so, you are rest assured that the day ahead will be comparatively easier since you have checked off the most uninspiring or stressful task off your to-do list. For example, if you hate going to the gym, it is wise to start your day with this activity. This way you are completing the desired task and going ahead with your day with a winning attitude having conquered something you don't necessarily enjoy. This method is simple yet unbelievably powerful. It has proven to be a game changer for many. In case, there is more than one frog in your life, eat the ugliest one first.

"You cannot eat every tadpole and frog in the pond, but you can eat the biggest and ugliest one, and that will be enough, at least for the time being."

Choosing Right:
Brian Tracy speaks on the importance of choosing what's right. He aptly says, "One of the very worst uses of time is to do something very well that need not be done at all." The exercises proposed by him help the reader make smart choices in terms of the tasks that need attention and the ones that don't. By consciously choosing to ignore unimportant tasks, we subconsciously prioritize the important ones.

"Everyone procrastinates. The difference between high performers and low performers is largely determined by what they choose to procrastinate on."

Life-changing Habits:
"Successful people are simply those with successful habits." – Brian Tracy

Through this book, Brian Tracy tries to implement game-changing habits in his readers. According to him, our life is a summation of our habits. Starting and completing a task effectively is one of the habits he talks about in the book. Most people fail not because they are unworthy of success, it is because they do not complete the task and leave it halfway. Through his simple techniques, Brian Tracy teaches his readers to follow through and complete the task at hand no matter how challenging it may seem.

"As Pat Riley, the basketball coach, said," Anytime you stop striving to get better, you're bound to get worse. "

Timely Tasking:
According to Brian Tracy, the real purpose of time management is to create time to live life at its best and to spend it with people, that matter . He reminds us that we work so that we can afford a good life for our loved ones and ourselves. However, due to poor time management, even though we succeed in making a decent living, we rarely make a good life. Surplus time allows us to lead joyous lives. But this is only possible when work related responsibilities are taken care of. The book includes some powerful strategies for time management. They are easy to implement and are perfect for maintaining a balance between work and personal life.

"Rule: It is the quality of time at work that counts and the quantity of time at home that matters."

Recommendation:

Accredited as being the most accessible book on time management and personal productivity, this book owes its popularity and success to its easy-to-use methods. While there are many other books on the same subject, Eat That Frog is the simplest and yet the most effective of them all. Brian Tracy literally hand holds the reader through the implementation process. The simplicity of the exercises ensures that the reader actively picks up the habits without resistance. Recommended as a great read, Eat That Frog is definitely a game-changer.

"If you have to eat a live frog at all, it doesn't pay to sit and look at it for very long."

This past summer I used the Eat Stop Eat diet program that I found through a fitness forum. Many people in the forum that were getting results were using some type of fasting in their diet. My first though was that it did not sound healthy. I was under the impression that I had to be eating every 3 hours or my body would go in to starvation mode. I got this in my head from another diet program that I previously used. Sometimes it is hard to know what to believe. I desperately wanted to lose weight and it sounded like an easy program to follow. I had nothing to lose so I gave it a try.

The whole philosophy of the eat stop eat program is to do a 24 hour fast for one or two times a week. How much simpler can you get? Most other diets will require you to eat smaller meals five times a day or eat the exact foods that they tell you. Some of these other diets get so complicated that people give up before they even start them.

Foods that I ate on the Eat Stop Eat Program

The eat stop eat program does not restrict what you eat, just during your fasting. Eat as you normally would. I had many foods that I probably would not be allowed to eat on other diets. I had hot dogs, pizza, hamburgers, ice cream and other goodies as well. I was not stuffing my face with them. You are allowed them once in a while in moderation. The program does not require you to count your calories but I did count mine. I just wanted to make sure I was not eating more than I should if I wanted to maintain my weight.

During the 24 hour fasts I only drank water, tea, black coffee and any 0 calorie diet sodas. I also chewed some sugar-free gum when I felt like I wanted to eat.

Eat Stop Eat Program Benefits

I did not have to eat for two full days a week. Eating and preparing food takes up time. Usually when you eat you have to stop what you are doing to make the food and then eat it. Following that you usually get tired since your body is using more energy to break down and use what you just ate. Without eating your body just stays the same and you gain all that extra time to stay focused on your tasks. This is great if you are working on projects or studying.

My grocery bills were less because of the meals I was cutting out. If I usually ate out at restaurants frequently I would have saved even more money following the program. At the least you would probably save ten dollars a week. What other diets can say they save you money? Most of them require you to buy expensive health foods.

