{"id":33925,"date":"2013-10-30T07:17:39","date_gmt":"2013-10-30T07:17:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/?p=33925"},"modified":"2017-04-27T08:24:13","modified_gmt":"2017-04-27T13:24:13","slug":"something","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/israel\/something\/","title":{"rendered":"Something In Between"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Stethoscope<\/a>We\u2019ve all been through it. Just like Meir! His doctor persuaded him that instead of medication,\u00a0which might have unfavorable side effects, an exercise program would really help him to lower\u00a0his blood pressure and cholesterol and it would most likely help him get rid of some extra\u00a0kilos too. Meir didn\u2019t really know much about exercise, so he hired a personal trainer andspent 6 months seeing his trainer and doing his home assignments. And as expected, a well\u00a0rounded exercise program brought about great results and his doctor couldn\u2019t believe what he\u00a0accomplished. Blood pressure down 24 points to normal levels, cholesterol down 42 points to\u00a0almost normal and 7 kilo lost with the exercise and a few minor adjustments in his food intake.\u00a0Meir was really into it. He was walking and jogging 45-50 minutes daily and doing weights\u00a0and abs 3 days a week at an intense level. Meir never missed a session and felt great after each\u00a0workout session. While he had to finish working with his trainer, he kept up his exercise as best\u00a0as he could. Then came a family simcha and it occupied much of his time. Getting frustrated\u00a0with his time constraints, Meir just stopped his exercise altogether.<\/p>\n

Rachel was pre diabetic. Her doctor told her that if she didn\u2019t start eating correctly and\u00a0exercising, he would have to begin medications and he explained the dreaded results of being a\u00a0diabetic. Heeding her doctor\u2019s advice, Rachel went to a dietician who specializes in diabetes and\u00a0began to eat correctly. She had a lot of weight to lose, but one year later, she had lost 28 kilos\u00a0and her blood sugar readings were now excellent. She was quite proud of herself. But then one\u00a0of Rachel\u2019s family members became ill and she had to divert her attention in that direction and\u00a0she began to fall into her old eating habits completely.<\/p>\n

Both Meir and Rachel were guilty of the same distorted thinking process. We call it \u201call or\u00a0nothing thinking.\u201d What would have happened if Meir had continued exercising for 30 minutes\u00a03 or 4 times a week instead of his everyday 45-50 minutes and cut his time doing weights to\u00a02x per week for a little less time? What if Rachel tried to maintain healthy eating whileunder\u00a0pressure even if her eating wasn\u2019t perfect? What would happen in both cases is that they could\u00a0have held their own until life allowed them to get back to a regular schedule. But instead, they\u00a0let it all go and the results end up being that Meir\u2019s blood pressure is creeping up and Rachel\u00a0might have to consider medication after all and might face the complications of being a diabetic.<\/p>\n

This is also known in psychology as Splitting. Splitting is the failure in a person’s thinking to\u00a0bring together both positive and negative qualities of the self and others into a cohesive, realistic\u00a0whole. It is a common defense mechanism used by many people. The individual tends to think\u00a0in extremes (i.e., an individual’s actions and motivations are all good or all bad with no middle\u00a0ground.) Dr. Aron Beck, M.D., the modern-day father of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy lists all\u00a0of nothing thinking as the number one distorted thought out of his 11 thinking distortions. As\u00a0doctor Judith Beck, PhD. states as a concrete example of this, \u201ceither I am completely on my diet\u00a0or I am off my diet\u201d or \u201ceither I am 100% successful my weight loss program or I am a failure.<\/p>\n

Our two examples have shown us the dangers of this perfectionism. Here are some steps to\u00a0overcome the \u201call or nothing\u201d that always has a negative effect and leaves us in real failure.<\/p>\n

Step One: Get a Life (Change)!<\/strong><\/p>\n

The first way to avoid all or nothing thinking is to shake the idea that losing weight is\u00a0something you do “right” just temporarily and then the work is done. The fact is, most people\u00a0who successfully lose weight — and more importantly, keep that weight off — make healthy,\u00a0permanent lifestyle changes such as getting regular exercise, consciously practicing portion\u00a0control and finding ways to prevent emotional eating.<\/p>\n

If you look at your weight-loss efforts as something you’re only doing “for now,” those new,\u00a0healthy changes won’t be permanent. But if you try to do too much too soon, the changes will\u00a0last only days. Small, gradual changes are what will work. And seeing the big picture — that little\u00a0slip-ups don’t count, but long-term changes do — helps keep things in perspective.<\/p>\n

Step Two: Give In Now and Then<\/strong><\/p>\n

Severely limiting your food intake or completely cutting out your favorite foods sets you up\u00a0for a binge. That ever-present sense of deprivation not only makes overeating a risk, it also\u00a0makes life downright miserable. Temptation becomes much less powerful when you know it\u00a0is fleeting and can be quelled with less than you think. So, allow yourself a small portion of\u00a0something “bad” that you really love now and again instead of telling yourself it’s off-limits\u00a0for good. While this can be daunting at first, you will become accustomed to satisfying your\u00a0craving with a small treat and you’ll learn when to say “when” and in turn feel more confident in\u00a0your weight-loss efforts.<\/p>\n

