Lesson 12

Beliefs and Attitudes

Fighting the Feelings of Hopelessness

Sometimes I feel that I have been dealt a bad hand of cards. I am a failure when it comes to will power. Sound familiar? If you feel that external forces control your life, you eventually give in to feelings of hopelessness. Feelings of hopelessness in turn defeat any attempt at weight control. If you rely on your negative feelings you will never face up to your being overweight. If you can convince yourself that you will never be thin, you can convince yourself never to try. Go from negative affirmations to positive.

Put Yourself In Charge

Affirm ownership of your behavior. Your successes and failures are yours and yours alone. If you feel out of control, concentrate your energy on making proper choices. Even a seemingly small decision like choosing an orange over a piece of pie is an example of a positive choice. Choices are positive because they help to prove that you can change. And as you begin to make changes and feel comfortable with them, you will begin to value yourself as a decision maker. Think I am not on a diet, rather I am choosing what I eat and do.

Create a Positive Outlook

Clarifying and defining your beliefs and then changing them for a more positive outlook is crucial to your success in the HM&N program.
To change any of your beliefs and attitudes you must first clarify them and understand how distorted beliefs have led to your weight problem. The following exercise is helpful in clarifying your beliefs.

HM&N Beliefs and Attitudes Exercise

List your beliefs about weight control:

Rephrase them to be positive statements:



HM&N is designed to promote a lifetime of success which requires a complete, healthful shift toward positive thinking, exercise and diet.


Gene C.

Lesson 11

Self Image and Self Esteem

Self image and self esteem are very closely connected. Your self esteem, how much you value yourself and who you are, depends to a very large extent on your self image, what you think about yourself, your talents, capabilities, intelligence, personality, etc.

Developing a Positive Self-Image

Like everything else you are striving to achieve, a positive self image does not just happen overnight. And the way you look does indeed tie in with the way you feel about yourself. People who value themselves have spent a good part of their lives developing that strong positive self image they carry around inside. They have already spent a substantial amount of time nurturing the greatest gift anyone can give to themselves, the gift of self esteem.
However, it is never too late to begin. The first step in developing a positive self image is analyzing the image you already have. Next, use self affirmations to reinforce your positive qualities. With each affirmation that you repeat and begin to believe you are patting yourself on the back, acknowledging yourself as good or okay or even exceptional.

Believe In Yourself

Once you believe in yourself, others will too. What you believe about yourself will be reflected in the way you behave and in the message the rest of the world gets about you. The person you used to be, the person with a self effacing or negative self-image is now becoming more confident, more outgoing, more self-assured.
As your self confidence builds, your self esteem also grows. And because you feel like you are worthwhile, others begin to treat you as worthy. You find yourself beginning to speak up for yourself and your needs.

Self-Esteem Brings About Success

There is another thing that accompanies a positive self image and a sense of self esteem, success. How can you be successful if you do not believe in yourself or that you are worthy of succeeding? When you believe in yourself and the qualities that you have to share, you feel empowered to share those qualities with others.
Gaining control over your eating patterns is a crucial element in achieving a positive self image. When you control what you eat that control spills over into many other areas of your life. When you are out of control with your eating notice how other areas of your life are also out of control.

Help Yourself First

You have probably spent the better part of your life helping other people to think positive thoughts about themselves, your children, your spouse, your relatives, your friends. Probably all your life you have put the most important person last, you! Now is the time to put yourself first and pat yourself on the back.

Gene C.

Lesson 10

Dealing With Emotions

Friends and Enemies

Your emotions are your feelings, joy, sorrow, hate, love, guilt, fear, etc. The things you feel are very different from the things you know. Sometimes your emotions are your friends, lifting you up on a cloud of euphoria. Other times they feel like enemies, dragging you into the pit of despair.

