Monthly Archives: July 2015

I mean just the thought of having to give up something I love makes me want to run the other direction--holding onto my chocolate with all my might as I quickly stuff it in my mouth.

When I think of a diet, I think of pain--and having to give up everything I love to eat. It’s like having all of my favorite foods on the table right in front of me, but I can’t eat any of it. No thank you, I’ll just have a side salad with a little vinegar on it. Really? If that isn’t torture, I don’t know what is.

Many of us torture ourselves like that again and again. No wonder we put off starting a diet! I’ll start right after the party Saturday night...well wait, I forgot about the wedding in two weeks--better wait until that’s over...oh, there’s no way I can start this thing with that dinner coming up!

I’ll bet you can relate, huh? It feels like all or none. Either you’re on the diet, or you’re off. And who in the heck would want to jump back on the deprivation train? Pleasure or pain...let me think...

What if you actually manage to stay on your diet long enough to drop some weight? By the end of it you’re more than sick of the food you’ve been forcing yourself to eat every day and you’re dying to eat all of the foods you’ve been craving. There’s a reason 98% of everyone who goes on a diet gains it back (and then some) within a year!

But what if you could do it another way? What if you could actually learn to eat in a way that was nourishing for your body and pleasurable at the same time? Bet you can’t wait to hear more!

Well, if you remember, I unplugged during my trip to Cabo with my daughters and well...kind of stayed unplugged. One month, two, three...whoa! How did that happen?

I simply got off track.

Has that ever happened to you?

Maybe you’ve been eating well, losing weight, and feeling pretty proud of yourself. One night you go to a party and decide to splurge and it feels wonderful to eat and drink whatever you want! The next day you decide another day of “deprivation vacation” can’t hurt and pretty soon days and weeks have past and you’ve never quite been able to get back on track.

The old way of eating is familiar-- and it’s easy! You don’t have to think about it or plan. So for a while it’s a relief--until you notice you’ve gained back the pounds you had lost. And you don’t feel as well as you did when you were going for walks and to the gym. Maybe your blood sugar is creeping back up and you begin to realize that although it’s been easier, it’s ultimately not the path that’s going to take you where you want to go.

So now what? It can feel overwhelming, impossible, and even depressing just thinking about it.

But what if instead of trying to completely change everything to get back on track you just start with one or two things? Maybe you cut out (or cut back) the soda and start taking a walk in the evenings. You have to walk the dog anyway, right? Maybe trim back your daily mochas to once or twice a week and drink coffee with a little cream or green tea the other days. Whatever you decide to do, keep it attainable so you set yourself up for a win!

Doesn’t taking one or two small steps sound a little better than jumping from one track to the other and leaving behind everything you love? The trick here is to find some new, healthier foods you love. Eating is supposed to be pleasurable!

More next time.  🙂