If you are healthy and looking for a simple diet that you can follow for the long haul then this may work for you.

Is the land where you are satisfying you with the good she has? Every land has been endowed by God with some good things which her inhabitants can benefit from. However, many people are not having the taste of the goodies that their land has to offer them; rather they are wallowing in poverty. This article reveals the secret to eating the good of the land.

If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword”; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken – Isaiah 1:19-20 (NKJV).

In a land where some people are murmuring and complaining that they are suffering and in poverty, others are making it genuinely and not out of evil practices. They are eating the good of the land.

God desires for you to enjoy the blessings He had attached to the land where you are, and He has given the key to its actualization. Operation of this key will open you up to great blessings. The key is in being willing and obedient to the Lord’s instructions per time.

Be willing and obedient

This is one wisdom God has laid down in order for us to live successfully on earth. You must be both willing and obedient to the Lord in order to eat the good of the land. Being obedient and yet unwilling will not yield good fruits to you, so also will being willing and not obedient yield nothing to you. Two of them must be in place for you to enjoy the good of the land.

God has a plan and purpose for every individual. A discovery and pursuit of it will yield great fruits for you. Many Christians, though they know God’s plan for them are not willing to pursue it. Some disobey because they think the Lord’s plan is not ideal for them, while others are bothered about the contrary opinion of the society, family and friends. Some Christians may be willing to pursue the plan and purpose but they want to do it their own way, while some will obey His instructions but not willingly. All these attitudes will affect the good that is to go to them. You must be willing and obedient to eat the good of the land.

God said that if you refuse and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword. This sword can be in form of poverty, sickness and diseases, failure, depression and frustration. Some Christians are suffering one or more of these things but are unaware that these are results of disobedience to the Lord or unwilling attitude to work. These opened the door for the enemy to afflict them.

Total obedience

God requires total obedience and not partial obedience. Partial obedience is not obedience. It still amounts to disobedience. Until, you do it as the Lord said, you have not obeyed Him. There is no prize for an uncompleted work; until you finish you are not rewarded. You work on God’s terms and not your terms.

Abraham was a man who was willing and who walked in total obedience to the words of God. God told him to leave his father’s country and go to a place He would show him and he got up and left without knowing what next to expect or where he was going to (Genesis 12:1-4). He never returned to that land again. He even instructed his servant never to take his son to that place. Abraham obeyed God in all and he was greatly blessed in all things (Genesis 24:1, 4-6).

Isaac too was willing and obedient and the land of famine yielded greatly for him that the Philistines envied him. The Lord asked him not to go down to Egypt but to stay in the land of famine and he obeyed. He sowed in that land and it yielded hundredfold unto him the same year (Genesis 26:1-6, 12-14. It pays to obey God, He knows and has the best things for us, and therefore it is wisdom to simply obey Him.

In conclusion, what has God laid in your heart to do? Be willing and obedient to do it. It may not seem to be the ideal thing to do, do it all the same, for in your willingness and obedience lie your joy and peace and your ability to eat the good of the land.

Eating steak will help you get 6 pack abs. Fun? Yes! Real? Yes!

Here’s how eating steak, and other ‘forbidden’ food, will help you get a ripped 6 pack. Getting ripped abs is never easy, but it can be easier.

Low Carbohydrate Works

OK, why eat steak? It’s tasty, satiating, and eating a low carbohydrate diet will accelerate your fat loss.

A low carbohydrate diet doesn’t work for everybody. But if your metabolism is messed up it can be very helpful re-setting it back to a normal level.

The reason low carbohydrate diets will help you get 6 pack abs faster is because they minimize your body’s release of the hormone insulin. Insulin is primarily released in response to dietary carbohydrates, and (if you’re eating too much) insulin can really pack on fat, since one of its primary purposes is to stimulate tissue growth.

By eating less carbohydrates, you manipulate your body’s hormones so that you draw on fat (either in your diet, or your body fat) primarily for fuel, rather than dietary carbohydrates. This helps many people lose weight, especially the really obese.

Also, I love eating meat! A steak is a great source of appetite satiating protein, which also helps you build muscle.

Choose A Diet You Like

Now, no matter what diet you choose you must eat less to lose weight. That’s just how it works.

As long as you eat less, though, you don’t need any special meal timing methods. No six small meals a day, no magic, no timing of your eating is absolutely essential.

Calories count. As long as you remember that, no matter what diet or eating scheme you choose, you’ll lose weight. So choose one you like!

