Ok, so I’m kind of passionate about this subject.
And it’s not because I believe that diets are all BAD.
In fact, I actually believe that most diets can lead to weight loss, and some are quite healthy.
And there’s evidence that many people have lost weight on many different diets.
So, why am I saying that diets don’t work?
Many people lose weight on diets, but the vast majority gain it all back and more.
And this is why I’m passionate about this topic.
Because, although a diet can lead to “success” in terms of weight loss, it doesn’t take into account the EMOTIONAL component of weight loss.
A diet is just about WHAT to do; it’s only about the mechanics of food and eating.
A diet doesn’t address HOW to do it, when you’re an emotional human.
And, by far, that’s the HOW is the most critical part.
Because even if you eat perfectly, as per the diet, your mind may not truly BELIEVE you can lose the weight.
Or you may be really good at being “good” for a little while, but then your emotions kick in and you begin to feel DEPRIVED and like you’re RESTRICTING yourself.
That’s when the diet gets derailed.
Not BELIEVING in your ability to lose weight, or feeling DEPRIVED or RESTRICTED, are why dieting doesn’t work.
So, if dieting doesn’t work, what does work?
There are a few methods I use with my clients, that help them with long term weight loss success.
Out of those few, I’d say these two methods are the most effective:
1. Go Step by Step (GREY ZONE eating)
One effective way to lose weight is by doing things step by step.
So, it’s about making important dietary and eating habit changes, but only one at a time.
The problem with diets is that they tend to be all or nothing, black or white.
However, there’s a whole lot of grey that’s not being addressed.
And I help my clients tap into that Grey Zone.
To do that, we break down the big steps into smaller steps.
So, for example, a big step might be never eating french fries again.
This step might seem super overwhelming when you’re used to having a large pile of fries with your favorite restaurant meal.
A smaller, grey zone step would be to order half the fries, and get steamed veggies or salad to replace the other half.
This smaller step can feel less RESTRICTIVE, and may not leave you feeling DEPRIVED.
It’s a step in the right direction, and it can have a positive impact on not only your weight, but on your self-confidence and emotional well-being.
And if the small step still leaves you feeling negatively, you can break it down even further.
The important thing to recognize is that, unlike a diet, you’re in the position of power here.
You’re making the choices and decisions, it’s your plan.
And the results of your choices and decisions are just feedback, that may require you to make new choices.
It’s an empowering way to approach food and eating.
2. FEEL instead of FEED your emotions
Another method that helps my clients is learnign to feel emotions as they come up, and not being afraid of them.
Most of us want to avoid the feelings of RESTRICTION and DEPRIVATION.
But when you learn that they don’t last, and they can’t hurt you, they lose their grip.
Learning this requires practice.
Practice means sitting with the emotion, which may take several tries, and then viewing your results each time as just feedback or information, without judgment.
It’s the same with the sensation of HUNGER.
Sometimes feeling hungry is scary, especially when you’re not used to it.
But when you know that a human can go weeks without food, and hunger also passes after a minute or so, it can also lose its grip on you.
In this way you learn to live from a place of CONSCIOUSNESS rather than a place of REACTION.
You learn that just because you have an emotion doesn’t mean you have to REACT to it.
You just need to feel it.
Be curious about the emotion, how it feels in your body, then just let it pass (it always does), and even choose a new emotion if you want to.
Emotions aren’t meant to control you.
They’re just feedback.
And you can apply that feedback, or you can disregard it.
It’s up to you.
But what should you eat to lose weight?
Well, the answer to that is up to you.
I’m sure you already know which foods are better for you, and which aren’t so good for you.
You know which foods make you feel crappy, and which energize you.
So, trust yourself.
The answer to this question is already within you.
It’s HOW you actually start eating in that way that is the challenge.
And that’s why I outlined two of my methods: Grey Zone eating, and Feeling instead of Feeding emotions.
These two methods can get you to where you want to go.
They can get you the long-lasting results that a diet won’t get you.
And not only will you lose the weight, you’ll also feel empowered as a person.
No diet can do that.
Are you ready to get off the diet treadmill?
I get that this may be a concept that you’re not comfortable with.
Dieting – in all it’s black and whiteness – is familiar and may be the only method you know.
And some diets may promise the tempting, quick results you’re looking for.
But just like anything that happens too quickly, the roots are shallow, and one gust of wind can blow it all away.
I want my clients to create strong roots, so that not only will they lose weight, but they’ll be confident in their ability to do it.
They’ll be skilled at not only weight loss, but at making pretty much any challenging change.
And eventually, they won’t need me.
They’ll move forward on their own, propelled by their own power.
That’s the ultimate goal.
Debbie
P.S. If you want to stop dieting, and learn some new skills for weight loss, why not talk to me about it? Just book a time and we can get you started: www.momentum-fit.ca/book-a-session