Here at Freaking Fitness diet is a dirty word.
That’s because diet generally means temporarily and drastically changing your eating to get quick results that don’t last once you go back to your old way of eating.
If you find yourself always searching for a new magic diet but are frustrated because you never seem to have any lasting success, there might be a few things that are stopping you from finally getting to where you want to be.
You Start a Diet When There’s an Upcoming Event
It’s your 20th high school reunion in two weeks, so you figure you’ll just drop 30 pounds quick so you can fit into your homecoming dress. Even if you do manage to fit into the dress, when the party is over you’ll return to your regular diet and likely gain even more weight back than you lost. If you’ve become a chronic crash dieter, you need to know that there are health risks associated with crash dieting ranging from gallstones to headaches and even hair loss. Studies also show it could weaken your immune system, leading to increased risk of infections.
Food Is Your Bestie
It’s loyal, makes you feel good, never gives you crap about what you’re wearing, and it’s not illegal. Food often becomes a medication for whatever ails you at the moment. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying a piece of chocolate (although maybe not in the creepy way they do in TV commercials), but when you seek food to make you feel better, it’s time to reexamine that relationship. It’s no coincidence that in those chocolate commercials where they play romantic music while the chocolate is. . .erm. . .consumed, a woman is the consumer. They’re tapping into that emotional connection with food. They even seem to imply that it’s just what you need to feel better.
All Your Friends Are Doing It
“Hey let’s go eat bacon and drink beer” sounds a lot more fun than “let’s get a salad and have some water with lemon.” Food and drink is usually the center of any social gathering. It’s really a part of our human culture. And just like we don’t want someone pressuring us to eat a double stack with cheese and mocking us for our food choices, I’m sure they don’t want us to go off on them about theirs.
When you are heading for a situation where unhealthy food will be available, prepare for it mentally and emotionally. Decide ahead of time what your limits will be. If you say to yourself “I’ll have one beer or skip dessert,” commit to it.
Every time you are successful in following through with your intentions, you’re building a new habit. Soon it will become second nature to make those choices. It’s just a matter of changing a behavior you’ve always done, having never realized that it was one of the reasons you haven’t been able to overcome your struggle.
If you can relate to any of these scenarios, a good first step is a food journal. Write down what you ate, but also write down the location and the circumstances. Were you sad? Were you out with friends? Were you alone? You’ll likely start seeing patterns and habits that maybe you didn’t realize existed.
Are you finding yourself caught up in chronic dieting, always trying to get rid of that same 20 pounds? When you really look inside, what do you feel might be the main reason?