I usually eat a lot of vegetables and protein when I’m dieting to lose weight. The protein satiates my hunger, and vegetables fill me because I can eat a lot of them. I eat two or three orthodox, big meals and lose weight just fine.

It’s not a particularly low carbohydrate diet, but the carbohydrates I am eating are healthy ones, vegetables, with lots of vitamins and not a lot of calories. And the steak tastes good, especially with a little wedge of butter on top!

If eating a sugary diet works for you, do it. But I really enjoy a good steak, and eating so that I can have a steak every day and still lose weight is very fun.

Other Than Diet, Here’s What You Need To Do To Get 6 Pack Abs…

Really, diet is the most essential part of getting a ripped 6 pack. Even if your muscles are big, if you have too much fat you won’t look ‘ripped’.

Weight training helps a lot. It maintains your muscle mass when you diet to lose weight, and will help you put on muscle mass later. And it also burns calories, helping to accelerate your fat loss.

Running (or dancing or rock climbing or martial arts) also helps. These activities burn calories, and get you out of the house and having fun.

But if you don’t control your eating, you won’t get 6 pack abs. It’s not possible with too much body fat. I know – I’ve tried all the stupid and ineffective tricks out there, so you don’t have to.

What To Do Now? Start!

Don’t just sit there. Start!

If you need more advice and guidance to get 6 pack abs, click on the links below. I’ve outlined exactly what I do to get ripped, and stay that way.

When you are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, you must come to grips with the fact that you are going to have to alter some of your habits and your lifestyle. It is a serious illness that must be attended to if you want to live a long and active life. The good news is that you can easily manage diabetes through your diet and exercise routine.

Type 2 Diabetes is a disorder that displays an unhealthy and uneven level of sugar in your blood. This often comes about through diet choices that have been made. You can manage your Diabetes through diet and exercise, but that does not always mean that that is the only thing that you need to manage it. In fact, in some cases you will need medication to maintain healthy blood sugar levels.

That being said, you cannot depend on medications to maintain your health and well-being. You must be sure to adjust your diet so that it is rich in the foods that you need. When you are looking at your diet, you may come up with some simple questions about everyday foods that you really enjoy. You may wonder; can you eat pizza with Type 2 Diabetes?

Deciding what to eat is always a challenge, especially with Diabetes. However, pizza is definitely one of those foods that everyone loves and craves. The question is, can you have it as part of your diet and still be able to maintain your health? Well, yes, you can, but you need to understand some of the nutritional content of pizza to figure out how to incorporate it into your new and healthier lifestyle.

Pizza does have healthy elements on it like cheese, and vegetables. However, the foundation of a pizza is crust, and crust is bread. Bread is not a bad thing when it is used in normal does.

However, bread is full of carbohydrates, and typically, pizza dough is built with simple carbohydrates, which are essential sugars. It is precisely these carbohydrates that can cause you problems in the first place. These are the types of carbohydrates that are essentially sugars, and those are the sugars that can affect the levels in your blood leading to diabetes. Knowing that is important so that you do not overindulge in the types of food that might drive your blood sugar levels up. It’s also important to note that another key component of pizza is tomato sauce. Though it is not unhealthy, it is full of sugars.

So does that mean that you cannot eat pizza if you have Type 2 Diabetes? No, not at all. What it means is that you need to be cautious about how much pizza you eat. You most certainly can have a few slices every once in a while. What you cannot do is sit down to a medium thin crust all on your own and devour it in one sitting. Though it will take discipline, it is within your reach without having to sacrifice one of your favorite foods!

Which is it?

In the U.S., almost 16 million people have diabetes. More than 50 million adults have doctor-diagnosed arthritis. Over 600,000 people die each year of heart disease. Dementia and Alzheimer’s are on the rise, and digestive disorders are commonplace.

According to the National Institutes of Health: “More than 35% of U.S. adults are obese, and more than 34% are overweight.”

Do I have your attention now?

Good.

Diabetes, arthritis, heart disease, dementia, and digestive disorders are out of control in the U.S. People are suffering in silence and scared. They don’t know where to turn or what to do.

The Problem

Food.

People are eating their way into an early grave with foods laced with additives, preservatives, chemicals, sweeteners, and fats.

The Solution

Food.

As positive thinker, Norman Vincent Peale sagely expressed: “Every problem has in it the seeds of its own solution.” Therefore, if food is the problem, it’s also the solution.

The good news is that once you know how certain foods respond within your body (which are beneficial and which cause conflict); you can straightforwardly eat your way back to health. No matter what your current state of health or energy level, it’s rarely too late to turn it around.

