Top Tips on Weight Loss From TAME YOUR INNER OCTOPUS! TAKING OFF A FEW POUNDS!

It's not fun realizing you need to lose a few extra pounds.  It's far better to be able to shake them off right after they begin to accumulate but sometimes that's not possible.   Sometimes, special occasions fall back to back.  This summer we went on a summer vacation, had family visit from Louisiana capped off with two birthday celebrations.  This created several back to back situations of eating "off track".

I had to "STOP" and face the fact that I was five pounds over my safety cushion on the scale!  Yikes!  I also realized that very soon the holidays would be approaching.  That's when I knew it was time to get serious and create a deficit of calories in order to get rid of the few extra pounds.  I'm happy to say I've already had great results and I've lost three pounds.  I'm going to continue until I get to the low part of my cushion so that I can be ahead of the game once the holidays arrive.  I have no plans to go "hog wild" but let's face it, I want to enjoy Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day without restricting my calories to any great degree.  These are special times in our lives that we want to enjoy.

It's been a week and half and as I go through this process flashes from the past have re-surfaced.  I'm remembering how hard it was at first to break all of my old bad habits in order to lose all of the weight in the first place.   It makes me thankful that the healthy eating pattern I set up over two years ago has made it possible for me to maintain my weight in a good area. 

It also makes me realize why it's difficult for so many of us to lose weight in the first place.  People overeat for a multitude of reasons.  Here are just a few that I have observed and experienced.

• Boredom
• Stress
• Depression
• Happiness
• Comfort

I've noticed, once again, since I've restricted my intake that there is a tremendous degree of focus on food in our everyday lives.  Everywhere I look I see advertisements, magazines and restaurants that call out for the average person to focus on food.

There's little doubt that one could be labeled as slightly "abnormal" if they are able to stick to a healthy pattern of eating in order to maintain their weight for an extended period of time.

I'm convinced one of the main reasons that 68% of our nation is overweight or obese is because we simply have too many options.

Think about that for a second.  There was a time when man had only the barest of choices.

Realistically, do you think a "caveman" would be able to pass up a slice of Key Lime Pie?  I think not!