So I started reading my book last night. The first chapter hammers home the point "Diets don't work! Diets don't work." But they do work - while we're on them. It's hard to get into the book when I don't agree with the basic premise. There is a lot of good information about why we do what we do regarding food, but every time I see the line "diets don't work" I rebel. Maybe as I get further into the book, I may feel differently. The truth is that "diet" is defined as a way of eating. A diet is meant to keep us alive through sustenance. So, in that sense they do work. And restricting food also works. It works until we quit doing it. I wish that the authors would spend more time on what drives us to eat over and above what we need to sustain life.
One thing the book has done is make me think back to when I began to use food as something other than a means to fuel my body. When I was a child, my mother was very sick. My father didn't understand exactly what was going on and there were a lot of fights and talk of divorce. I'm pretty sure that I used food back then to tune out. In my child's mind, I laid the blame on myself. I couldn't control what was going on around me so I controlled what went into my mouth. It was how I learned to cope with life. Food was my comfort. That never changed. I have no frame of reference as to how to comfort myself any other way. This is what I need to explore.
When I watch Biggest Loser, I am happy for the people who lose the weight, but I wonder what happens later. How many of them go back to using and abusing food? I like the fact that Jillian at least touches on this with the contestants.
But how does one turn off the switch? I remember when I was a smoker, I just couldn't imagine myself going through life without that crutch. I used smoking to control my eating. When I no longer had that crutch, food again became my primary way of coping with life. That, and procrastinating. "Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love ya tomorrow - you're always a day away." Yep, always a day away. It is so easy to focus on what I will do tomorrow, meanwhile, today is slipping through my fingers. And you don't get them back. How do I turn that around. How do I stay in today? That's what I need to learn. That's what I am hoping this book will show me.
I found myself actively panicking while reading the first chapter. I don't want to give up dieting.
What I need to do is find a food plan I can stick with. Obviously, nothing I have tried has done the job. I feel best on lowcarb, but I don't stay with it. I know that this is what the authors mean when they say that diets don't work, but I am afraid to stop. It's like a rat on a wheel in a cage.
I'm very confused and I need to sort this out. In the meantime, I weighed in today at my highest all time weight.
And still I have hope. Where does that come from? Well, I know where it comes from, but why isn't it enough to keep me doing what I need to do?
I don't need a kick in the butt, I need some answers.
When I started my weight loss plan, I eleminated the 'diet' from my vocabulary. Why? Because 'siet' has become a negative term. Yes, it technically means a way of eating, yet, like so many other words, the meaning has changed to mean 'doing without' or 'denying yourself what you like'. THAT is why I stopped using the word diet. My weight loss plan is NOT denying myself, or completely doing without something I love. It does, however, focus on eating healthy. I CAN choose what goes in my mouth. I am in control, not the food! Just like when I quit smoking and replace cigarettes with chocolate (bad choice), I am now replacing unhealthy, carb laden food with healthier ones. Instead of mashed potatoes or french fries, I choose salad. Instead of batter dippied and fried food, I choose grilled or baked. I do agree with the authors that "Diets don't work." Because the typical "Diet" is temporary. You gon on a 'diet' to lose weight, and when you've done that, you go back to your unhealthy eating. Rather than go on a diet, you need to have a lifestyle changing weight loss plan. I, too, do better on a low carb eating plan. I have modified the Atkins and SOuth Beach eating plans to fit my life, and so far I've lost 43 lbs since April. If I can do this, YOU CAN DO THIS. Start slow....and keep on keeping on! Oh, and let God help you, Let HIM be your crutch. Instead of grabbing food, grab your Bible. Pray instead of eat. THAT is something that does work!
ReplyDeleteMary, here is a link to a very good start to your weight loss plan. It is called the 'Joy of Weight Loss'. It may be a good place for you to start. http://www.beliefnet.com/Health/Weight-Loss/Norris/The-Joy-of-Weight-Loss-Plan.aspx
ReplyDeleteBaby steps my friend baby steps. Make steps so small that alone they will never make a difference but together you will change your life. You may see pushing that bread basket away at a restaraunt as such a small thing but if you get in the habit of pushing it away EVERY time then you've changed your lifestyle. Habits create new habits basically a new you. It has to be changes you can see yourself doing for the rest of your life. You can do it . I know you can. JInx
ReplyDeleteI think that diet has been miscontrued by the food industry to mean something that you're on. and then you're off. The same thing is happening wiht Lifestyle. Why not just say your way of eating. I'm not sure that diets work iin a temporary sense if you go into a food plan with the idea that you'll go off of it at some point. but then again, if you look at a diet as a way of eating for your life, then it will work for you if you can sustain that type of eating.
ReplyDeleteThank you all for your thoughtful comments. I really appreciate them. I will check out that link on Belief Net.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Mary