Step Three: Stop Saying the “D Word”<\/strong><\/p>\n

D for diet, that is. Following a strict diet naturally lends itself to giving in to all or nothing\u00a0thinking: You’re either “on your diet” or you’ve “blown your diet” and if you’ve done the latter …\u00a0well, you might as well quit altogether and eat whatever you want, right? That kind of “black and\u00a0white” thinking can make your weight-loss efforts much more difficult and may even prevent\u00a0you from losing weight at all.\u00a0Few of us can stick to a diet plan that restricts entire food groups or relies on one type of food\u00a0— such as freeze-dried, pre-prepared meals — as its mainstay. (Honestly, how long do you\u00a0really think you will be able to eat those for each meal?) If you go on a diet that requires you\u00a0to eat foods you don’t like you will eventually dread every meal. Find the middle ground:\u00a0Somewhere between following that overly-strict diet and eating everything you want, there is a\u00a0point at which you can be both happy and healthy.<\/p>\n

Step Four: Forgive Yourself\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

So, you decided to follow that “give in” step last night and allow yourself a cookie. But before\u00a0bed you enjoyed a few more. And then this morning … you polished off the package for\u00a0breakfast. Does that mean it\u2019s time to go off the rails the rest of the day just because you blew it\u00a0this morning? No way!\u00a0Not allowing yourself to make mistakes is the worst mistake you can make. Here’s some food\u00a0for thought: All or nothing thinking is a way to let yourself off the hook. Subconsciously you\u00a0think: “Oh, now I’ve screwed up. Glad I don’t have to bother anymore!” … for some of us,\u00a0quitting something just because we didn’t do it perfectly is an easy escape route.\u00a0There’s an old saying: “No matter how far you’ve gone down the wrong path, it’s never too late to\u00a0turn back.” and that is true in every aspect of life. So don’t think just because you made less-than-\u00a0ideal choices today, you can’t start over tomorrow. It sounds trite, but every day truly is a new\u00a0beginning. You can’t erase last night’s binge, but you can aim for a much healthier today!<\/p>\n

Step 5: Celebrate Small Victories<\/strong><\/p>\n

Reward yourself for the small challenges you surmount. Acknowledging your achievements –\u00a0– no matter how insignificant they seem — with non-food rewards will help you stay motivated\u00a0throughout your weight-loss journey. Yes, brown bagging a healthy lunch four days in a row\u00a0instead of getting fast food is a victory. Brisk walking just twice this week is a triumph if\u00a0you didn’t do it at all last week. Rewards don’t have to cost a dime — they can be as simple as\u00a0allowing yourself time to read a chapter of a favorite author or enjoying a long bath.\u00a0Take it easy on yourself as you learn how to be a new, improved, healthier you. After all, you’re\u00a0only human … a soon-to-be much lighter human!\u00a0The Rambam teaches us about a middle path, and even though many times we might go to\u00a0extremes one way or another, it is important for our success in health and in life in general to\u00a0avoid the extremes and the all or nothing thinking.\u00a0Finding the middle ground and not being a perfectionist will. \u201cadd hours to your day, days to\u00a0your year, and years to your life.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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\"image\"<\/p>\n

Alan Freishtat<\/strong> is an A.C.E. CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER and a BEHAVIORAL CHANGE and WELLNESS COACH with over 19 years of professional experience. Alan is the creator and director of the \u201c10 Weeks to Health\u201d program for weight loss. He is available for private coaching sessions, consultations, assessments and personalized workout programs both in his office and by telephone and skype. Alan also lectures and gives seminars and workshops. He can be reached at\u00a002-651-8502<\/a> or 050-555-7175<\/a>, or by email at\u00a0alan@alanfitness.com<\/a> Check out the his web site \u2013www.alanfitness.com<\/a> US Line: 516-568-5027<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

6 ways to get into healthy habits without losing your confidence.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":469,"featured_media":33930,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33925","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-israel"],"yoast_head":"\nSomething In Between - OU Life<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/israel\/something\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Something In Between - OU Life\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"6 ways to get into healthy habits without losing your confidence.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/israel\/something\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"OU Life\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2013-10-30T07:17:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2017-04-27T13:24:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/iStock_000003933072XSmall.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"425\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"282\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Alan Freishtat\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Alan Freishtat\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/israel\/something\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/israel\/something\/\",\"name\":\"Something In Between - OU Life\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/israel\/something\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/israel\/something\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/iStock_000003933072XSmall.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2013-10-30T07:17:39+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-04-27T13:24:13+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/#\/schema\/person\/f1abe9e48d32d5a2a473e32020a2317f\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/israel\/something\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/israel\/something\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/iStock_000003933072XSmall.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/iStock_000003933072XSmall.jpg\",\"width\":425,\"height\":282},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/\",\"name\":\"OU Life\",\"description\":\"Everyday Jewish Living\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/#\/schema\/person\/f1abe9e48d32d5a2a473e32020a2317f\",\"name\":\"Alan Freishtat\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/Alan-Freishtat_avatar-96x96.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/Alan-Freishtat_avatar-96x96.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Alan Freishtat\"},\"description\":\"Alan Freishtat is an A.C.E. 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