"Diet" - Lifestyle or Life Sentence?

Losing weight.... the 20th 'new start' on how I lost weight. Let's take a moment to reflect on that one shall we? Do you get it? For those of us on the rollercoaster ride of trying to lose weight know exactly what I am talking about. Every time you embark on that "new start" you hope and pray it's your last. So before you take the next 'new start' there are a few things you should know. Let's be honest and transparent here - (maybe at the risk of losing a few followers or even unliked by some) IT NEVER ENDS! There is no "I'M DONE" or "That's All Folks!" - Instead, you work hard at it, you lose the weight, then your work hard to try and keep it off and so on - F O R E V E R! It is not a ride that ends. You might gain wisdom, knowledge and maybe even a taste for exercise in the process! Perhaps even develop the ability to tally up calories in your head as you go but if want to keep the weight off you can never take your eye off the ball, EVER!

I have met lots of woman in my weight loss journey who have been eager to share with me the list of foods or restaurants they plan on eating/visiting once they reach their target weight and I cringe! They plan on rewarding their hard fought efforts with cake, pizza, fried foods, etc.! The concept of this is so wrong I cannot express it enough! My tip here is in order to be successful in keeping weight off, you need to integrate these foods in moderate amounts and not wait until you reach your "goal". Success in maintaining or keeping the weight off is very difficult. I paid no attention to what WW Lifetime members who had reached their weight loss goals were talking about at meetings. Probably because I was envious of their success and didn't care how difficult it would be once you got there! In some ways it was a good thing that I didn't listen as it might have scared me off. I always thought reaching goal would be a momentous occasion filled with joy but these ladies were seemingly still struggling...why? For the first time in my weight history I can tell you why .... because the struggle never ends! So is it a life sentence of constant dieting or a lifestyle change?

As so many self-help gurus will tell you, your success rate at making any kind of change is based on your attitude. As my father wisely instilled in us while growing up "you can choose how to go about your day one of two ways, with a positive attitude or a negative one. Choose the former and you will lead a happier and healthier life."

I'm not a fan of the word 'diet' as it conjures up negative thoughts of growing up and being put on so many different diets that I am re-writing it to suit my personality and calling it Healthy Habits. Habits are easier to create and follow, 'lifestyle' is HEAVY and suggests full blown commitment.... not for me! .Habits are more of 'a one-day-at-a-time' approach which is more my speed. Honestly, that is what this is all about, finding YOUR speed? What works for you and what you can do to get through each day successfully. That's what you need to figure out. This will become the foundation of your success!

Once you recognize what your weaknesses are and what compromises you're willing to make will help create a more positive attitude. In the long haul this will lead to forming healthier habits that will go a long way in managing your weight loss expectations. No one can be expected to take on this type of behavioural change overnight without making mistakes along the way. I was re-tweaking and adjusting my methods along the way while learning new things about myself without feeling guilty about not following some rigid plan in the process. A permanent successful weight loss will require fortitude and commitment - and the payoff is like a freedom you've never felt before.

I do not want this post to deter anyone in anyway, but rather to be honest and shoot straight from the heart. I pull no punches. Food is my life, like the air I breathe so coming to terms with it and creating a healthy relationship with food is the KEY TO SUCCESS! Mine and YOURS!! I did it - You can do it too!