Dieting sucks.
There, I said it, putting my English degree to good use. Why gloss over what everyone knows to be true? The worst part of battling the bulge doesn’t even have anything to do with feeling hungry; it is the mine field of mind games that goes along with any diet. The moment we decide to follow a healthy eating plan, our brains become obsessed with food. A sense of deprivation and lack of self-discipline can undercut every move we make.
It is easy to forget that we actually have control over our brains. Changing your thoughts can really help you change your body. A subtle shift in perspective can be a very powerful tool in accomplishing any goal. Here are a few thoughts on tackling the dreaded Ds of dieting: deprivation and discipline.
This is not just about semantics. Words have incredible power to shape our perceptions, which in turn guide us in our understanding of the world. Here’s an example:
Two dieting women attend a birthday party. After singing Happy Birthday, they both refuse a slice of cake. One woman looks at her empty plate and feels sad. She feels envious of those eating and deprived because she can’t have any cake. The other woman looks at her empty plate and feels a flush of pride at having turned down the cake. She feels one step closer to reaching her goal.
Guess who is more likely to have a late night date with Ben and Jerry?
Feeling deprived leads to self pity. Self pity is not only obnoxious for others to be around, but it will also undermine your own goals. You will naturally want to relieve your sense of suffering, so you may cheat on yourself.
The best way to handle a sense of deprivation is to recognize that dieting is completely unrelated to it. Deprivation exists in our world. It is most visible in Haiti right now, but it certainly is not present at a birthday party where half a cake was left uneaten. Choose your words carefully to frame your experience in a positive manner. This will help shape your thoughts about dieting into something wonderful and proactive, rather than a completely negative experience you resist.
How many good choices does one have to make to lose a pound?
There is no universal answer to that question. We know it is necessary to create a deficit of 3,500 calories, but it is impossible to say how many choices that entails. Every time you think about eating a cookie is a choice: eat it or don’t eat it. This thought may repeat seconds later, again, it is a choice. When you’re working out and you feel like quitting, it is a choice to continue or not. If you feel like quitting for the entire session, but choose not to, you have made hundreds of choices in order to do so.
Taking ownership of your ability to make choices is an act of empowerment. Each time you actively make a choice, you gain more power to do so in the future. You tap into your own freedom and gain a sense of control over your life. You learn to define your life, rather than feeling like life defines you. Who knows? Maybe this time around dieting won’t suck.
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