Choosing something different yet?
Yes, it’s uncomfortable because it’s unfamiliar and not what you’ve done in the past. It’ll be a bit of extra work initially as your “go-to” is shifting. It may even disrupt your routine for a bit.
AND when you are living at your goal, you will wonder why you took so long to change what had kept you stuck for so long.
Remember, changing one thing is often better than changing many things at once. It may take a little longer, but it’s likely to be a smoother transition. Changing everything often makes us feel deprived, whereas one shift at a time feels empowering.
“Oh, I can do that? Right, what else can I do?” Along the way, we build healthy, sustainable choices and habits to create your new lifestyle – which is the secret to maintenance.
That two-step “on-diet-off-diet” isn’t a tango – it’s a tangle of frustration and self-torment that leaves you feeling defeated.
Podcasters often ask me why diets fail. The answer is: We stop doing them or utilizing anything we learned from them – like portion control, balance, and good nutrition. We return to the way we ate before, thinking our goal weight will motivate us to make better choices. Then we order a pizza. “Just one slice – it won’t hurt. I can do better tomorrow.”
I spent 40 years thinking that, and my rising weight didn’t lie. I had not yet learned how to fine-tune my nutrition to fit the body I wanted. Nor had I worked out the emotional and spiritual wounds and questions that drove me to food for comfort or stress relief. I just went back to my old eating style.
Sound familiar?
When we stop paying attention to portions or foods that help us, we get creep.
When we don’t modulate our trigger foods, we often cannot stop, which makes us feel bad about ourselves, so we go to our favorite soother to help us feel better, but that doesn’t last, which makes us feel bad – you know the cycle.
When we don’t address the emotional and spiritual stuff that drives us to food for quick relief, then we stay stuck in our wounds. Healing that feels so much better.
The secret to maintenance is changing one thing at a time to create lifestyle choices we can live with. It may be finding what works for your body, or perhaps it’s unpacking the emotional baggage, or it may be connecting with your best self. It’s always about growing toward more fulfillment in body, mind, and soul.
Where do you want to start?
