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Five Tips to banish bad habits while on your Gastric Band journey!

By Jodie Flynn

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 14Aug2009 Word count: 697 Viewed: 52 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

It's not unusual for Gastric Band patients to swap the compulsion of eating unhealthy food with another kind of unwholesome pattern. As they say, Rome wasn't built in a day and sometimes it can be tough to alter unhelpful habits. If it was that simple, the weight loss and smoking industries would be shut down! But, if you put strategies in place to identify your weaknesses, it can be as easy as a, b, c to be successful!

Here are some tips on how to banish bad habits while on your Gastric Band journey:

* Recognise why - ask yourself 'what are the triggers behind my habit'? Identify them - it could be a certain place, situation or even feelings that cause you to grab for a whole block of chocolate. Make a list of what they are from strongest to weakest. Once you have an idea about what sets it off, you can come up with some strategies to counter those triggers. I know if I'm bored, all I want to do is eat! Now if I realise I'm bored and looking for food and I'm not even hungry, I find other things to occupy my time.

* Have some patience - habits you've had for some time are hard to break. Although the 'cold turkey' approach can work, you know yourself best and will know the best way to go about it for you. It's probably better to start reducing your habit slowly. So aim to indulge less often and once you feel like you have gained some control, cut back further. As time goes by, one day you'll discover you've stopped altogether!

* Keep away from temptation - we all know we have to eat healthy and avoid those foods that are of no benefit to us. Sometimes that's easier said than done! If you can, consider trying to avoid certain situations in the first few weeks that you know will trigger a craving. This will give you some time to build your confidence. If there is a situation you can't avoid, make sure you have some tools at the ready to help you through it. Also remember that every decision you make is up to you and you need to put yourself first and do what's best for you.

* Create new behaviour patterns - have you recognised that there are certain unhelpful patterns or habits you always seem to fall back on like eating unhealthy foods, reaching for a cigarette or biting your nails when you're feeling stressed, when you're bored or actually no matter how you're feeling at all?! The next time you realise you've fallen into one of your old ways, stop immediately and do something else - it doesn't matter what. Go for a quick stroll, call a friend or stand up and shake your whole body for a few seconds! Do whatever it takes to break the cycle and once you have a small arsenal of behaviours at the ready, you can call on them anytime to help you replace the habit.

* Be ready for setbacks - everything was going so well, but then you had a horrible day and slipped back into your old patterns. You know what? That's ok! But the next decision you make is the most important one. Will it be to get back on track? Take responsibility for your Lap Band journey and make the next decision you make a good one. Also, think about the events that lead to your relapse. What happened? What was the situation? How was I feeling? What can I do to avoid the same thing happening again? It doesn't mean you have to give up, just get back on the horse straight away! Make sure to congratulate yourself on how far you've already come as well, it's important to be nice to yourself!

Taking these steps one at a time will eventually add up to major changes in your life while on your Gastric Band journey. The important thing is to keep persisting and never give up. If at first you don't succeed; try, try again!

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