When the Going Gets Rough

Take stock of the feeling Validate your feelings

Analyze its origin Act on your feelings

Permit yourself to experience the emotion

If you are feeling sad, analyze where that feeling is coming from. Are you seeking comfort in the refrigerator? Stop, look & listen, but do not eat, act! Allow yourself to experience the pain you feel, and then use HM&N talking to yourself skills to begin feeling better.

Eating Responses as Clues To Emotions

Sometimes your response to sadness, joy or fear or any other emotion is inappropriate, even harmful. Keep a food diary for 5 days to analyze your eating patterns and note your emotional state. Notice how often you ate because you were depressed, anxious, nervous, angry, or even happy.
Ask yourself why you felt the need to eat because you were feeling these emotions. Do you eat when you are depressed because it makes you feel better? Perhaps it does make you feel satisfied and nurtured for a short span of time, but the self-loathing you feel after the food has passed your lips probably lasts far longer than the brief feeling of satisfaction.
Do you find that you have been eating because you are bored? Eating is hardly an appropriate response to boredom. It destroys your feelings of self worth and undermines your success. And what happens after you eat? Is the boredom gone? No, it is still there, joined by anger and self hate at succumbing to temptation. If you are bored, find something worthwhile to fill your time.

Breaking the Mood/Food Connection

The mood/food connection is not an easy one to break. It has been long established, and changing the pattern will take time, effort and determination.
The choice is up to you. You can listen to your inner voice or you can give in to your mind when it tries to talk you out of the choice that is right for you the constructive choice, the one that helps you build yourself up, not tear yourself down.
And, when you triumph over an old eating pattern, you will experience feelings of self satisfaction, joy and power that are well worth the struggle that preceded them.

Gene C.

Lesson 9

The Art of Managing Your Thinking

Managing Your Thinking

Feel good about yourself.
Be positive, patient and realistic.
Combat negative self talk. Replace it with positive words of encouragement.
If you believe in yourself, then others will too. It is just that simple.

Self-Affirmation

When you make an affirmation, you declare that what you are saying is true. You are making a commitment to yourself. It is important to remember that affirmations require hard work. Just making the affirmation is not enough. You need to follow through on the actions that will make that affirmation a reality.

Affirmations can be very powerful tools in attaining long term weight loss. The affirmations you make to yourself are crucial elements to the success of the HM&N program. Think carefully and devise several affirmations that you believe in.

You might try. I deserve to be thin! or I have the power to be thin! Notice that self affirmations begin with that very important pronoun, I. You alone can create self-affirmations. You alone can live up to them.

Say It Over and Over Again

Once you have several affirmations, the next step is repeating them, over and over and over again. Perhaps you think this is boring, or a waste of time. Perhaps you think if you repeat the same affirmation over and over it will have no meaning. On the contrary, when you repeat something over a course of time, you make it your own.

You will find that, as you repeat a well thought out affirmation time and time again, something exciting and fascinating begins to happen. You find yourself believing it! It is this constant process of repetition that gives affirmations their power to help you as you change for the better.
You will also discover that affirmations you make affect not only your weight management program but other areas of your life as well. You may well find that having the power to control what you eat will help you to find within yourself the power to do many things you have been longing to do.

Start the Process Now!

Say to yourself: I will follow my affirmations because they make me feel good about myself!

Gene C.

Lesson 8

Internal Dialogues and Behavior

Self-Talk

Talking to yourself is a valuable tool, as long as you know which messages to listen to and which ones to ignore! During the program, talking to yourself will be encouraged as a means of talking yourself out of self destructive behavior.

It is important to establish a strong bond between you and your inner voice. Each time you hear that negative voice in your mind begin to chip away at your resolve, you need to start that dialogue with your inner self.

You can have all the reasons in the world not to achieve your goal or you can accomplish it. It is that simple. You can say, I am not thin because I am big-boned, or you can just make up your mind to become the thin person you want to be, and do it.

Self-Analysis

Once you decide to talk to yourself, listen carefully to what you say. You may be surprised to discover what your beliefs are. You may also be surprised to find out that you do not always behave in a way that supports your beliefs. Complete the following exercise.

