Sally Johnston

Lots of people were eating away from the table on a regular basis, eating everywhere from in front of the TV to in bed. Of course there are occasions where this is completely appropriate, such as breakfast in bed on Mother’s or Father’s Day, or pizza in front of the footy on grand final day. However, when this is happening more often than not, it is difficult to be mindful and eat in response to your body cues. Boundaries are merged and eating flows over into times not meant for eating. This can result in over eating and poor weight loss. After reflecting on the comments from our members, we wanted to break the concept of mindful eating down to some basic ‘rules of engagement’ to help you improve your eating habits and achieve your goals. So what do I do? Over the next month, try following these ‘rules’. Like most rules there is room for flexibility; as an adult you know when a rule doesn’t work for you, or when it is time to bend it. Aim to always eat while sitting down, ideally at a table or bench. Avoid grazing while standing up, for example, when preparing meals, passing through the kitchen, ducking into the staff room, etc. Put anything you want to eat on a plate so you can see your portion. Avoid eating straight from packets, grazing from platters, nibbling at buffets, etc. Have eating free zones in your home, such as the bedrooms, study and bathroom. Set a time to signal it is time to stop eating for the day. This will vary from person to person but it helps limit the amount of mindless evening eating that happens so often. Only snack if physically hungry and when snacking, apply the above ‘rules’. Remember, aim for progress not perfection. Good luck, and let us know how you go. As always, be kind to yourself.

Last month in our Members Only Facebook Support Group we asked members if they eat their meals at the table. This prompted some fascinating and insightful discussion! Lots of people were eating away from the table on a regular basis, eating everywhere from in front of the TV to in bed. Of course there are occasions where this is completely appropriate, such as breakfast in bed on Mother’s or Father’s Day, or pizza in front of the footy on grand final day. However, when this is happening more often than not, it is difficult to be mindful and eat in response to your body cues. Boundaries are merged and eating flows over into times not meant for eating. This can result in over eating and poor weight loss. After reflecting on the comments from our members, we wanted to break the concept of mindful eating down to some basic ‘rules of engagement’ to help you improve your eating habits and achieve your goals. So what do I do? Over the next month, try following these ‘rules’. Like most rules there is room for flexibility; as an adult you know when a rule doesn’t work for you, or when it is time to bend it. Aim to always eat while sitting down, ideally at a table or bench. Avoid grazing while standing up, for example, when preparing meals, passing through the kitchen, ducking into the staff room, etc. Put anything you want to eat on a plate so you can see your portion. Avoid eating straight from packets, grazing from platters, nibbling at buffets, etc. Have eating free zones in your home, such as the bedrooms, study and bathroom. Set a time to signal it is time to stop eating for the day. This will vary from person to person but it helps limit the amount of mindless evening eating that happens so often. Only snack if physically hungry and when snacking, apply the above ‘rules’. Remember, aim for progress not perfection. Good luck, and let us know how you go. As always, be kind to yourself.

