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Have you HAD IT with yet another diet program? How long have you struggled to shed some weight? How many different options have you tried?
Like many of you, I struggled for years with the Diet Yo-Yo. I’d do the latest diet, I’d buy the pills and powders, I’d spent thousands to try to lose the weight. When I did lose a few pounds, maybe even reach my goal, or got fed up of whatever product, my weight would slowly creep back up.
WHY???????? Why couldn’t I maintain those losses? Why couldn’t I just start from there and maintain or even lose a little more?
Partly because none of those programs or products teach you how to do life without their product or program. And let’s face it, when we get to our goal, how much do we focus on maintenance? Honestly? I didn’t. It was more a hope and a prayer and a lot less strategy and real change.
Partly because we tend to go back to the ways we ate before – the ways that created extra weight.
Partly because I know I didn’t do what I had to do to stop the emotional eating. I’d give into a craving because I was having a tough day. I’d rationalize with myself that ONE taste wouldn’t affect my week – and maybe it wouldn’t if I’d had or created the ability to stop after a taste or even two, but once I’d tasted it or luxuriated in the mouthfeel, I didn’t choose to stop.
Other ways to soothe myself paled in comparison. Or maybe I wouldn’t try other ideas for soothing myself – surely they wouldn’t be as effective.
In the end, I wouldn’t consistently make good choices. I didn’t draw a line in the sand – here’s where this stops or changes. It was too easy to just go for food when I needed a little something to soothe myself.
Sound familiar?
Here’s what I want to say: I’d rather it be different, but shedding weight often comes down to making some initially uncomfortable choices. Where are we willing to compromise to get a result we say we want?
Think about other areas where you make choices: Areas like your budget. If we spent money like we spend calories, what would happen to your financial health?
There is no magic to it, but consistently good choices will produce results.
So how do you make those choices without gritting your teeth and feeling like we’re restricted, missing out, or starving? That was the one I always hated, but it was the only way I knew at the time. It’s so hard to navigate through all the options for nutrition – how does this plan work? What am I eliminating this week?
My guideline for every client is to find what works for YOUR body. When you find what works for your body, it makes it easier to make better choices, to overcome that craving and emotional eating.