HM&N Self-Analysis Exercise

What kind of person are you?

What are your best qualities?

What do you not like about yourself?

Are you kind, caring and warm?

Do you do things for others?

Do you do things for yourself?

Does financial success equal personal success?

List three attributes of a good person.


Did your answers surprise you? A careful analysis of your belief system may well lead you to question your behaviors and how they relate to your beliefs.

Creating a new You.

Once you clarify exactly what your beliefs are, you need to modify your behavior. The most important gift you can give yourself is a strong concept of who you are. If there are aspects of your life that you are unhappy with, now is the time to identify them and chart out your course for change!

Gene C.

Lesson 7

Working Towards a Healthy Lifestyle

Affirm Your Right To Be Thin

A person who has been heavy all their life may meet with negative feelings from family members when trying to lose weight. Remember, change can be frightening. Stay focused, get control over your own life and affirm your right to change.

Losing weight for someone else is dangerous both physically and emotionally, you must want it.

If you are pressured into weight reduction, the chances are good that you will gain the weight right back. If you feel that you need to be thin to be loved, it is time to reexamine the relationship. The changes you make in your life must only be for you. Affirm your right to be loved, fat or thin!

Working Together With Your Family

Get out of the kitchen! When possible, ask other members of the family to take a turn at cooking meals. Nothing is more devastating to a diet than taste as you go cooking.
Minimize clean up time. Do the dishes quickly and get on to another activity. Lingering over the leftovers will only tempt you to clean the pots by eating what is left in them.

Fill your evenings with people and activities.

Do you eat out of boredom? That is easy to cure. Turn on your favorite music and take a hot bath. Ride your exercise bike while watching your favorite sitcom. The end of a productive day deserves some reward, but it does not have to be a hot fudge sundae.

Try not to shop for food, but if you must, read the labels and become more aware of the caloric consequences of the choices you make.

When eating out, be demanding. Ask for dressings on the side. Request small portions of lean meats. Ask for a doggie bag. If you can not resist the rolls and butter, have them removed.

Out of the house and away from the fridge!

Plan evening walks, bicycle rides, sports-related activities and the like. Changing the focal point of your family time from eating to activity will help everyone rethink their habits, and provide you with company as well!

Act positively.

Moaning and groaning about having to turn down chocolate cake will not elicit the sought after sympathy from your family. If your family sees that you seem happier, they will be more apt to support you and your new lifestyle.

Listen to your body.

Learning to eat when you are hungry is difficult when you were raised to clean your plate. Start by leaving a spoonful of each item untouched at the end of every meal. When food is offered, stop and think. Am I really hungry? Is the item appealing? If the answer to either of these questions is no, then why do I feel pressured to eat?

Health Lifestyles For Future Generations

Remember, all food behaviors are learned. In dealings with our children and grandchildren, we must not fall into the traps of our parents which may present them with obstacles to good nutrition and smart eating habits.


Gene C.

Lesson 6

Asserting Your Right To Be Thin

Identifying the Diet Saboteur

Have some more lasagna or Split a piece of pie with me. Have you ever wondered why the people around you become your worst enemies the moment you decide to diet? Why is it that people feel so uncomfortable? Do they wonder if the new you will like the old friend? Do not be afraid to assert your right to be thin. Help those around you understand how their actions influence you and give them suggestions for being more supportive.

Four Steps to Use When Asking for Help

State the problem areas and situations with which you need help or support.
Explain how you feel about the problem and why you need help with its resolution.
Detail the action you wish your supporter to take.
Results describe to them the results that you expect.
The Politics of Power
Unfortunately, many relationships are based on power and control. When efforts at weight reduction threaten to tip the balance of power in a relationship, sabotage often results. The diet saboteurs are comfortable with your relationship as is and are reluctant to see it change. You need to recognize the wolves in sheeps clothing and assert your right to be thin.