Most people would agree that they need more time in a day. As our lives get busier, finding the time to prepare healthy meals for the week can be difficult. We often talk about preparing meals in bulk and freezing, but having to defrost the same meal over and over can become boring and lose its appeal. To overcome this meal time monotony I like to freeze ‘meal bases’ that I then present in a variety of ways to create different meals. These ‘meal bases’ are protein based making them perfect for managing meals post weight loss surgery. Below are three options I love to have on hand in the freezer. Option One: Bolognaise Sauce Make a large batch of your favourite bolognaise sauce (don’t forget to grate in a few vegetables to boost nutrition) and freeze in individual or family size portions. Serve with a small portion of pasta (try risoni if you find pasta hard to tolerate). Serve over couscous with a small side salad. Pour over a baked potato and top with grated cheese and Greek yoghurt. Pop in a wrap with shredded salad and cheese. Serve on a grainy slice of toast – Burgen is a great option at approximately 4-5g protein per slice (depending on the variety). Option Two: Mexican Style Chicken Mince Cook onion, garlic and grated carrot with ground cumin and coriander. Add lean chicken mince and brown. Add one drained can of five bean mix and pour over a jar of your favourite salsa. You can add spinach, peas, mushrooms or any other of your favourite vegetables. Don’t be afraid to add some extra salsa if you need a little more moisture. Place mixture into halved red capsicums and bake – top with avocado, Greek yoghurt and chilli flakes if you enjoy a little spice. Serve in a taco shell with shredded/diced salad. Serve in soft tortillas with shredded/diced salad. Serve over ‘zucchini pasta’ (using a vegetable spiralizer). Option Three: Tandoori Chicken Marinate chicken tenderloins or chicken thigh fillet in a mixture of tandoori paste and Greek yoghurt. Serve in wraps with raita, cucumber, carrot, coriander and chilli. Serve with rice and steamed vegetables. Top pizza base with mango chutney, add cooked chicken, red onion, spinach, chopped raisins, cashew nuts and cheese. Bake in the oven, then sprinkle with fresh coriander and extra Greek yoghurt. Add to a salad of cucumber, carrot, coriander, mint and cashews. Dress with a mixture of Greek yoghurt, mango chutney and lemon juice and top with microwaved pappadams. Happy cooking!

To overcome this meal time monotony I like to freeze ‘meal bases’ that I then present in a variety of ways to create different meals. These ‘meal bases’ are protein based making them perfect for managing meals post weight loss surgery. Below are three options I love to have on hand in the freezer. Option One: Bolognaise Sauce Make a large batch of your favourite bolognaise sauce (don’t forget to grate in a few vegetables to boost nutrition) and freeze in individual or family size portions. Serve with a small portion of pasta (try risoni if you find pasta hard to tolerate). Serve over couscous with a small side salad. Pour over a baked potato and top with grated cheese and Greek yoghurt. Pop in a wrap with shredded salad and cheese. Serve on a grainy slice of toast – Burgen is a great option at approximately 4-5g protein per slice (depending on the variety). Option Two: Mexican Style Chicken Mince Cook onion, garlic and grated carrot with ground cumin and coriander. Add lean chicken mince and brown. Add one drained can of five bean mix and pour over a jar of your favourite salsa. You can add spinach, peas, mushrooms or any other of your favourite vegetables. Don’t be afraid to add some extra salsa if you need a little more moisture. Place mixture into halved red capsicums and bake – top with avocado, Greek yoghurt and chilli flakes if you enjoy a little spice. Serve in a taco shell with shredded/diced salad. Serve in soft tortillas with shredded/diced salad. Serve over ‘zucchini pasta’ (using a vegetable spiralizer). Option Three: Tandoori Chicken Marinate chicken tenderloins or chicken thigh fillet in a mixture of tandoori paste and Greek yoghurt. Serve in wraps with raita, cucumber, carrot, coriander and chilli. Serve with rice and steamed vegetables. Top pizza base with mango chutney, add cooked chicken, red onion, spinach, chopped raisins, cashew nuts and cheese. Bake in the oven, then sprinkle with fresh coriander and extra Greek yoghurt. Add to a salad of cucumber, carrot, coriander, mint and cashews. Dress with a mixture of Greek yoghurt, mango chutney and lemon juice and top with microwaved pappadams. Happy cooking!

