Hello, and welcome to the 8th day of the “Give-Back Diet.”  How are you?  REALLY!  How are you doing?  Please take time to reflect and consider how you’re feeling, what you’re thinking, and consider what’s great and powerful in your life.

Today, let’s consider what helpful changes you’ve made this past week, and also take time to consider what one or two of those changes you would like to keep doing.  (*CONTINUED*)

From your comments this past week, I read that a lot of you have begun journaling your foods, activities, thoughts, feelings, and are beginning to see patterns.  This is excellent!  Please keep doing this.  Yes, I know it takes some time, and it causes you to slow-down and be really aware (sometimes painfully) of your habits.

Yet, this is all about consciousness raising.  Keeping a journal, logging and recording about yourself, posting prayers, experiences, and difficulties is all in the “becoming mindful” category. This is a profoundly useful and powerful technique that will help reconnect your brain with your body – something that I discovered is often a problem in those of us with obesity, overweight and eating disorders/addictions.

Also, I want to not only encourage you to record your past actions and experiences – I want to suggest that you actively record your FUTURE actions and experiences.  There are several ways to do this, which I will expand upon in the coming days, but for today, here is your daily…

ACTION PLAN

• Make a written supermarket-shopping list, and stick to it.  Be sure to list a lot of vegetables, fruits (fresh and dried), whole grains and stevia.  (That’s a natural sweetener with no calories.  It’s especially good if you’re seriously trying to limit sugars in your eating, which I totally recommend.)

• Instead of butter, be sure to have olive oil on hand.

• You may want to buy some herbal teas, especially the fruit ones.  They’re excellent hot drinks to curb your appetite for sweets, especially at night, without calories.

• Instead of processed, pre-made breakfast cereals, buy some oatmeal, either “instant” (the kind without added sugars) or if you have time, steel-cut or Irish oatmeal.  I make this every 3-4 days, and keep the extra in my fridge, having a little each morning.  Oatmeal is a truly excellent way to start a day, helping you stay satisfied for hours.

• Instead of desserts, buy some unsweetened apple-sauce, the kind with cinnamon, or added fruits such as cherry, or strawberry.  This is a great late-night treat, with few calories, no fat, and is really satisfying.

• If you’re a chocoholic, buy some of the 70+% dark chocolate.  Having a cube of this at night can really be satisfying, and instantly end a sweets binge.

We’d all love to see your shopping list!  Please post it below.  This is a way to “give-back” and help others with suggestions for healthy eating and new good-habit-formation.

See you tomorrow.  Keep up the good.  Remember, help a friend today – it’s as easy as bring them to this web page.  Tell them to go to Beliefnet.com/drnorris.  It’s easy to remember.

If this is the firsttime reading about the give-back diet, don’t worry. You can start today.