3 Mental Keys to "Diet" Freedom

If you’ve tried nearly every weight loss diet to hit the market, you’re certainly not alone. The “Lorelei song” of a legendary siren tempting sailors to their doom is a metaphor that might be applied to fad diets as well. A wise person once said “Don’t start a diet that you can’t maintain for the next 10 years,” which is clever counsel indeed.

Many health experts now agree that “diets” essentially set you up to fail. And–as you learned from our lead article this month–repeatedly losing and re–gaining the same unwelcome pounds is a recipe for disaster. What’s the solution? While there are many aspects to creating a “diet”–free lifestyle, these 3 keys to changing your mindset will help you replace failed efforts with successful outcomes:

Accept the inevitable
Though you’ve heard this before, it really must be internalized if one is to get–and stay–trim and fit. To lose weight, you have to burn more calories than you consume–period. But how do you know where you stand in this equation? In other words, how can you refine your awareness as to whether you’re “within bounds” on a given day? Welcome to the balancing act that most fit, lean people participate in on a regular basis. Stay tuned, you can master this too!

Modify your thinking
To truly break free from the diet mentality, replacing old notions with winning concepts is key–starting with the understanding that there are no quick fixes, magic bullets or short term measures to melt pounds permanently. Creating a healthy relationship with your body in terms of your weight/fitness takes daily effort and awareness. However, it’s a labor that yields the priceless rewards of glowing health, vitality, freedom from illness, increased confidence, and much more.

Identify potential saboteurs
Taking time to identify sources of waist–line sabotage–either from your own habits, other people, or circumstances–will help prevent past weight cycling errors. For example, if you overeat due to stress/depression/boredom, this tendency must be replaced with other coping mechanisms, healthier, lighter foods during these times, or ideally both. If a person or circumstance derails you–that daily caf� mocha/jumbo muffin with a neighbor, all–you-can-eat buffets, or after work “happy hour” jaunts–you can make adjustments there too, keeping the fun, but modifying what you order/consume.

Incorporating these 3 concepts at the starting line will dramatically boost your odds of success–for life.