Mornings are typically a hectic time in most households. The snooze button on the alarm is tempting and time seems to slip away with all jobs to do before you head off to work. Too often, thinking ahead and planning something suitable for lunch is not part of the busy morning schedule. Lunchtime rolls around and you are left heading to the local deli, bakery or café, navigating menus and trying to dodge the many tempting options on offer. Not only does this cycle take its toll on your wallet, but also makes it very hard to stay on track with your health goals. Now is the time to step out of the above cycle and start planning and preparing some tasty, fresh and healthy weight loss surgery friendly lunches. The trick is to PLAN AHEAD, so that all you have to do during the morning rush is ‘grab and go’, making taking your lunch to work the easy option. To ensure your lunch is going to keep you satisfied, use the following formula: lean protein + low GI carbohydrates + salad or vegetables Prepare Ahead Options I like to put time aside on a Sunday to prepare lunch items for the week ahead: salads, frittata, mini quiches, meatballs and patties all work well. Some ideas to get you started include: Rice salad: Combine prepared ‘Rice Plus’ (a blend of white and black basmati rice, quinoa, barley and other grains), finely diced capsicum and celery, dried cranberries and mixed seeds (including sunflower and pumpkin). Dress with soy, fresh ginger, lemon and a little oil and top with a grilled chicken tenderloin. Meatballs: Prepare lean mince, chicken or turkey meat balls and bake in the oven. These can be frozen then taken for lunch with a fresh prepared salad. Vegetable and egg crustless quiche: Grate zucchini and carrot, dice capsicum, tomato and mushroom and place in baking dish. Pour in a tub of cottage cheese, half a cup of grated cheese and a mixture of 6 eggs with one quarter cup of low fat milk. Bake for 30 – 40 minutes until golden. Leftovers Leftovers can make great lunches, when serving up your dinner get into the routine of dishing up an extra serve into a container ready for the next day – just watch your portion. Grab and Go There are lots of options you can either have on hand at work or quickly grab in the morning for days you haven’t been able to be prepared. Following are some ideas to get you started: Grainy crackers with: small (approximately 100g) tin of flavored tuna cottage cheese sliced cheese nut paste hummus. [*]Wrap or grainy bread with: tinned tuna or salmon and salad hard boiled eggs (boil ahead and keep on hand in the fridge) and salad baked beans and grated cheese. If you need snacks over the day don’t forget to take these too, or that vending machine/charity basket/staff room cake can undo all your hard work. Some ideas to get you started include: fruit yoghurt 30-40g nuts hard- boiled egg cheese and crackers.

Now is the time to step out of the above cycle and start planning and preparing some tasty, fresh and healthy weight loss surgery friendly lunches. The trick is to PLAN AHEAD, so that all you have to do during the morning rush is ‘grab and go’, making taking your lunch to work the easy option. To ensure your lunch is going to keep you satisfied, use the following formula: lean protein + low GI carbohydrates + salad or vegetables Prepare Ahead Options I like to put time aside on a Sunday to prepare lunch items for the week ahead: salads, frittata, mini quiches, meatballs and patties all work well. Some ideas to get you started include: Rice salad: Combine prepared ‘Rice Plus’ (a blend of white and black basmati rice, quinoa, barley and other grains), finely diced capsicum and celery, dried cranberries and mixed seeds (including sunflower and pumpkin). Dress with soy, fresh ginger, lemon and a little oil and top with a grilled chicken tenderloin. Meatballs: Prepare lean mince, chicken or turkey meat balls and bake in the oven. These can be frozen then taken for lunch with a fresh prepared salad. Vegetable and egg crustless quiche: Grate zucchini and carrot, dice capsicum, tomato and mushroom and place in baking dish. Pour in a tub of cottage cheese, half a cup of grated cheese and a mixture of 6 eggs with one quarter cup of low fat milk. Bake for 30 – 40 minutes until golden. Leftovers Leftovers can make great lunches, when serving up your dinner get into the routine of dishing up an extra serve into a container ready for the next day – just watch your portion. Grab and Go There are lots of options you can either have on hand at work or quickly grab in the morning for days you haven’t been able to be prepared. Following are some ideas to get you started: Grainy crackers with: small (approximately 100g) tin of flavored tuna cottage cheese sliced cheese nut paste hummus. [*]Wrap or grainy bread with: tinned tuna or salmon and salad hard boiled eggs (boil ahead and keep on hand in the fridge) and salad baked beans and grated cheese. If you need snacks over the day don’t forget to take these too, or that vending machine/charity basket/staff room cake can undo all your hard work. Some ideas to get you started include: fruit yoghurt 30-40g nuts hard- boiled egg cheese and crackers.

