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Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Session 9 on How to Solve Problems

It's been a week so have you kept track of weight, food and drink consumption, most especially the fat gram? Did you increase your physical activity to 150 minutes? And now for the most important question. Did you lose weight? I know it's quite difficult this time of the year but we've got to try; our health depends on it.

Now let's proceed to Session 9 where we will address the question of problem solving regarding our effort to lose weight. The keys to problem solving are in the steps that we already know. Don't worry, we will review them in detail.

There are five steps to problem solving. Here they are:


  • 1. Describe the problem in detail.

  • 2. Brainstorm the different options.

  • 3. Try to follow one of the options.

  • 4. Work out a positive action strategy.

  • 5. Try the positive action strategy and see if it works.



Now let's take the steps one at a time and work on a specific problem. Okay, I'm embarrassed but let's do my problem as an example. The problem I have regarding losing weight is I just can't stay away from buffets. There's just something there that lures me. That's the problem in detail.

Let's brainstorm some possible solutions. I could just use my strong will not to go to buffets. I could stay away from friends who tempt me to go there. Or I could go but head to the salad section and stay away from fatty foods. And last but not least, I could prepare a favorite food at home that will really want me to stay home.

I will try to follow the first option and that is use my will to stay away from buffets. What strong will? That's exactly my problem. When I think of buffets, my strong will just goes out the window. So, sorry that's not going to work for me.

My friends? No way am I going to give them up. I love them much too much to stay away from them. Besides we need each other to go through life. There you go; perhaps they're going to help me if I tell them my problem regarding buffets. We've always been there for each other since kindergarten. Okay, okay I'll talk to them.

What do you know, this option worked! Apparently, they've been worried about the same thing. So we met each other halfway. Instead of going to buffets once a week, we will just go there once a month. Problem solved! Let's see if it will translate into lost weight. Meantime, going over this may help too: Diabetes Diet.

We'll see you in a week's time. Meantime, please keep track of the weight, activity minutes of 150 a week, food especially fat gram intake. Try to keep tipping the calorie balance and I promise I will not visit any buffet places this week.

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Session 8 on Taking Charge of What's Around

A week has passed since we last got together. Are you eating more sensibly now? Have you increased your activity level to 120 minutes this week? Are you recording this daily including your fat gram intake? If you're doing all these, you can't help but lose some weight. If not, don't despair for there's help on how to take charge of what's around you.

What are the things that make us want to eat and move less? Is it watching TV or reading? The next one does me in; it's my Waterloo. I swear that just the smell of food makes me gain weight. So what do we do to take charge of all of these?

For one thing, let's keep the food items that are high in fat and calories out of our environment whether it is at home or at work. Instead buy healthy foods like apples, oranges; the list is endless. Check this out if you like and then when you're done there, just hit the back browser arrow to come back here. Diabetes Food List.

Let's limit our eating in one place, shall we? And here's another thing. Let's not combine eating with another activity. To keep unhealthy foods out of our environment, let's make a shopping list before going to the supermarket. And for goodness sake, let's not go there when we're hungry.

Let's keep watching TV at a minimum and let's watch TV only if we're doing something like you know what. Exercise, that's what. Just walking or jogging in place will add to the number of minutes of exercise we have to do a week. Also, we can put things we need for exercise in plain sight like sneakers and workout clothes.

Now you have the ways to take charge of the things around you. Let's show diabetes who is the boss here. Remember that diabetes does not control us; on the contrary, we control diabetes. This type of positive thinking will take us on our way to beating diabetes.

For homework, identify what makes you want to eat and get rid of one. Then add a cue to make you more active. Increase your physical activity to 150 minutes this week. And please keep a record of your weight, food and drink consumption, fat gram intake and the number of minutes of the physical activity. Next week we'll deal with session 9 out of 14.

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Session 7 on Keys to Winning the Calorie Balance

December 11, 2007

I left you alone for a week so you can have a week to show what progress has been made. So did you keep a record of your weight, activities, food and drink intake, and the fat grams consumed? How did you make out weight-wise? You didn't do well? Well, let's see how we can tip the calorie balance in Session 7.

There are 3500 calories stored in every pound of body fat so in order to tip the calorie balance in our favor, we will have to consume 500 less calories each and every day for the whole week. This sacrifice will net us one pound of lost weight a week.

