Toolbox Tuesday

The purpose of Toolbox Tuesday is to give both you and me a new tool to use in our effort to reach and stay at our ideal weight. When I talk about tools, I'm looking for something other than the usual standard issue tools that we all have after many years of dieting. For instance, you won't see me pulling out any tools that tell you to start walking everyday or drink more water, because we already know all this. Although application of said basic tools could probably be its own post. I'm looking for different tools; tools that I might not have thought could help me with my quest or my body 'issues.'

Today's tool is gratitude. One could easily wonder how this could possibly aid and abet in weight loss. If you're like me, you're an emotional eater; a comfort eater. To comfort means to relieve of something, whether that something may be boredom, fear, grief, anger, reliving a past trauma or opening an old wound. These, along with others, are dangerous conspirators against us in our effort to maintain not only a healthy, ideal weight but to have some semblance of self esteem and self confidence.

The habit of gratitude will take some time to develop. You can start by being grateful for waking up in the morning. To jump start this, write down all the things you are currently grateful for, past and present. Begin a journal, writing down all the 'grateful' moments of your day, from sunshine to the person who let you ahead in line at the grocery store. Before long, you'll take pleasure in the simplest things and be grateful for them. Not only that, you'll begin to feel grateful about things you are doing right in regards to your own quest. Instead of beating yourself up for eating when you weren't hungry, you'll become grateful that you didn't cave in and that you waited until your body signalled that you were hungry again.

Gratitude is an attitude.

'For all that we have and all that we are about to receive, Lord, make us truly grateful.'