Summer in Australia means barbeque time! We love to entertain and there is nothing more enjoyable than catching up with friends and family and enjoying a good barbeque. However following weight loss surgery many of our favourite barbeque foods are those that can be more challenging to tolerate; grilled meats, chicken, sausages, bread, sauce and salads fill plates and soft drink, beer and wine are plentiful. The buzzing social aspect of barbeques can also mean the focus on your eating technique is not as sharp. Due to these challenges, some people may find invitations to barbeques make them feel uneasy. 
With some forward planning in place and an awareness of common barbeque traps, there is no reason you shouldn’t be welcoming your next invite. 
Common Barbeque Trap 1: Dry, overcooked meat and chicken 
We have all been there, you head over to the grill to see a pile of meat looking rather dry and shriveled – no matter how much you chew this, or how much sauce you add there is just no way you are going to tolerate it. 
So how do you manage this? Offer to take something to contribute to the grill that is will be more tender when cooked and easier to tolerate: Make some lean minced meat patties (adding plenty of egg and relish to your mix to ensure they stay moist). Marinate chicken thigh fillets and thread onto skewers. Wrap salmon fillets in foil with lemon and herbs and pop on the grill near the end of the cooking time. Tenderise some good quality steak with marinade and again pop on the grill, again near the end of cooking. Common Barbeque Trap 2: You overload your plate and push your capacity 
 With the wide array of choices at a BBQ it can be tempting to have a little bit of everything, leading to a plate that is overflowing. To manage this: Make sure you use a side plate/small plate. Fill half of this with protein, this may mean you only select one to two of the options on offer. 
Pick your favourite salad items to fill the other half of your plate – avoid those drowned in creamy dressings. Avoid the bread and butter. Common Barbeque Trap 3: You forget to focus on your eating technique 
It can be very easy to be engaged in conversation and forget to eat slowly and chew well at barbeques, yet focusing on these fundamentals can be the difference between a successful outing and one that sends you home feeling poorly. 
 To manage this: First and foremost, ensure you sit down to eat. Cut your food into very small pieces, chew each mouthful well and take time between mouthfuls. Stop when you are satisfied and remember this may be before your plate is empty. Managed well, barbeques can be both an enjoyable and healthy part of your social calendar this summer. Just be aware of these common traps and plan ahead to avoid them. 


As Australians, we love a summer barbeque! We thought we would share our tips for all the barbeque fans out there. Summer in Australia means barbeque time! We love to entertain and there is nothing more enjoyable than catching up with friends and family and enjoying a good barbeque. However following weight loss surgery many of our favourite barbeque foods are those that can be more challenging to tolerate; grilled meats, chicken, sausages, bread, sauce and salads fill plates and soft drink, beer and wine are plentiful. The buzzing social aspect of barbeques can also mean the focus on your eating technique is not as sharp. Due to these challenges, some people may find invitations to barbeques make them feel uneasy. 
With some forward planning in place and an awareness of common barbeque traps, there is no reason you shouldn’t be welcoming your next invite. 
Common Barbeque Trap 1: Dry, overcooked meat and chicken 
We have all been there, you head over to the grill to see a pile of meat looking rather dry and shriveled – no matter how much you chew this, or how much sauce you add there is just no way you are going to tolerate it. 
So how do you manage this? Offer to take something to contribute to the grill that is will be more tender when cooked and easier to tolerate: Make some lean minced meat patties (adding plenty of egg and relish to your mix to ensure they stay moist). Marinate chicken thigh fillets and thread onto skewers. Wrap salmon fillets in foil with lemon and herbs and pop on the grill near the end of the cooking time. Tenderise some good quality steak with marinade and again pop on the grill, again near the end of cooking. Common Barbeque Trap 2: You overload your plate and push your capacity 
 With the wide array of choices at a BBQ it can be tempting to have a little bit of everything, leading to a plate that is overflowing. To manage this: Make sure you use a side plate/small plate. Fill half of this with protein, this may mean you only select one to two of the options on offer. 
Pick your favourite salad items to fill the other half of your plate – avoid those drowned in creamy dressings. Avoid the bread and butter. Common Barbeque Trap 3: You forget to focus on your eating technique 
It can be very easy to be engaged in conversation and forget to eat slowly and chew well at barbeques, yet focusing on these fundamentals can be the difference between a successful outing and one that sends you home feeling poorly. 
 To manage this: First and foremost, ensure you sit down to eat. Cut your food into very small pieces, chew each mouthful well and take time between mouthfuls. Stop when you are satisfied and remember this may be before your plate is empty. Managed well, barbeques can be both an enjoyable and healthy part of your social calendar this summer. Just be aware of these common traps and plan ahead to avoid them. 


