You really can have long-term weight loss. But you can’t do it dieting, at least that’s been my experience.
So today, we’re gonna play round one of: is it a diet?
Sometimes it’s hard to tell whether something is a diet or not, especially with a lot of conflicting information out there. So I thought I’d make up a list of things that I consider some of the hallmarks of diets.
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To have long-term weight loss, you need to ask some questions:
1. Does it have rules to follow or you’re doing it wrong?
One of the biggest problems with diets is this belief that you have to follow the rules perfectly. That leads to perfectionism, all-or-nothing thinking, and giving yourself permission to keep screwing up when you make even the smallest mistake.
2. Does it have guidelines you’re not allowed to deviate from or modify in any way?
If you do deviate from or modify the guidelines, then you’re told you’re doing it wrong. Or maybe you’re told that you’re not allowed to be part of the group/community anymore because you’re not allowed to cherry pick what works for you.
All that does is keep people stuck. There is no one-size-fits-all for dieting. I spent over 20 years dieting and never found one that worked for me long-term. It wasn’t until I started changing and modifying any technique that I found useful to fit my own personal needs that I finally found weight-loss success.
3. Does it have certain foods you have to eat?
The fastest way to crazy-making behavior around food is to force yourself to eat certain foods, especially if you don’t like them. Forcing yourself to eat foods you don’t want to eat will also suck the joy out of your life and make you feel like life isn’t worth living.
4. Does it have certain foods you have to avoid?
The fastest way to obsessive thoughts about food and a fear of not having enough food, is to start some kind of restrictive eating plan. Avoiding foods or entire food groups is also a major factor in the development of eating disorders. I know that because for a long time I suffered with two of them, bulimia and compulsive overeating.
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5. Does it have certain times of the day you must eat or not eat?
That means it’s got you listening to a clock instead of listening to your body. It’s also probably got you eating when you’re not hungry or waiting to eat even though you are hungry. You will end up feeling like the clock has all the power and you have none.
And if you want to have long-term weight loss, pay attention to the biggest tell there is …
If it makes you feel imprisoned and not free to do what you need to do for yourself, then it’s a diet.
Get off the diet-go-round. Get on with your life.®
Stop wishing, start doing.
Create your own weight loss before and after success story.
My weight loss transformation & how it can help you have long-term weight loss
You absolutely can break the diet cycle. I got free. Your life can be that way too.
I made my own path because I needed to get myself out of the crazy-making behavior I was having around food. I needed:
- no more dieting.
- no more restrictive eating.
- no weighing and measuring food.
- no off-limit foods.
- no more judgment around food.
- no more trying to figure out healthy eating or just what healthy foods to eat.
- no more judging my self-worth based on the scale.
- no more you’re-not-doing-it-perfectly diet rules that were only fueling my constant thinking about and obsession with food.
I needed to stop: searching for weight loss tips, wondering how to lose belly fat fast or how to lose weight fast, worrying about how to eat healthy or finding healthy snacks for weight loss, coming up with yet another healthy eating plan, trying to have quick weight loss, or forcing myself onto yet another weight loss diet. What I needed instead was to find, out of all the weight loss programs out there, the best weight loss program for me. Turns out, the best way to lose weight was to find out what works for me and do that.
- I’ve lost 160+ pounds naturally by simply trusting myself and listening to my intuition (mindful eating and eating intuitively).
- I have maintained that weight loss for 9 years and counting by trusting myself and listening to my intuition (mindful eating and intuitive eating).
- I no longer have any eating disorders, including bulimia (bulimia nervosa) and binge eating disorder (compulsive overeating).
- I no longer have a fear of food.
Just imagine what you could be doing with your life if you’d just commit to having your own before and after weight loss success story. You could be: following your own dreams and reaching your own goals, cultivating your own passions, and making both your inner and outer worlds a more blissful and peaceful place.
I got that for my life. I want it for yours. I will teach you how.
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Let today be the day you make peace with your body and with food.
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