Overpowering the Diet Saboteur


When they: Bring you gifts of food
You Should: Assert your right to be free of temptation. Your needs come first.
When they: Urge you to eat
You Should: Guilt is powerful. Your refusal to eat is NOT the problem here.
When they: Eat your favorites in front of you
You should: Refuse to be manipulated by this friend. Get away.
When they: Leave your favorite food out
You should: Tell them you will not tolerate their attempt to sabotage your diet.

TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR LIFE

Being true to yourself means not having to settle for anything. Settling is comfortable. When you are comfortable, you are less likely to experience rejection. On the other hand, settling inevitably results in a lack of fulfillment.

Weight loss signals control. Weight loss also signals a readiness to come to terms with your personal fears and insecurities. Overcoming obesity is a major feat. As with recovery from other addictive behaviors such as gambling and alcoholism, weight loss is an active process - a long and multifaceted process of change. It will not occur overnight.


Gene C.

Lesson 5

Whose Diet Is It Anyway?

While assessing your habits and learning to control them is a difficult task, the rewards of accepting personal responsibility are well worth the effort. Concentrate on developing a positive attitude and keep the value of food in perspective.

Have You Ever Said...

I have to entertain in my job or I am big boned or I do not have time to exercise. Blaming outside forces only delays positive solutions to your weight problem by shifting the focus of blame to those uncontrollable factors around you.

I do not have any will power.

Well, if you do not have control, who does? It is highly unlikely that your refrigerator calls you when you are depressed to comfort you with food. Willpower is not an inborn trait, it is a skill that needs development and practice. You have the ability to control your responses to foods; you have just convinced yourself you do not.

My diets never work.

What you are really saying is that you are unworthy of another try. The fact that you have lost and regained hundreds of pounds does not mean that you are doomed to failure this time. The HM&N program has no place for negativism, we focus only on success and positive experience.

My counselor will make me lose weight or I need a diet to make me thin or This supplement is all I really need to drop these extra pounds?

These rationalizations conveniently remove the responsibility for weight loss from the dieter. As you accept personal responsibility for all of your life, you will recognize these crutches for what they are, impediments to success. Focus on what you can do to control your behavior.

Tools For Developing a Sense of Personal Responsibility

STOP.

As soon as you feel the urge to eat something decadent, count to twenty. This monetary pause allows you time to exercise your newly learned willpower.
THINK. Give your defenses a chance to kick in. You have learned strategies for handling food cues, now is the time to use them. Try to match a coping strategy with your current situation.

LISTEN.

To yourself , not the food. Talk yourself out of it. Even if you have given in to the cue and are on the way to burger heaven, pull the car off the road and tell yourself that this is your diet; you are in control. Determine whether the seduction of this one hamburger is worth the consequences.

ESTABLISH SITUATIONAL CONTROLS.

Establishing situational controls means removing the temptation before it becomes too strong to resist. The best situational control is not having your temptress in the house. Once you have discovered your weakness, respect your inability to resist. Do not be a martyr! Be good to
yourself.


Gene C.

Lesson #4

Dieting and Deprivation

Stress is a Normal Component of Your Life

Using food to cope with stress is a behavioral problem which needs modification, not a personality flaw. You simply have not learned or practiced other skills for coping with stress. Food has been your only tool for managing. If you have become accustomed to using food as the primary coping mechanism in your life, use the following Coping Exercise to explore your habits.

The HM&N System Coping Exercise

Do you eat to level out emotions?
Yes
No
Do you eat to take the edge off?
Yes
No
Do you crave the wonderful numbness associated with a full stomach?
Yes
No
Does eating make you sleepy, allowing a retreat from the pressures of life?
Yes
No
Does eating relieve all kinds of stress, be it personal, social or work related?
Yes
No

Eating compulsively is often a measure of your anxiety. Food relieves the anxiety. It calms you, removes the stress and helps you cope. Learn to recognize the early signs of stress and remove yourself from the vicinity of food.