Think back over the past week – how many times have you been on the scales? Once per day, twice per day, or multiple times per day???? Now answer this; how do you FEEL after you see the result? Are the scales playing a positive or negative role in your weight loss surgery journey? Scales can leave us feeling frustrated, confused, unmotivated and unsuccessful – our entire mood can be dramatically affected by a weigh in. Too often people place excessive emphasis on ‘the weight on the scales’ and after a lifetime of dieting and success being solely measured by this number it is no wonder! However compared to the evolution of technology, scales are relatively unintelligent. They do not differentiate between fat and muscle and are significantly influenced by fluid shifts – often during weight loss they can tell us ‘worst case scenario’. Don’t let the number throw you off track, focus on your positive eating and exercise and the weight will take care of itself. Over the next month I want you to work hard on extending the time between your weigh in, and to try to focus on some non-scale measures of success: Are your clothes fitting better, feeling loser, requiring some serious alterations? Are you feeling fitter? Can you walk further, for longer or tackle the stairs at work without getting out of breath? Are you feeling positive about your food choices, planning meals ahead, buying less take away meals, dodging the vending machine, controlling evening snacking? Are you actively participating in life, joining in with your children/grandchildren at the playground, happy to stroll around the shops (without looking for a seat outside every shop), getting a bit more bounce in your step? Are friends and family starting to comment on your changing shape? Are you able to do what you want to do without your weight holding you back? Is your health improving? Are your cholesterol levels, blood glucose levels or blood pressure going down? Are you taking less, or even no medications? Of course reducing your weight is a core goal of weight loss surgery, but remember the number is not the only measure of success and it is never the most important! Make a list of how you can measure your success independent of the scales and let us know by joining the conversation on our Facebook page.

