14 Things that Could be Interferring with Your Success!
Here’s the deal around successful dieting – you either want to lose weight or you don’t. This is not complicated. If you keep making excuses, why are you bothering to even be on diet?
This is not about the big stuff (nutrition, exercise, motivation), but how to deal with diet faulty thinking. It’s a random list, but I suspect many dieters will quickly identify with these.
GOI stand for Get Over It. That means accept the fact that as a dieter, you have to make changes, whether you like it or not.
- Cheating (just a little). GOI! A lot of diets allow a cheat day – or a cheat meal – once a week. Personally, I think that’s ridiculous. You’re either in or out. And honestly, why offset a successful week of measurable weight loss with a night of beer and nachos?
- Deserving a treat. You’ve lost 20 pounds and feel you’ve earned a food treat. GOI. You do not deserve any kind of food for losing weight. You deserve a round of applause and a “well done” (okay, and maybe a new outfit) but you have not earned the chance to go off your diet with food. What are you thinking?!!
- Boredom. GOI. Yes, this is tough. Diet food can be dull. Unless you’re a master with spices and herbs, that broiled chicken or bald fish can become unappealing over time. But consider the high calorie price of those deep fried batters and heavy sauces.
- “One bite won’t hurt.” Yeah, it will – big time. True, one bite of chocolate cake won’t hurt, but giving yourself per- mission to have that bite will hurt a lot. Allowing yourself one bite tonight turns into two bites tomorrow – and that’s followed by a slippery slope of a diet lost. GOI!
- Blowing the diet and planning to start again tomorrow. No, No, NO! If you mess up, GOI, and get back on track for the rest of that day. Don’t compound your mistake by giving up on a dieting day.
- Emotional/Stress Eating. Having a bad day so seeking comfort in comfort food? Do I even need to write GOI about this one? Frankly, going off your diet with a dish of ice cream will only make your bad day worse (with guilt).
- Eating poorly while traveling. This used to be a major diet challenge – eating while on vacation or on a business trip. Well, it’s not anymore. GOI! There are healthy foods wherever you go (I made it through a week on a cruise ship and found plenty of diet choices). Mentally clarify the difference between, “I’m away and can eat anything” versus “I’m on a diet and I’m going to eat well.”
- I need a drink. No you don’t. GOI! If you want to lose weight, you have to make a choice between diet soda or a Manhattan. Granted a single glass of wine or a light beer is not bad, but like the aforementioned bite of chocolate cake, one night of slipping invariably leads to future nights of slipping.
- I love to eat. Join every dieter in this world. We aren’t on diets because we opt for a lettuce leaf at every meal. GOI.
- I’m fat because of my medication. Alright, this one I have no response for. Talk to your doctor about this, who may say GOI
- My Mom pushes food on me. GOI and GOI again. Assuming you’re an adult reading this, it’s about time you lovingly told mom to back off.
- At my age, it’s hard to lose weight. GOI! Ahh, I love this one since I lost my weight at age 70. Of course you can lose weight at any age. Don’t hide behind the age excuse.
- Part 2 of that is the concern that when older people lose weight, it ages them. If you’re an older person, chances are you’ve long since lost that bloom of youth. Personally I’d rather age as a thinner person with a few well deserved wrinkles, then die young wrinkle free.
- Losing weight is hard. Yes, it is. GOI! No argument there. But it is so worth the sacrifice – not only from the health perspective, but the self-esteem aspect.
Back to the title of this piece. You can have diet success if you get over the ridiculous excuses and faulty thinking. You are either committed to your diet – or you’re not. And if you can’t commit, better luck next time – and the times after that.
