Linda Spangle - 100 Days of Weight Loss: The Secret to Being Successful on Any Diet Plan

Praise from readers and health professionals for

LINDA SPANGLE and Life Is Hard,
Food Is Easy: The 5-Step Plan to Overcome
Emotional Eating and Lose Weight on Any Diet

Lindas book addresses the emotional aspects of eating and weight loss extremely well. It goes hand-in-hand with the Curves for Women Program, Permanent Results without Permanent Dieting. Linda gives some very realistic and concrete suggestions for figuring out whats really going on when we overeat. KIM HUSS, CURVES FOR WOMEN OWNER

As a dietitian and weight-loss counselor, I have been able to apply and use many of Lindas concepts and methods in my sessions with clients. I believe that one must dig deep and uncover what truly lies beneath the problem, not just find a solution to what seems apparent on the outside. VANESSA ALDAZ, MPH, RD

Unlike many books on emotional eating, Lindas book gives readers everyday tools to overcome their challenges with weight loss. We recommend it to all of our clients at the Denver Metabolic Research Weight-Loss Center. DAPHNE RICHARDS, WEIGHT-LOSS COUNSELOR

I couldnt put this book down. The author seemed to be talking to me! I have read many diet books in the past, but this book describes the true reason behind overeating. She walks you through why you must deal with the problems within before you can be successful on any diet program. KJ

This book isnt another fad dietit focuses on why we reach for food, no matter what we weigh. The author will make you think. She has practical suggestions for breaking through our emotional barriers and taking care of ourselves instead of eating. SUSAN

100 DAYS of
WEIGHT
LOSS

ALSO BY LINDA SPANGLE

Life Is Hard, Food Is Easy
Success in a Shaker Jar

100 DAYS of
WEIGHT
LOSS

The Secret to Being
Successful on
Any Diet Plan

A DAILY MOTIVATOR

LINDA SPANGLE, RN, MA

by Linda Spangle, 2006, 2007.

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means
electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other
except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles,
without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson.
Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Thomas Nelson, Inc. titles may be purchased in bulk for educational,
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Spangle, Linda.

100 days of weight loss : the secret to being successful on any diet plan / Linda Spangle.

p. cm.

A daily motivator.

Originally published: Denver, Colo. : SunQuest Media, 2006.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN: 978-1-4016-0373-1 1.
Reducing diets. 2. Weight loss. I. Title. II. Title: One hundred days of weight loss.

RM222.2.S674 2007
613.2'5dc22

2007021042

Printed in the United States of America
09 10 11 12 13 QW 9 8 7 6 5 4 3

CONTENTS

I think I know why youre here. Somehow you want to be able to change your future. Im guessing that youd love to get control over food, lose a bunch of extra pounds, and then maintain your weight for the rest of your life.

Well, youve come to the right place. During the next 100 days, you can achieve phenomenal progress toward reaching these goals. But the amazing part is, you will feel like it was easy. Heres how it works.

Each day you will complete one mini-lesson related to some aspect of managing your weight. Then with time, youll learn how to slip these tools into your daily routines. Eventually, just like putting on your shoes or brushing your teeth, your new skills will become second nature. And when they do, youll have found the secret to long-term success!

Why it works

In my 20 years of working with overweight individuals, Ive found that one problem shows up again and again. In spite of their initial enthusiasm, most people average just three to four weeks on a diet before they fall off the wagon. The reason? Real life gets in the way!

As many dieters do, you probably start out strong. But then you get worn down by life challenges such as family, work, stress, finances, or even emotional struggles. At some point, the need to feel better becomes stronger than your desire to lose weight. Before long, you slip off your diet and reach for a piece of chocolate cake or a bag of potato chips.

After youve messed up, you may have a hard time getting back on your diet. Eventually, you just give up on your goal of losing weightat least for a while.

Does this sound way too familiar? If so, you may need an entirely new approach for managing your weight. While a healthy diet and exercise plan can certainly help, sometimes it takes more than that. What you really need is an easy set of tools that will help you to calm, nurture, and energize yourself so that food doesnt have to do it for you.

In my book Life Is Hard, Food Is Easy, I showed readers how to stop using food as the solution to their emotional needs. Now Ive divided these skills into small, bite-sized pieces, so you can easily fit them into your hectic days.

Many of these lessons will simply remind you of things you already know. But others will pull you deeper, helping you cope more effectively with issues such as weak motivation, low self-esteem, and emotional eating. As you complete these one-a-day lessons, youll build a solid weight-management framework you can stand on forever.

How to do the 100 Days Program

Because this book is designed to work with any diet plan, you get to choose your own method for losing weight. So decide on the program you want to use, and then simply follow these steps to a successful 100 days!

Step One: Choose your best diet plan

Think carefully about what works for you. Do you enjoy going to weight-loss groups, or do you prefer meeting one-on-one with a counselor? Maybe youll go to a commercial diet program or hire a personal weight-loss coach. Or you might even design your own system using a new diet book, an Internet resource, or a plan that youve followed in the past.

After youve chosen your diet plan, make sure you know your recommended daily calorie levels or the number of servings for each of the food groups. Youll also want to think about how youll monitor or track your food intake to see whether youve met your diet plans requirements.

TAKE THE DIET QUIZ

If you need help with choosing a diet plan, take the quiz at www.thedietquiz.com.

Based on the amount of weight you want to lose as well as your age, history, body type, and personal preferences, this quiz helps you pick the diet plan that best matches your needs and gives you the greatest chance for success.

Step Two: Follow your plan for 100 days

Plan to complete one lesson from this book each day, setting a goal of staying on your weight-loss plan for 100 consecutivedays. If for some reason thats not a realistic time frame, you can space the lessons any way you want.

If you take a vacation or slip off your diet for a few days, dont start over at Day 1. Just pick up on the lessons where you left off and continue moving forward. Remember, your goal is to log a total of 100 days, even if it takes you longer than that to accomplish it.

One hundred days is a magical amount of time. Because it forces you to stay focused and consistent, your efforts will last far longer than they might otherwise. Any time you struggle and youre tempted to go off your plan, use the goal of reaching 100 days as a way to strengthen your resolve.