Clients often ask us how they can prevent, or how they can stop hair loss after weight loss surgery. Hair is an important part of our appearance, however, whilst important to us, it is not very important to our body. Therefore when our body is under stress, our hair can be sacrificed for more important organs, like our heart and our brain. Healthy human beings are constantly growing and losing hair simultaneously, generally we are growing more than we are losing, so we do not notice it. When there is extra ‘stress’ on the body, this can cause a shift in the normal balance and hair loss increases. Two stressors known to do this are major surgery and rapid weight loss. Therefore weight loss surgery is a double whammy! There can also be nutritional causes of hair loss. Hair loss in the first six months after surgery is generally due to the trauma of the surgery and rapid weight loss. However, if you have a good nutritional intake it will settle and hair will re-grow as weight loss stabilises. For hair loss that continues for over a year, or hair loss that starts six months after surgery, particularly in people who have difficulty eating or not taking the supplements recommended to them, there may be a nutritional cause. A low protein intake, iron or zinc deficiency can all play a role in hair loss. You may have seen discussion on online forums or discussion groups recommending zinc supplements for hair loss. Interestingly, iron is actually the one nutrient that is most closely related to hair loss. This does not mean that if you are losing hair you should put yourself on iron supplements! Your team should have already recommended a supplement for you containing iron. If a particular supplement is recommended, it is generally recommended for a reason. We recommend supplements that contain more iron than a standard multivitamin after weight loss surgery. Standard multivitamins contain very little iron, far less than that recommended after weight loss surgery. You should also be checking in with your team for regular blood tests. Even if it is years since you had weight loss surgery, yearly blood tests are important to check not only your iron levels, but also a range of other nutrients. As mentioned above, zinc is often associated with hair loss, but again, it is important not to rush out and buy zinc supplements! High doses of zinc can actually interfere with iron absorption and can also cause copper deficiency. Therefore high doses of zinc may actually cause you more problems and there is no solid evidence zinc supplements will fix your hair loss. Protein, protein, protein! Sometimes it seems that is all we hear about after weight loss surgery. Protein is important for a range of reasons after weight loss surgery, but it seems it is also involved in hair loss. The current guidelines suggest a minimum target of 60g per day. Whilst this can be a challenge, with careful planning it can be done. We will look at how you can make sure you are getting adequate protein in upcoming Member Bulletins. In summary, don’t try to treat your hair loss without some guidance from your team and blood tests to check your nutritional status. Speak to the dietitian in your team about making sure you are getting adequate nutrition both from your diet and supplements.

Scales can leave us feeling frustrated, confused, unmotivated and unsuccessful – our entire mood can be dramatically affected by a weigh in. Too often people place excessive emphasis on ‘the weight on the scales’ and after a lifetime of dieting and success being solely measured by this number it is no wonder! However compared to the evolution of technology, scales are relatively unintelligent. They do not differentiate between fat and muscle and are significantly influenced by fluid shifts – often during weight loss they can tell us ‘worst case scenario’. Don’t let the number throw you off track, focus on your positive eating and exercise and the weight will take care of itself. Over the next month I want you to work hard on extending the time between your weigh in, and to try to focus on some non-scale measures of success: Are your clothes fitting better, feeling loser, requiring some serious alterations? Are you feeling fitter? Can you walk further, for longer or tackle the stairs at work without getting out of breath? Are you feeling positive about your food choices, planning meals ahead, buying less take away meals, dodging the vending machine, controlling evening snacking? Are you actively participating in life, joining in with your children/grandchildren at the playground, happy to stroll around the shops (without looking for a seat outside every shop), getting a bit more bounce in your step? Are friends and family starting to comment on your changing shape? Are you able to do what you want to do without your weight holding you back? Is your health improving? Are your cholesterol levels, blood glucose levels or blood pressure going down? Are you taking less, or even no medications? Of course reducing your weight is a core goal of weight loss surgery, but remember the number is not the only measure of success and it is never the most important! Make a list of how you can measure your success independent of the scales and let us know by joining the conversation on our Facebook page.