Strategies to Shift Your Focus Away From Food

Plan your eating. Be assertive. Do not be embarrassed or intimidated. Stay in control.

Do not use food as a significant other. When food is in control, you’re a passive eater.

Many people eat before they think. Eating becomes automatic when emotion triggers pseudo-
hunger.

Use the Craving Record to distinguish between real and emotional hunger.

HM&N Food Craving Record

Date
Time
Comments
Food craved?



Last meal or food eaten?



What was your mood?



Was the hunger real or emotional?



What was your response?



How will you cope next time?




Reduce Foods Influence in Your Life

Just as you are the one who started your relationship with food, you and only you can change it.
Begin today to let food revert to its natural role as fuel for your body. It is not worthy of being anything more!

Gene C.

Lesson 3

Hunger: Friend or Foe

Responding to hunger

Hunger is not the enemy. It is your friend. It lets you know that it really is time to do one of your favorite things, EAT. In fact, hunger is your only truly legitimate cue for eating. And eating when you are legitimately hungry is an exercise in eating without guilt.
Hunger can also be triggered by external situations. If you always have room for dessert or the sight of food on TV sends you foraging glassy-eyed in the fridge, your conditioning is external and you must begin today the process of retraining your response to external food cues.

RELAPSE PREVENTION

Everybody on a diet lapses occasionally. This is not the end of the world! You lost a small skirmish, certainly not the battle, let alone the war. DO NOT beat yourself up. Keep the lapse in its correct time frame. You have scaled ten rungs on the health ladder and dropped back a rung or two by lapsing. That is no reason to plummet back to ground zero. Use the Lapse Analysis to change your response the next time you are tempted.

HM&N Lapse Analysis

Where did the lapse occur?
Who were you with?
When you gave in, how did you feel?
What were you doing?
What cues set you off?
How can you plan for success next time?

STRATEGIES FOR APPETITE CONTROL

Out of sight, out of mind, out of mouth
You know you are going to eat those cookies if you buy them. Keep them out of the house.

A taste is not the whole cake

It IS better to have a taste than to deny your craving and end up ruining your day with a binge. However, a taste is just a taste. You are not allowed to eat the whole portion! There is a tomorrow. You will have the opportunity to have another taste then!

Being dateless should not trigger binge eating

Dateless will no longer be accepted as an excuse for a binge. You must take responsibility for your situational eating. Why are you home alone again with the Hagen Daas? Why is the Hagen Daas there in the first place? (Go back to Rule 1, Out of sight, out of mouth).

TV and eating are not inextricably linked

Distracted eating is dangerous. Eating is a conscious act only performed at a table.

Wait for satiety to kick in

Slow it down when you are eating. Put down your fork between bites. Wait twenty minutes before seconds or desserts. Give yourself a chance to experience satiety and react positively to
it.

Gene C.

Lesson #2

Activity

Long term weight loss cannot be accomplished by dieting alone. There is only one way to maintain weight loss: decreased calories and increased activity.

The Benefits of Exercise

When you exercise regularly you reduce your risk of heart disease, lower your cholesterol and blood pressure, ease shortness of breath, and relieve stress on joints. Exercise also raises your metabolism. Not only do you burn calories during your workout, but you also use more calories all day long because exercise builds muscle and muscle always uses more calories than fat.
Inactivity can actually be an appetite stimulant. A program of regular, moderate exercise will increase your metabolism, burn excess fat, build lean muscle, and decrease your appetite.

Getting Started

Getting started is easy. At first, you will increase incidental activity, which means walking down stairs rather than taking the elevator and parking in the farthest space from the store rather than the closest. Next your counselor will help you begin a program of regular walking.

Exercise Facts & Fallacies
No pain, no gain

False. Exercising to the point of discomfort can signal bone, joint and muscle injury.

Drinking liquids while exercising causes cramps

False. The cramping often seen during exercise means you need water!

