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January 21, 2016
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January 25, 2016
If you have ever struggled with your weight, then you have tried your share of diets. But, can we trust diets for lasting results?
Can We Trust Diets?
We all do it. We find ourselves on the merry-go-round of too much food, too many indulgences and no discipline when it comes to our food choices. The next thing we know we’re desperately trying to button the top button of our jeans; asking ourselves, “how did I let this happen?”
Then, what do we do 99.9% of the time? We head straight for the diet fix. We go online to find the latest and great “diet de jour” to fix our problems…our weight problems that is.
Of course, for most of us, this is not the first time we’ve done the diet thing. In fact, we may have dieted so much in the past that the diet has become our only method of self-control. But we often don’t like to admit that to ourselves. Instead, we usually prefer to tell ourselves that this time will be different. This time I am going to get this weight thing off my back once and for all.
But, the question remains…Can we trust diets to give us lasting results?
Can a diet give lasting results?
Most of us never intend for a diet to be a permanent way of life. Why…because diets usual operate on the idea of deprivation and self-denial that few of us can maintain long-term. Instead, we rely on them to “fix” our weight, so we can move on with our normal lives.
Since quick results can only be accomplished through strict dieting, the short-term mentality ends up being detrimental to long-term, sustainable success with weight.
A lot of research has gone into weight loss and the effects of dieting. Numerous studies have confirmed that short-term fixes don’t work; primarily because the process of serious calorie restriction or denying whole food groups actually damages your body’s metabolic process. Basically, we screw everything up when we try to deny our bodies the fuel they need to run properly.
Try A Weight-loss Mindset
Insanity has been defined as doing the same thing over and over again, while still expecting different results. Does this sound like your typical weight gain and diet loss scenario? Here’s the thing…weight is only the outward symptom of your behavior with food. But, your behavior with food comes from your thinking about food.
Healthy mindsets with food are not forged by strict diets and short-term behavior modification. They are established for a lifetime. Essentially, if you really want to win over your weight, take the “finish line” out of your thinking.
I honestly believe that you can change your way of thinking, but you cannot expect to get rid of one mindset without putting a new one in its place. So, what’s your plan for overcoming your weight gain/loss cycle with food?
Journal Your Food Thoughts
After years of yo-yo dieting, I finally got off the weight merry-go-round by setting a prolonged 50-day period to journal my thoughts about food as I took steps to break unhealthy habits and realign my expectations and assumptions about portions.
Reading back through my journal entries, I noticed that the light bulb turned on sometime around the end of the second week. Until that point, my observations largely centered on the physical sensations and behavioral modification that traditional dieting requires.
However, I eventually started noticing just how essential my mind was to the whole process. Here is an excerpt from my journal entry, Day 12:
Alright, today I am back on track. It is becoming more and more clear to me that the true key to weight loss and management is in the mind. Of course, weight gain is caused by excess food; however, I am the one who ultimately makes the choice of what, when and where I eat. I like this idea… I have a choice. If I overeat one day, I can choose to right things the next day without heaping on unwanted feelings of failure and discouragement. Just get back on track; finished and done.
The journaling process was the single-most effective tool I have ever used to get to the bottom of my behavior and feelings about food.
Have you ever tried to journal your food thoughts? Consider adding this element to your cut-back efforts. Write down your thoughts, expectations, self-talk and assumptions. You just may be surprised by what you discover!
I am so excited to say that I am currently in the final stages of writing my first book, Find Your Weigh, that will finally present this process in an organized format to help people set the stage for lasting weight loss.
I am looking for a few people to read through the book before it’s published…to give feedback and suggestions for improvement. If you would be interested in something like this, please drop me a note.
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17 Comments
Your post mirrors a lot of my own thought processes regarding weight loss. In my younger days I went through the whole quick-fix process…again and again. Then one day, my doctor looked me in the eye and asked, “Did you gain it all in three months? No? Then why do you think you can lose it that fast?” It was something of an eye opener for me. Eventually, doing it correctly, by shifting my focus to a healthier lifestyle overall, I lost over 100 pounds (in 3 years) and managed to keep most of it off. I have a bit more to go, which is my focus for this year. So glad to see other bloggers writing common sense and not quick fixes!
100 pounds is a wonderful accomplishment! Slow and steady is the only way to have success with weight. Thanks so much for stopping by.
I love this post! I’ve been on the merry-go-round (or is it a rollercoaster?) of major weight loss and gain all my life. I would be very happy to beta-read your book 🙂
Hi Vince, I’m so glad you enjoyed the article. I will keep you posted on the progress of the book. Thanks for offering to pre-read.
Great post! Pinned and tweeted. Thanks for coming to our party and sharing such an amazing masterpiece! I hope to see you next Monday @7 because we love to party with you! Happy Thursday! Lou Lou Girls
The results of quick fixes fade as fast as the diet lasted. If we want to see long term results, we need to make permanent changes, in our lifestyles and in our minds. I agree with everything you said. I’ve changed my lifestyle a year ago. My main goal was to fit in a nice wedding dress. The wedding was in May last year but since then, I’ve kept my new life and continued my weight loss. I wouldn’t go back.
P.S I would be interested in reading your book
Hi Andrea, I’m so glad you stopped by to make a comment. Also, thanks for expressing interest in doing a pre-read of my book. I will keep you posted.
Interesting post – I think you’re right when you say we don’t sign up to diet long-term and often we see it as a quick fix (and it’s never as quick as we want is it?) I agree the best solution is a healthy eating plan and I find writing stuff down helps too. Especially at the start and when things start to slide as it’s so easy to lie to yourself in your head, harder on paper! And you get to get a pretty notebook for it too 🙂 #creativemondays
Hi Stephanie…thanks for taking the time to stop by! You are my kind of girl who’s always looking for the silver lining (the pretty new notebook to chart your food patterns)…love that.
A friend forwarded this to me. I would be interested in reviewing your book! (You will see we are both fans of choices and reducing self-beating thoughts!)
Hi Barbara, thanks for reaching out. I looked at your website and yes, I can see you are quite invested in choices as well! I appreciate your willingness to look the book over. I will keep you posted.
All true. Whenever I start feeling bad about my weight (and I still struggle with this) and I’m tempted to DO SOMETHING (diet), I remember that I have never achieved long term success with these methods. So I am determined to stay the course of self-love & nourishment and rejoicing in the beauty & power of my body where it is today. Would love to read your book.
Hey Cathy, just stay the course and I will keep you posted on the book, thanks!
You are absolutely right with all you say, Shellie…but I needed a group like Jenny Craig to help me change my mindset and to get started on a new path. Sometimes diet plans will help us to go through needed lifestyle changes. Jenny Craig did a lot for me and I do recommend it!
Pam, it’s so true…we are all different, so we need different things to motivate us! The key is understanding that the program or plan is only a tool, then figuring out the part you have to play in your own food choices.
You’re absolutely right, Shellie, weight loss requires a mind shift, not a diet. I was overweight until I was in my twenties and had tried all kinds of dumb stuff as a pre-teen and teen. When I finally decided that I was tired of being fat, wasn’t going to eat everything I could because I could, and stop weighing myself, the weight fell off without me even noticing. I re-gained everything in law school (up from a 4 to a size 12) and decided again that it was time to “get it under control” (one of my pep talk phrases I give myself). It was time for another mind shift…and getting off of the scale. Thank you, Shellie!
Hi Regina, I am glad this post hits you at just the right time! I am proof that you can finally get your mind wrapped around the weight thing, even after years of yo-yo dieting.