Why Diets Don’t Work
If I had a penny for the times I have heard
“Slimming World worked for me before, I’m going to go back again” change “Slimming World” for Weight Watchers, Atkins Diet, Meal Replacement, Detox, Fasting, Low Fat. Low Carb - whatever it clearly did not work for you before because you are still in the same place you were before!
We need to get our heads around the fact that “diets” don’t work long term once and for all and here is why:
Diets are not associated with long-term weight loss. Moreover, diets create a restrictive, controlling relationship with food. Those who attempt to manage their weight through restriction and deprivation often discover that these tactics may worsen a weight problem. Ditch dieting for an intuitive eating approach. You’ll have a better relationship with food when you tune in to your body’s needs and cues.
The only long-term successful way of losing weight or I should really say growing into the shape & size your body is meant to be (because weight can be a very individual thing) is by changing your mindset towards food and healthy eating. and pursuing a healthy balanced lifestyle, this includes tackling emotional issues, stress levels, sleep rest & relaxation, exercise, hydration, and eating habits.
Simply going on a “diet” to firstly deny yourself then add “treats” for being good -is a form of self-deprivation, which will only create a cycle of emotional comfort eating followed by guilt self-loathing & repeat.
You need to break that cycle once for all - take a clear look at yourself - unless there are underlying medical issues most people are overweight because they are simply overeating, eating the wrong types of food - but in order to break that cycle you need to not only change the mindset towards food but look at lifestyle as a whole.
Part of the problem is how we view food & our emotional associations - this really is a mindset indoctrinated through clever marketing - chocolate is marketed in a very seductive luxurious way Ferrero Rocher is an example - the marketing is aimed at a specific type of customer promising a set of feelings/emotions if we buy into the brand.
Look at Supermarket/brand ready-meals & deals - marketing is aimed at giving you a break from the kitchen just shove it in the microwave & ping - you can relax
Take alcohol Baileys for example - rich creamy luxurious poured with seductive music over the perfect clink of ice - how come drunk folk are never featured in alcohol advertising - head down the loo chucking their guts up ;-)
Once you take the brainwashed emotional attachment away from food - what is food really, well it is simply fuel for our daily body needs, the fuel breaks down into energy to keep us functioning - all the bits we take for granted like breathing, digestion, all the involuntary movements of our bodies and of course the voluntary physical movements. We also need food/fuel to repair, renew and grow - our bodies need a wide variety of foods to get the nutrients required for optimum health.
Food is simply an object, it has zero bearings on our emotional state frankly, it does not make us happy, sad, or any other emotion you can think of, it is simply fuel for our bodies to exist - we alone control our mindset, our emotions NOT food.
And what about the taste you might say, yes taste is one of our senses and I would argue that taste exists only to allow our brains to distinguish between sweetness, sourness, saltiness, bitterness, and savoriness and to start the digestion process in our mouths. Taste is simply a human fail-safe if you like to ensure what we are eating is OK to eat - if you look at a child and give him a very salty spoonful he will spit it out, same for too sweet, etc. because he is using taste as a safeguard.
Like a lot of senses as we get older, we almost force our bodies beyond their natural defenses by forcing ourselves to eat foods that we are brainwashed into thinking taste good -
The key to a healthy balanced lifestyle is a healthy mindset & a healthy relationship with food - ditch the diet
opt for
Unconditional permission to eat.
Eating for physical, rather than emotional, reasons.
Reliance on internal hunger and fullness cues.
Taking responsibility and ownership of what you are eating - think before you eat/read the label and know what you are eating
Take a look at your lifestyle as a whole
Un-condition your mind from the marketing