You can sweat the weight off

False. Perspiration loss during exercise can account for some temporary weight loss. Do not be fooled though. It will be regained with the first glass of water you drink!

Exercise makes you hungry

False. Moderate activity will not increase your appetite. Exercising fuels feelings of control and accomplishment. Additionally, when you are exercising, you are not near the fridge!

Spot reducing eliminates fat deposits in problem areas

False. Spot reducing can tone and firm an area to make it look thinner, but if there is excess fat in the area, it will never look as firm as you want with spot exercises alone!

Cellulite is not the same as other fat

False. Fat, by any other name is still fat! While it is true that some areas of the body are more resistant to fat loss than others, no manner of creams or massages will reduce or eliminate the dimpled, fatty deposits dubbed cellulite. The only way to shed these fat cells is through the same program of diet and exercise you are using for generalized weight reduction.

Your scale is the best measure of your exercise program

False. When you exercise, heavier, lean muscle tissue increases while lighter, fat is lost. In fact, you may even gain a pound or two when you start to exercise. Measure your success by evaluating the decreases in your body fat instead of just checking on the pounds!


Gene C.

O.K., Let's get started with the Introduction Page and then we will go to lesson #1

Introduction

An important aspect of the Health Management and Nutrition Program is the Behavior Modification Lessons, which help the patient replace problematic behaviors by addressing the beliefs, perceptions and thoughts which underlie the weight problem.
During the Health Management and Nutrition Behavior Modification process, patients concentrate on managing their thoughts, feelings and emotions as well as managing their environment. The program is characterized by the following steps:
Identifying problem behaviors
Discovering how these behaviors were learned
Learning skills to adapt new behaviors
Setting goals
Keeping records
Improving self-observation
Evaluating progress
We at Health Management and Nutrition will work with the patient to identify specific behavior patterns to be modified and set goals leading to lifestyle change. Because most weight problems have taken years to develop, discovering the behavior patterns which led to the condition and changing them takes time. It is unrealistic to expect to reverse these trends overnight. Eventually, gradual behavior change leads to permanent lifestyle change.
Following is a review of the 26 lessons:
Lesson 1 Changing the Way You Think
Lesson 2 Activity
Lesson 3 Hunger: Friend Or Foe
Lesson 4 Dieting & Deprivation
Lesson 5 Whose Diet Is It Anyway?
Lesson 6 Asserting Your Right To Be Thin
Lesson 7 Working Towards A Healthy Lifestyle
Lesson 8 Internal Dialogues And Behavior
Lesson 9 The Art Of Managing Your Thinking
Lesson 10 Dealing With Emotions
Lesson 11 Self-Image And Self-Esteem
Lesson 12 Beliefs And Attitudes
Lesson 13 Control: What It Is, What It Is Not
Lesson 14 Nutrition 101
Lesson 15 Life Under 30 (% Fat)
Lesson 16 Imagery And Mental Rehearsal
Lesson 17 Heart Disease Prevention
Lesson 18 Smart Shopping
Lesson 19 Behavioral Control 1: Basics Of Change
Lesson 20 Behavioral Control 2: The Environment
Lesson 21 Behavioral Control 3: Altering Responses
Lesson 22 Behavioral Control 4: Special Situations
Lesson 23 Behavioral Control 5: Making It Work
Lesson 24 Integrating Thinking, Feeling And Acting
Lesson 25 Learning To Love Your Body
Lesson 26 Resistance Tactics: Strategies For Change
Conclusion: Putting It All Together

Lesson #1

Changing the Way You Think

With HM&N, change begins with an exploration of your weight loss beliefs and expectations. When you understand your expectations, you are better able to achieve your goals.

Effective Weight Management Begins with Motivation

You will learn ways of dealing with both the internal and external forces around you. By viewing these forces together, you can improve your chances for permanent weight management.

Self-Control Begins with Objective Self-Observation

Permanent changes in weight behaviors are not possible without accurate self observation. The HM&N program relies heavily on record keeping and self-monitoring techniques that help you gain control of your problem.