If we want to lose two pounds, do the math and you will find that we will have to generate a deficit of 1000 calories per day for a whole week. How can we accomplish this? By eating less and moving more, that's how. Thank goodness it's not just by eating less or we won't have enough energy to keep going. Move more? I can live with that.

Don't get me wrong; there's something we can do about food. Knowing that the highest provider of calories is fat can spell the difference. Hmm, they didn't call that food group "fat" for nothing, did they? You see fat provides 9 calories per gram while the rest gives 4 calories per gram.

What message does this tell us? That's right, lower the calorie goal for fat by one. No, don't eliminate it altogether for our body needs some too. Check the fat content of what you buy to eat by reading the food labels or follow sample menu plans at Diabetes Food List .

Compare your current weight with your starting weight and see if you need to tip the calorie balance further. For the homework, keep recording daily the weight, fond and drink consumption, fat gram intake and the activity level. By this time, you can increase your activity level to 120 minutes per week. And we will see you in a week's time. Until then, be happy and active.

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Session 6 on Keys to Become Active

Were you able to be active for sixty minutes this past week? What type of activity did you do to achieve that? Make sure you have written this down in your record book, just like you're doing for your food and drink intake, fat grams and your weight.

Let's sail along to Session 6. Here we will learn to set aside a period of time when you will be active. Find out which twenty or thirty minute period of your day to do an activity that you enjoy. Perhaps you can park your car farther away from your place of work and walk for ten minutes to get there.

And at night, while watching TV try to run in place or do jumping jacks or walk on your treading machine if you have one. The beauty of this is you have a timer in the program itself for usually each lasts for thirty minutes. You will feel better in the long run, no pun intended.

Now take care that you don't get sore muscles in the process. How can we prevent sore muscles and cramps? Drink plenty of water, do stretching, warming up before starting the exercise and cooling down exercises at the end of your physical activity. For the disclaimer and more information on diabetes, please go to this site:
Exercise and Diabetes

Make sure you watch for signs when you stop exercising like chest pain, shortness of breath, acute nausea, and feeling of light-headedness. Before changing your physical activity, make sure you discuss this with your doctor. And if you've diabetes and taking insulin and other medications, run these facts with your health care team.

And now for the homework. Save a block of twenty to thirty minutes every day to do a physical activity or two or more ten to fifteen minutes to do an activity you enjoy but should be equivalent to a brisk walk. Your goal this time is to have ninety minutes of physical activity this week and keep a record of this.

Continue keeping track of your weight, food and drink intake and get as near as possible to your fat grams goal. When doing your activities, make sure you start by stretching and warming up and at the end, do cooling down activities. So you'll have time to reach your goal, we'll see you in a week for Session 7.

Sunday, December 2, 2007

Session 5 on Moving Those Muscles

Are you keeping track of your weight and recording it? How are you making out? Don't despair if you're not succeeding yet. As long as we keep on to persevere, we will be okay. How about your food and drink consumption? Have you been diligent in recording them? Good, so let’s proceed to Session 5.

Increasing one’s physical activity, that’s what’s important. Start your program of physical activity. Build it up to 150 minutes, but don’t do it all at once. Do it gradually for the next four weeks. Select activities that you enjoy but is of reasonable force like that of walking briskly.

Think of what physical activities that you engaged in in the past. What did you like? What did you enjoy? Which ones worked for you? Which ones did you have to give up? Stick to the ones you liked and get rid of the ones you did not like.

Remember that being active has its benefits. Not only will it help you lose weight and lower the blood glucose level, but also physical activity makes you feel better, look better and healthier. Physical activity also lowers the risk for heart disease.

Lower risk for heart disease? How does physical activity do it? Well, physical activity lowers the blood pressure, triglycerides and cholesterol. With lower cholesterol, blood pressure and triglycerides, so does the risk for heart attack and stroke go down.

For the homework, be active for sixty minutes next week. Do it over three or four days. For instance, walk briskly for twenty minutes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Or plan to do activities that you like and do that for ten minutes a day with a friend or family member. And don’t forget to record your food and drink intake, physical activity, weight and fat grams.
For more information on diabetes and the disclaimer, please visit