That’s what I did. In my 20s, 30s, and 40s I struggled with my health. It declined so alarmingly over that 20-year period that I knew I was eating my way to an early grave. I had to turn my health around. I did that by eating my way to heath.

Now in my mid-50s, I’m in the best health of my life!

If I can do it: You can do it.

Eating Your Way to Life

There are three key nutrients and vitamins essential to achieving optimal health: Protein, B vitamins, and greens. Here’s why:

1. Protein.

Studies show that eating a high-protein diet has some specific health benefits. Not only does it help you maintain and lose weight, but it also works to stabilize your blood sugar levels, improve cognition, reduce ‘brain fog’; boost your energy levels, and support your muscles and bones. Organs, tissues, muscles, and hormones are all made from protein.

There are so many proteins from which to choose!

Here are some fabulous protein sources: Oats, grains, quinoa, nuts, dairy, tofu, eggs, fish, beans, and meat. You can also get your protein by drinking a protein powder smoothie.

The key to protein is to eat it every 2-3 hours.

2. B Vitamins.

Everyone needs B vitamins. However, most people come up short on these essential nutrients. This not only slows down your metabolism, making it hard to lose weight, it also causes energy slumps. B vitamins help your body make energy from the food you eat. They also form red blood cells.

There are eight B vitamins:

a. B1 (thiamine)

b. B2 (riboflavin)

c. B3 (niacin)

d. B5 (pantothenic acid)

e. B6 (pyridoxine)

f. B7 (biotin)

g. B9 (folate)

h. B12 (cobalamin)

These foods are high in B vitamins: brown rice, 100% whole wheat bread and pasta, non-GMO organic soybeans and other soy products, bananas, potatoes, and Shiitake mushrooms.

3. Greens.

The importance of eating greens cannot be overlooked. Imagine food so powerful that it can help you lose weight, reduce your risk of cancer, make you look younger, strengthen your bones, and help you live longer. Pretty nifty, huh!

Super-woman status is achieved with greens because most greens contain a mixture of vitamins A, C, K, B9, iron, and potassium. Plus, most have protein and B vitamins in them.

Here are some delicious ways to get your greens:

a. Eat a salad a day.

b. Add steamed broccoli, zucchini, and cabbage to any meal.

c. Have artichokes for dinner.

d. Eat raw celery and green peppers as snacks.

e. Mix kale and spinach into a green powder smoothie.

When you start eating your way to health, making the decision about what foods to eat is overwhelming. That’s why it’s helpful to work with a nutritionist or health consultant to design an eating plan specifically tailored for you.

With so many people in the U.S. suffering from diabetes, dealing with digestive disorders, struggling weight issues, and going to an early grave from heart disease, don’t you owe it to yourself to stop this from happening? I did. And I know you can do it too by eating your way to health. Start eating your way to health: The quality of your life depends upon it.

If a group of cockroaches decides to come live under your roof, they do so for a very good reason. And you probably already know what that reason is; food. The only thing a roach fears more than the bottom of your shoe is a lack of food and water. Therefore it’s good to know what they eat if you want to get rid of roaches.

A cockroach isn’t picky, unless it comes to where he wants to live. The creeps carefully choose a home with plenty of food and water. If that’s yours, you know what to do. A: get rid of the roaches. B: make sure they never come back again.

Getting rid of roaches isn’t all that easy. But once you’ve won the fight, the battle ain’t over. Then it comes to eliminating all the things cockroaches love. Therefore it’s important to know what they eat, what they drink and where they will most likely find it.

Let’s start with the bad news. Cockroaches eat about anything. Soap, paper, clothes, cigarette buts, your favorite book, wood, human hair and nail clippings, leather, feces, fabric and even the glue on the back of wallpaper and stamps. And if they have to, they’ll eat each other. They are classified as omnivores, meaning they eat any type of organic food source they find. Like I said: roaches aren’t picky. .

Cockroaches are nocturnal by nature, preferring to hide in a dark place during the daylight hours and scavenging for food at night. There is one peculiar exception to this rule. The Oriental cockroach seems to be attracted to light.

Cockroaches locate food and they then communicate to other cockroaches in the community by leaving chemical trails in their feces. Other cockroaches will follow these trails to locate food sources or other cockroaches. That’s why a cockroach never seems to come alone.

Roaches’ favorite place? Your kitchen. All it takes is for you to make a sandwich and not wipe down the counter afterwards. One trivial, carelessness and you will have unwittingly spread a delicious buffet for the cockroaches in your house.

