Stop Dieting--Really

The Average Dieter

The most important thing in weight loss is to first ask yourself do you just want to lose pounds and inches or do you want to lose a lifestyle that promotes weight gain and health issues such as diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers? If the first, you will fail. Period. Old habits reassert themselves faster than ants at a buffet. As soon as you go off whatever diet you choose, the weight will pile on and bring friends to add to your misery.

The more often you lose weight, gain it back (with extra for good measure), lose weight, gain… You get the picture. We all know the word—yo-yo dieting. It screws up your metabolism royally until one day the diets that used to work, won’t. It takes even less food to put on pounds and you start to see rising blood sugars and blood pressure. Not good signs.

What Can You Do?

Stop dieting. Honestly. Start living a life that doesn’t center on what you do and don’t eat. Most of us have heard or seen enough reports to know what constitutes healthy and unhealthy foods. Stay as close to the original food as possible. That means a baked potato instead of French fries, baked chicken and steamed vegetables instead of chicken pot pie. Not always.

You can eat processed or sugary foods about twenty percent of the day unless, like me, they trigger a binge. Then stay away from such foods until your craving for them lessens and try them again warily, watching your body’s reaction. And if you do binge, forgive yourself and start over with the healthier foods and staying away from your triggers.

More on triggers Monday.