How to escape the diet cycle, even when you’ve put on weight
It is so tempting to go on a diet, especially when we have put on weight. Though how can we escape the diet cycle even when we have put on weight and we don’t know what else can we do?
What normally happens when we put on weight is – we are overweight, we have eaten too much so we want to lose weight. Society tells us the way to lose weight is by going on a diet. This can usually be very restrictive, like counting calories and only being allowed to eat certain foods. Over time this is unsustainable. We feel like we are missing out big time, so we are tempted to eat and of course, we fall off the dieting wagon and splurge out.
How can we resist going on a diet?
1. Think long term
Instead of having a knee-jerk reaction to putting on weight. Think about what you want to achieve in the long term. Long-term could even be a year on from now. When we think of weight loss in the long term it allows us to think about it as more of a lifestyle. We want to get away from the short-term drastic weight loss and think about building in a healthier lifestyle. Read here how to lose weight without dieting.
2. It’s ok to fall down
Part of long-term weight loss is knowing that at times you will fall down and that is ok. That is part of life. If you think about the many things that you have done, you may well have suffered setbacks in other areas, but you got through them and continued on. It is the same with weight loss, you will have setbacks. Learn what caused that set back and learn how to manage it in future. Setbacks are all part of the learning process. See this article about 12 tips to lose weight.
3. Stop all or nothing thinking
This thinking is often what sees us going from one restrictive diet to binging, to another diet. We find it hard to find that balance, yet when we can find the balance, this will keep us in this sustainable lifestyle. Rather than not allowing yourself to have what you want, allow yourself to have a small piece. Enjoy the piece and know you can have some whenever you next want it. Learn to stop dieting by finding the balance between all or nothing.
Further Reading
https://www.vanessamclennan.com/how-to-stop-feeling-powerless-over-food/
4. Focus on lifestyle
Weight loss does not just include diet, it also includes mindset, emotions and exercise. If you are putting all your thoughts onto a diet, you are missing the bigger picture. When you are focused on food and nothing else, you can become obsessed and start denying yourself food because it is your only option. Weight loss is also about having a positive mindset about yourself. Seeing yourself having the future that you want. Moving and exercising is great for your health, so it is finding activities that you enjoy so you can keep doing them.
5. Build a positive relationship with food
We diet then binge because we often do not have a good relationship with food. Foods are either good or bad. We do not allow ourselves certain foods. We wish we would never have to think about food again. If we had this relationship with a person, they would not want to be friends with us either. Start to thank food for what it does for you. Start looking at what you like about it. Go with the flow with food. It can be hard to resist going on a diet, but improving your relationship with food will help you get more balance.
