You step on your scale, look at the number, and freak out. Does that ring a bell? Losing weight can be quite difficult. You probably tried a bunch of diets and failed every single time. As soon as you lost a few pounds, you came across a bag of chips that was hiding in the back of your pantry.
Surprise! You didn’t expect it and thought, “I’ll just take one,” and ended up eating the whole bag. Well, the diet went down the drain, you thought. Then, disappointed, decided to search a little bit more and found a chocolate bar, ice-cream in the fridge, and ordered some pizza to wash down the sugary taste in your mouth.
Does this sound familiar? Well, it’s common, more than you think. The problem is the method and not you.
Restricting yourself will lead to failure
Show me a person who is really excited to go on a diet. Can you think of anyone? I didn’t think so. I mean, everyone wants to lose weight, but the process can make you feel miserable. Staying away from everything that you love and brings some joy to your life isn’t something to get excited about. Come on, let’s be honest.
As much as you want to fit into that pair of jeans you last wore a decade ago, the torture of dieting can surely break you. It’s not your fault. We all have been told that if we don’t stick to the weight loss plan, we aren’t strong enough. Is that so?
There isn’t a perfect diet
Everyone knows that to get fit, you have to follow a healthier and less processed diet. You don’t have to be a genius to figure that out. It is quite simple, and no matter what diet you follow in the bottom line, that is what matters the most. People argue all over the internet about the perfect diet trying to convince everyone that their method is the only one that works.
If there was a magic method that could work for everyone, everything would be effortless. Unfortunately, as studies have shown, every single one of us reacts differently to food. So don’t feel bad or weird about your choices. If something works for you, that is just fine.
No matter if you go keto, carnivore, vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, or whatever you like, stick to it. Besides, our bodies, as time goes by, react differently to food. What worked in the past might not work to our advantage in the future.
Stop studying for the Master’s Degree in Calorie Counting
Please don’t laugh, but I’m sure by now you have mastered calorie counting. After all those diets, you can tell by looking at your plate the exact calories it contains. As you do your shopping in the supermarket, you can estimate every single product’s calories, except the ones in the cleaning product aisle.
While you are trying to solve all these complicated math equations, you get tired and give up. Well, Einstein would give up too if he were you. It’s no wonder that all this effort makes the whole process more difficult. Losing weight isn’t only about the calories in and calories out. It has to do with your hormones, mindset, relationship to food, and so much more than math.
Read more about Why You Should Never Start A Diet On Monday
Lose the battle, not the war
Everyone is struggling to be perfect while on a diet, and that is a big problem. By counting every bite, weighting every meal, and struggling to stop their stomach from growling like a wild animal in the jungle. When they eat a little more than they are supposed to, they ruin their diet and go back to their old eating habits.
I made the same mistake over and over again until I learned the bitter truth. You cannot be too hard on yourself if you want to stick to a long-term and healthy diet. Think of the process like waves; some days, you can do better; some days will be average, and other days you might get off the road. You are human, after all. The point is to win the war, not a single battle.
The problem isn’t what you eat
What we neglect, while we fail time after time with dieting, is answering the question: “Why do we eat like that in the first place?” If we develop a relationship with food that becomes a remedy for our daily problems, then the diet will just add more suffering in our everyday lives.
If your relationship has turned into a zombie, your job feels like a nightmare and your self-esteem has evaporated, how do you expect to feel? Feeling happy when going on a diet? Food is the only thing that brings you happiness. But that feeling comes and goes so quickly, and the consequences of eating keep haunting you every moment of your day.
Dealing with your feelings is what should be a priority before starting a diet. It’s all the misery in your life that doesn’t let you become the person you believe that you can be.
Stress is your enemy
How you feel, and stress really affects weight loss and can totally sabotage the whole process. That is why exercise will help you. Everyone thinks of working out as a way to burn calories – here we go again, calories, calories, calories.
Well, working out won’t really help you lose weight. It’s what you eat that plays a more critical role. However, exercise will help you establish a relationship with your body.
Suddenly you will discover muscles in your body that you never knew existed. You will develop a better mind-body connection, and most importantly, you will get rid of the stress that accumulates in your body.
Stress is toxic to both your body and your mind and is preventing you from achieving a better life.
What is the point of having a perfect body and being miserable? You think that this is impossible? Unfortunately, it is true.
Read more about 8 Easy Tips To Reduce Stress That Actually Work
Weight loss should be a step towards taking your life in your hands and changing it like a sculptor who shapes a material into a beautiful piece of art.
Let yourself become the masterpiece of your life.