Self-Awareness

The phrase know thyself is especially pertinent to the overweight patient. In the HM&N program, your relationship with food will be explored in order to give you the tools to succeed in weight mnagement.

Separating Fact from Fiction

During the HM&N program, you will learn the truth about the risks of cyclical dieting, the starvation controversy, vitamin therapy, etc. You will explore the effects of stress and highlight ways to minimize its effect upon your life.

Nutrition Information

You will be in the know with up-to-date information on the latest trends and research on nutrition related topics.

Total Control

HM&N Total Control Program Objectives
Identify and control food cues
Reduce fat to 30% of total calories
Balance caloric intake with exercise
Lower saturated fat to 10% of total calories
Restrict cholesterol to no more than 300 mg per day

The process of Total Control is a permanent lifestyle change which takes many weeks. Your condition established itself over a long period of time. It is unrealistic to expect that it will resolve itself quickly.
Permanent weight management depends on lifestyle change. The modifying of behavior may be difficult and time consuming, however, it is the only sure way to attain total control.

That was the title of an article in the November-December 2007 issue of The Philadelphia Trumpet. The article, in it's entirety, bears repeating and it follows.

" Two thirds of American adults are obese or overweight, said the Trust for America's Health report "F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies are Failing in America, 2007." Perhaps more disturbing is the finding that the percentage of overweight children ranges from a low of 8.5% in Utah to a high of 22.8% in Washington, D.C.

The problem is multiplying. Adult obesity rates have risen in 31 states since last year. (No state experienced a decrease.) All this despite weight- loss products (like ours and others) and services being a $35 million annual industry. "We find this report a devastating indictment" said Dr. James Marks, senior vice president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation which funded the project. "We're in the middle of a public health crisis that is still deteriorating rapidly, and we're treating it like a mere inconvenience rather than the emergency it is" (Health Day News, August 27). Citing the discovery that the the number of states whose obese residents make up over a quarter of the population has more than doubled in just two years, Dr. Marks said, "That's not sending a wake-up call. We're ringing the disaster alarm." The solution to America's obesity problem is healthful foods and physical exercise.

We at Health Management and Nutrition knew it was bad but not this bad. In response I will be publishing 26 consecutive "lessons" on how to improve your lifestyle and health from a manual we normally reserve exclusively for our clients. After we publish all 26 lessons we will offer this manual by e-mail free of charge to anyone who wishes to have this wealth of information to integrate into their life. Hopefully this small contribution will help those who want to become proactive about their health and nutrition, want a longer and healthier lifestyle and could benefit from a written guide. Once they receive this guide by e-mail they can log on to our website www.myhealthmanagement.com and avail themselves of the meal plans we have posted to accomodate those looking for a 1000, 1200, 1500 or 1800 per day caloric regimen.

Lesson #1 will post tomorrow and I will post a lesson each day for the next consecutive 25 days come hell, high water, monsoons or ex-wives.

Gene C.

Do you really know what all the descriptions in the new labeling regulations like, calorie free, low calorie, etc mean? These descriptions appear all over food labels everywhere and you should get a handle on what they really mean so you can make intelligent and informed decisions regarding you caloric intake.

This is what the food labels really mean.

These values are on a per serving basis:

Calorie Free- Less than 5 calories
Low Calories- 40 calories or less
Light or Lite- 1/3 less calories or 50% less fat than the referenced food
Fat Free-less than 1/2 gram of fat
Low Fat-3 grams or less of fat
High Fiber-5 grams or more of fiber


So when you see these descriptions on the labels you should immediately look at how many servings are contained in that particular package since these smart marketing people will slip in 2-2 1/2 servings per container (to increase their sales volume) and what you thought was 80 calories turns out to contain 200 calories. Try it sometime especially on beverages to see the sleight of hand some marketers use on the unsuspecting public. So now you know and can make better decisions on your health and better living.

Gene C.