Let's talk about one of the biggest (mindset) hurdles that stop people from losing weight and feel better from food. And that is the fact that being on a diet is setting you up to fail right from the start!
Because you are keeping your focus on the problem and not the solution.
How many people do you know that say the words 'I'm on a diet' with pure joy and excitement?
And why does the classic dieter always eat a miserable salad?
One of the fundamental problems with dieting is that it is all about 'losing' and 'going without'. By not eating this (or at all) you will lose weight. But keeping our focus on the problem will never create a solution that you will want to maintain and feel happy about.
Here are 3 reasons why you should never want to go on a diet ever again:
Reason #1:
Dieting itself is a mentality, not a food plan.
By dieting, you are simply telling yourself that you are going without in order to achieve your health and weight goal. And what happens when we give something up without addressing the core issues that drive the original behavior? Yes, we rebel. This is why dieters may see initial results but eventually, old habits will return or the weight will creep back up again once they stop 'dieting'.
Reason #2:
You are giving away your power
In order to create change that you will want to stick with, you need to truly understand WHY you are making this shift. It is the difference between being told to change and wanting to change. How does it feel to be told to eat something versus be educated to make a different choice?
You should want to eat the same, no matter who's watching you or how instant your results may be, otherwise, we're back to reason #1 the diet mentality of going without.
Reason #3
Yo-yo dieting messes with your body (and your hormones).
Have you ever noticed that despite eating less than you did before dieting, you are now putting on weight more easily? Diets are often based on limiting calories and this says nothing about the quality of the foods and the calories you're eating. If the calorie restriction is ongoing or if the food is lacking in essential nutrients like fake-food artificially sugar-loaded shakes, then this will wreak havoc on your blood sugars (adding to your stress load) and it also tricks the body into retaining more fat as it prepares for famine.
Note that chronic low-calorie diets are different than intermittent fasting or time-restricted eating which can actually help to reverse some of these effects.
The bottom line is that you can change your diet and make healthier dietary changes, without having to be on a diet.
So the first thing you need to do to break the negative pattern of 'dieting' is to reframe your mindset. Here's what you can do ...
Get your journal out or a good old fashioned piece of paper and consider one dietary change that you would like to make that you know is likely to have a positive impact on your health (if you could only stick to it) and consider the following questions.
1. What results would you want to achieve?
2. Why do you want to achieve these results or what would it mean to you?
3. What impact would it have on your life, and for those around you?
Lots of love,
Jennifer xx
Would you like to uncover the Unspoken Secrets of Letting Go of Stress-Eating so you can create a happier and healthier relationship with food and achieve lasting results?
Then go ahead and download my free guide here.
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