Once you’ve got rid of the roaches, you need to take straightforward precautions: put away all (all!) food items into plastic containers that can be sealed tightly. Open water also breeds roaches. A single drop of water will attract roaches so make sure to wipe down the sink and counter before you go to bed. Not just today, but make it habit. There is always a cockroach around looking for food. And the creep never comes alone.

Mindful eating, intuitive eating, and conscious eating are all terms used to describe a way of eating that uses internal cues about hunger, appetite and fullness to guide our relationship with food. Being attuned to and able to listen to our body allows us to know what and when we need to eat. The focus is on learning to eat in a conscious way that helps our body to feel and function well. Dieting, restricting, counting calories or fat grams and focusing on weight are NOT components of mindful eating. Mindful eaters eat when they are hungry and stop when they are satisfied. They eat the foods that they are hungry for. There is no list of "good" and "bad" foods.

In short, mindful eating is the way that people who have a healthy relationship with food, who don't struggle with weight and who don't diet have been eating all along.

When introduced to mindful eating, people often panic. "If there are no rules, I'll eat all day long." In the short run, some people do eat more, but mindful eating is not eating with abandon. Mindful eating is eating consciously, being aware of the present moment; being aware of hunger and fullness; being aware of your appetite and what you are really hungry for. Mindful or intuitive eating involves learning to be conscious of the difference between hunger and other eating cues such as painful emotions, boredom, or tiredness.

The Secret:

The secret to success with mindful or intuitive eating is this: You must remember or re-learn how to eat consciously – without shame, guilt, fear and with careful attention to your body and what it needs and wants. Doing this also requires learning what to do when what your body and mind need and want are not food. You must learn to listen respectfully to your body and learn to nourish your body and spirit without food when food is not what is called for.

The Essentials:

Since 1995, I have worked with individuals to help them break unhealthy cycles of dieting, restricting, binge eating and overeating by establishing mindful or conscious eating habits. There are two essential components for creating an enduring habit of mindful eating.

1. A Mindful Check-in Practice

The goal of mindful eating is to stop both obsessing about food / diet and stop going on automatic pilot with food / eating. In order to be successful, you will need to create a consistent method of checking in – staying connected with yourself and with what you are feeling and needing so that you can respond to these needs and desires and avoid emotional eating. You will need to find a practice that works for you and fits with your personality and your strengths. If the practice you choose doesn't suit you, you won't stick with it.

This may be something you do daily when you get up in the morning or before a meal or when you get home from work. The only requirements are that it be done consistently and that it is something that helps you focus inward, without distractions. It is often useful to have a few ways of doing mindful check-ins at various points in your day.

Examples of possible mindful check-ins: mindfulness meditation, journal writing or free writing, walking or running, prayer or contemplative time.

Often people start with writing. It might be useful to write about whatever is on your mind for fifteen minutes every morning. Especially in the beginning, it is helpful to keep an emotion / food log – noting how you are feeling and how hungry you are before you eat. The process of writing slows you down and forces you to think – to be mindful – of your eating.

2. A Support System

It is very important to have people (or a person) who support and encourage your belief system about not dieting. Your support system should honor your goals, celebrate your successes and help you stay accountable towards being the person you want to be. Your support system may help you to be consistent with your mindful practice. Your supporters know that you are not your weight or your clothing size. They are there for you when you doubt yourself or your path and when you hit roadblocks or find yourself in a place or with a feeling where you don't know what to do. They can help you figure out what to do when you know you are not hungry but feel like turning to food.

People create this support system in a variety of places. Your support may be available in friends you already have. Sometimes, however, the mindset of dieting is so entrenched in our families or social circle that it might be helpful to move outside your current life for support. A group, an online message board, or an intuitive eating class can be very helpful.

Sometimes people choose to work with someone individually. As a Personal Coach, I work with individuals to help them successfully move out of a dieting mentality, to develop meaningful mindfulness check-in strategies that honor and utilize their particular strengths. We work together to get through the scary parts of giving up calorie counting and weigh-ins. In some situations, a therapist can be helpful to you in moving beyond emotional eating. If you find that the emotions behind your eating are overwhelming or if dieting feels out-of-control, you should consider working with a therapist who specializes in these issues.

Remember: Mindful eating is about putting your relationship with food into perspective. When we do that successfully, we find that it means developing new ways of taking care of ourselves without resorting to food or to dieting. It's a challenge but the rewards are tremendous. Developing mindful check-in practices and a solid support system will create a firm foundation for success.