How to Lose 15 Pounds in 15 Days!

It's easier than you think! [View in browser]( | [Unsubscribe]( [Rodale Wellness]( [Dr. Ro]( With the holidays right around the corner, you’ll want to have a plan for avoiding holiday weight gain. Enter [Dr. Ro’s Final 15 Plan]( where losing weight becomes simple and doable. You’ll lose weight in 15-day phases, eat 15 servings of food each day, exercise in 15-minute chunks, and spend 15 minutes a day refreshing your soul. Before you know it, you’ll reach your weight-loss goal—one small, simple step at a time! And, Dr. Ro will also arm you with success strategies to keep the weight off! The first step in Dr. Ro's plan is getting into the Final 15 mindset: It's time to take control of the hunger in your belly and the hunger in your mind. 1. Learn your emotional hunger triggers. In addition to physical hunger, we experience emotional hunger. As many as three quarters of our food choices are driven by [emotional hunger](. We celebrate, mourn, and medicate with food. Emotional eating makes us feel good for a few minutes, but it backfires when we feel guilty or gain more weight. To stop emotional eating, compose a plan. From cravings to clues, know what to do when a new (or familiar) craving strikes. First, try taking a mindful moment before eating. We respond automatically to feelings of hunger. We feel hungry, we go to the refrigerator, we grab a piece of cheese or a tub of Ben & Jerry’s, and we gobble it up—all without thinking or analyzing our feelings or actions. By slowing that process down, you can begin to [take control of emotional hunger](. The first step toward reducing emotional eating is stopping yourself anytime you feel hungry, analyzing your feelings (and asking yourself these [hunger questions]( and determining whether your hunger is originating from your stomach or your mind. Instead of reflexively running off to the kitchen, I want you to take a few minutes to think about your hunger and determine whether its origin is emotional or physical. 2. Ask yourself: What do I really want? Do you really need food, or something else? When you experience a feeling of hunger, don't just run to get something to eat. Instead, stop yourself. Sit down, close your eyes, and ask yourself a few questions: What am I feeling? Do I feel physically hungry? Am I having hunger pangs? Has it been 2 to 3 hours or just a few minutes since I ate last? Ask yourself about the nature of your hunger. Did it come on quickly or has your stomach been rumbling for a while? Emotional hunger tends to come on quickly. When you have a craving, a couple of things happen. You anticipate positive reinforcement when you eat—that is, you expect to feel better—and you also expect to eliminate negative feelings, such as sadness, anger, or loneliness. However, those good feelings may not occur at all, or they may be immediately overridden by even more negative feelings, such as guilt and shame. If you realize you’re not physically hungry, take a minute to think about what’s going on in your head. Are you experiencing a difficult emotion? Did something occur recently that provoked an emotional response, such as an argument with your boss, a rejection from a business contact, or a frustrating exchange with a friend? Are you frustrated, angry, or annoyed? Are you happy, relieved, or joyful? Are you bored or lonely? Analyze your feelings and really try to label them so you can understand what's behind them and the action you've become accustomed to taking when you feel them. 3. Get to the root of your craving. Now, ask yourself what you’re thinking of eating. Are you answering the call of the chocolate bar you tucked away on a high shelf? Or are you thinking you’ll grab an apple? This is important because emotional hunger tends to cause cravings for specific foods—such as chocolate cake, cookies, or salty snacks—rather than healthier choices, such as fruits, vegetables, or a handful of nuts. When you’re physically hungry, you’re more likely to look for your next healthy meal or snack rather than an indulgence. Looking at pictures of [foods triggers cravings]( (why do you think advertisers use such delicious-looking photography?). As you work to cope with cravings, try to cut back on visual-craving creators, such as TV ads. If you’re watching your favorite show, jump onto the treadmill, jog in place, or do squats, lunges, or triceps dips on a chair instead of viewing commercials. Pay close attention to the external triggers that influence your desire for food. After spending a couple of mindful moments [examining the source of your hunger]( you’ll be better prepared to make a thoughtful choice about whether and what to eat. Find more tips to stop emotional eating on our [website](. Join [Dr. Ro’s Final 15 Plan]( (it’s free!) to discover all of her weight-loss tips, meal plans, recipes, workouts, and more! Get Dr. Ro’s Book! [Lose Your Final 15] Lose Your Final 15 Dive deeper into Dr. Ro's weight-loss plan with her book, where you'll find 45 additional recipes, workouts, and more! [Amazon]( [Barnes & Noble]( [iBooks]( [Books-A-Million]( [Google Play]( [Local Bookstore]( [facebook]( [twitter]( [pinterest]( [instagram]( [Unsubscribe]( | [Manage Your Email Preferences]( | [Privacy Policy]( Customer Care Dept., 400 South 10th Street, Emmaus, PA 18098 © 2017 Rodale Inc., all rights reserved.