Healthy human beings are constantly growing and losing hair simultaneously, generally we are growing more than we are losing, so we do not notice it. When there is extra ‘stress’ on the body, this can cause a shift in the normal balance and hair loss increases. Two stressors known to do this are major surgery and rapid weight loss. Therefore weight loss surgery is a double whammy! There can also be nutritional causes of hair loss. Hair loss in the first six months after surgery is generally due to the trauma of the surgery and rapid weight loss. However, if you have a good nutritional intake it will settle and hair will re-grow as weight loss stabilises. For hair loss that continues for over a year, or hair loss that starts six months after surgery, particularly in people who have difficulty eating or not taking the supplements recommended to them, there may be a nutritional cause. A low protein intake, iron or zinc deficiency can all play a role in hair loss. You may have seen discussion on online forums or discussion groups recommending zinc supplements for hair loss. Interestingly, iron is actually the one nutrient that is most closely related to hair loss. This does not mean that if you are losing hair you should put yourself on iron supplements! Your team should have already recommended a supplement for you containing iron. If a particular supplement is recommended, it is generally recommended for a reason. We recommend supplements that contain more iron than a standard multivitamin after weight loss surgery. Standard multivitamins contain very little iron, far less than that recommended after weight loss surgery. You should also be checking in with your team for regular blood tests. Even if it is years since you had weight loss surgery, yearly blood tests are important to check not only your iron levels, but also a range of other nutrients. As mentioned above, zinc is often associated with hair loss, but again, it is important not to rush out and buy zinc supplements! High doses of zinc can actually interfere with iron absorption and can also cause copper deficiency. Therefore high doses of zinc may actually cause you more problems and there is no solid evidence zinc supplements will fix your hair loss. Protein, protein, protein! Sometimes it seems that is all we hear about after weight loss surgery. Protein is important for a range of reasons after weight loss surgery, but it seems it is also involved in hair loss. The current guidelines suggest a minimum target of 60g per day. Whilst this can be a challenge, with careful planning it can be done. We will look at how you can make sure you are getting adequate protein in upcoming Member Bulletins. In summary, don’t try to treat your hair loss without some guidance from your team and blood tests to check your nutritional status. Speak to the dietitian in your team about making sure you are getting adequate nutrition both from your diet and supplements.

When embarking on and moving through the life-changing journey of weight loss surgery it is essential you have fair expectations on yourself. Always try treat yourself with kindness and compassion. All too often I hear stories of extreme guilt related to eating choices – this guilt is not positive or productive and it will not serve you well! YOU ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE PERFECT! There are times you are going to deviate from your intended eating plan and that is ok! Eating is not always about nutrition and weight – it is social, it is enjoyable and it contributes to the quality of our life. Small amounts of indulgent foods eaten slowly and mindfully and truly enjoyed are an essential component of your ultimate success. However, at times these small amounts may blow out, indulgences may be eaten when you are emotional or distracted and this can leave you regretful. Don’t be too hard on yourself, focus on what you can control and get back on track at your next meal or snack time. Remember each meal is a new opportunity to get it ‘right’, to nourish your body and to achieve your goals. IT IS ALWAYS ABOUT PROGRESS, NOT PERFECTION Can you to listen out for any guilty internal thoughts related to your food choices. Imagine saying them to a good friend. Now turn those thoughts around - you can’t change what has happened so focus on what you can control, that is, the very next meal or snack. It can be useful to ask yourself. What were the triggers or events that lead me to make that food choice? How can I plan to decrease my vulnerability next time I am in that situation? Let us know how you go, and remember when it comes to food, guilt is a wasted emotion.

YOU ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE PERFECT! There are times you are going to deviate from your intended eating plan and that is ok! Eating is not always about nutrition and weight – it is social, it is enjoyable and it contributes to the quality of our life. Small amounts of indulgent foods eaten slowly and mindfully and truly enjoyed are an essential component of your ultimate success. However, at times these small amounts may blow out, indulgences may be eaten when you are emotional or distracted and this can leave you regretful. Don’t be too hard on yourself, focus on what you can control and get back on track at your next meal or snack time. Remember each meal is a new opportunity to get it ‘right’, to nourish your body and to achieve your goals. IT IS ALWAYS ABOUT PROGRESS, NOT PERFECTION Can you to listen out for any guilty internal thoughts related to your food choices. Imagine saying them to a good friend. Now turn those thoughts around - you can’t change what has happened so focus on what you can control, that is, the very next meal or snack. It can be useful to ask yourself. What were the triggers or events that lead me to make that food choice? How can I plan to decrease my vulnerability next time I am in that situation? Let us know how you go, and remember when it comes to food, guilt is a wasted emotion.

Thanks DLCoggin for the feedback. It is so important to let your internal cues guide you, rather than getting caught up on what you are supposed to eat. Sally