How to ditch a distorted perception of dieting...

Food for thought: in order to sustain long-term weight loss, we must first diminish our distorted relationship with dieting - an action that can be achieved by considering the following factors...

1. Stop seeing specific food sources as a 'syn' - this promotes the psychological perception that food is good or bad, and can make us fat or thin.

2. Stop counting calories - although a caloric deficit is essential for effective weight loss, chronic calorie counting can not only lead to a lacklustre lifestyle of sums and scales, but spiral into disordered eating and/or a detrimental eating disorder.

3. Stop forbidding favourite foods - this inappropriate action instantly intensifies the appeal of 'forbidden' foods (regardless of whether we want them or not!) and cripples self-control. 

4. Eliminate restrictive eating - aside from being a core culprit responsible for weight loss lapses and relapses, restrictive eating can also trigger the uncontrollable cravings (and bothersome binges!) that lead to an over consumption of nutrient deficient calories.

5. Eradicate excessive exercise - religiously executing an excessive exercise regime is not only an unnecessary, unsustainable and an unenjoyable way of banishing a 'bigger' body, but it can also increase the incidence of injury (and an ineffective technique!), diminish motivation and lead to a burnt out body and brain.

6. Stop sipping shakes - 'slimming' shakes may (temporarily) shape a slender silhouette, but they can also leave us prone to piling on the pounds as a result of their failure to promote physical and psychological satisfaction, a fundamental factor that plays a predominant part in successful and sustainable weight loss.

7. Forget rapid results - ANY diet that promises to eliminate more than 1-2lbs of excess weight a week will inevitably lead to long-term weight gain.

8. Stop starving yourself - cutting calories to the point where the body perceives starvation not only stalls weight loss, but it also slows metabolism as the body is forced to conserve calories i.e. it stores energy as opposed to eliminating it, in fear of famine.

9. Forget fad diets - they fail to teach us how to form the healthy eating and exercise habits (and promote a positive relationship with food!) that lead to long-term weight loss.

10. Ditch dictation - aside from failing to consider fundamental factors such as appetite, dictative diet plans also reinforce rebellion, an action that triggers the temptation to give up on our goals and resort back to our unhealthy eating habits.

Final thought: society's detrimental perception of the terms 'diet' and 'dieting' has brainwashed many minds into believing that successful weight loss stems from the speedy slimming solutions that are defined by dictation, deprivation and drastic dietary changes. Until we diminish the distorted perception that specific foods should be forbidden, calories should be chronically counted and portions should be painfully petite (etc!), we'll continue to turn to the pills, plans and products that pile on the pounds.

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