Tag Archive for ‘dieting’ at themojocoach.com

Tag Archive for 'dieting'

For the “Serial Dieter”…

Published on May 24, 2011 in General. 1 Comment

If you’re a “serial dieter” chances are you’ve had your share of disappointment. The fact is over 95% of people who lose weight on diets gain it back plus more in a relatively short period of time. I’ve worked with hundreds of people who’ve gained weight as a result of dieting and they all wonder why they’ve failed. They’re discouraged, frustrated and this chronic dieting behavior chips away at their confidence, their self-esteem and their health while doing little to create the body they want.

If you’re like these people, I’ll tell you the same thing I tell them. You didn’t fail, the diet failed you. It failed you because diets don’t work. Diet means deprivation and the more we deprive ourselves, the more we encourage binge type behavior. In fact, dieting is the best way to gain weight!

Picture a rubber band. If you stretch it as far as it can go, it will snap back with force but if you tug on it gently, it will gently stretch. When we diet, it’s as if we’re pulling that rubber band as far as it can go. When we eventually let go (like we do when life throws us an unexpected curveball, when we haven’t planned effectively, etc.) it snaps back in the form of a diet-induced binge, encouraging us to eat all the foods we’ve temporarily given up.

Lasting weight loss requires a gentle tug on the rubber band; enough of a pull to make a change yet reasonable enough to ensure lasting results. It requires the mindset of adding healthy, delicious, nutrient rich foods which give us satisfaction, health and results vs. the feeling that we’re taking away foods that do little to fuel or nourish us. That’s the difference between dieting vs. making lifestyle changes and the only way to go to ensure lasting results.

What healthy eating changes have you made?

I’d love to know, comment and share!

Debi Silber, The Mojo Coach
www.TheMojoCoach.com

Which Dieter Are You?

Published on May 2, 2011 in General. 0 Comments

While we think we can only have dysfunctional relationships with people, we can have them with food too. See if you fit into any of these dieting profiles to identify where you are…and how you can free yourself from a lifetime of dieting.

1. The Serial Dieter-For you, dieting is a lifestyle. You’ve been watching your intake, counting calories and consumed with your food intake for so long you couldn’t image life any other way. For you, food is the enemy, it can’t be trusted, it wreaks havoc on your body and your mind…it’s also an exhausting and frustrating way to live.

The solution- a great place to start is by getting in touch with your hunger versus eating due to appetite. With hunger, your body is telling you it needs to be fed as opposed to the clock, the size of the plate, the smell of something delicious or the commercial you just saw on TV. With appetite, the “need” for food is triggered by a thought, feeling or emotion and you’ll crave something specific. With hunger, you may feel dizzy, lightheaded, your stomach will rumble and just about any food will do. Knowing the difference, responding to hunger and finding an alternative to eating due to appetite is your first step to ending the “serial dieting” lifestyle.

2. The Grazer-Afraid to sit down to a regular meal, you choose to “pick” all day. Unfortunately, this strategy leaves you eating constantly, with no sense of satiety, satisfaction or completion. There’s no beginning and no end to a meal so you don’t know when to stop. Even if your choices are healthy, without a system to measure your intake you may be taking in way more than what your body actually needs.

The solution-For you, a non-negotiable rule may work like “I will eat every morsel of food sitting down.” This way, you can still have 3 meals along with an afternoon snack and evening dessert but you’ll be much more mindful of what you’re consuming. Individual portion sized snacks and desserts will also help you stay in control of how much you’re taking in.

3. The Carb Loader-You’re still hanging onto the idea that any type of fat is the enemy. As a result, you’re taking in way too many calories in the form of carbohydrates, which leaves you constantly hungry, encourages binge eating and mood instability, while contributing to excess weight along with many chronic illnesses and conditions.

The solution-With the simple solution of always pairing any portion controlled serving of carbohydrate with a form of quality protein (ex: apple with peanut butter, whole grain crackers with light cheese) you’ll be much more satisfied with less. That feeling of satiety will prevent the need for “carb hopping” where you have some crackers, then cookies, pretzels, dry cereal…you get the idea.

4. The Extremist-You’re either on or off, good or bad or all or nothing at any given time. Because of this, you have a “diet mentality” which has you believing that the only way to get to and maintain a healthy weight is through extreme deprivation. Unfortunately, dieting leads to bingeing because of the deprivation it brings so when you can’t take any more dry, grilled, plain chicken and broccoli, you go crazy and head right back to what you were eating which caused the weight gain in the first place.

The solution- Find a middle ground. You’ve spent years (maybe decades) living this way and it’s chipping away at your waistline as well as your health, confidence and self-esteem. For you, the 80/20 rule may work where you’re eating healthfully 80% of the time leaving the other 20% for snacks, treats and indulgences. Planning for these treats gets you off the diet rollercoaster because you’ve eliminated the need to get to the finish line…only to go crazy once you get there.

5. The Latest Craze Dieter-The minute someone tells you about the newest diet craze…you’re on it. In your dieting history, you’ve eliminated complete food groups, lived on close to single ingredients, had to create some crazy concoctions and had to deal with some really unpleasant side effects in the process. You’ve tried it all and at this point, you can unofficially be a professional diet reviewer…although you’d rather not because you’re still struggling with the same weight issues you’ve been battling for years.

The solution- Get your power back. You’re so used to giving your power away because you assume everyone knows better than you. That’s simply not true. Knowing what’s best for you is where lasting change happens so while it’s wise to get educated on what healthy eating really entails, tune into what can work best for you while tuning into what makes your body thrive.

6. The Guilt Tripper- For you, every sweet, treat or food choice you feel is unhealthy is eaten with a side of guilt. Because of that, there’s no satisfaction when eating which leads you to feel continuously frustrated, aggravated, guilty and filled with shame when it comes to food. Things like “I’m so bad,” “ I can’t believe I just ate that,” and “No wonder I’m so fat” constantly play in a never-ending negative tape loop in your head.

The solution-By giving yourself permission to indulge now and then, you’ve eliminated the need to feel guilty about it. For you, preplanning your indulgences and making the commitment to enjoy them thoroughly will reduce the amount of indulgences you have while truly allowing you to enjoy the food…and then move on.

A healthy relationship with food starts by identifying where you are now so you know what needs to be changed. You can have a have your cake and eat it too…as long as it’s carefully planned, enjoyed and accounted for.

Comment and share!
Debi Silber, “The Mojo Coach”
www.TheMojoCoach.com

Are the Messages from the Media Stronger than the Strongest Woman?

Published on March 7, 2011 in General. 0 Comments

Why is it that some of the strongest women battle with their best intentions when it comes to healthy eating? For many, the answer can be found in how we react to the many messages we see and hear.

Weight loss is an over 30 billion dollar industry. We spend money on programs, pills and promises yet as a nation, we’re bigger than ever. While we’re spending money trying to lose weight, advertisers are spending enormous amounts of money creating messages encouraging us to “super size”, “value size” and “economy size.” Food stylists are hired by the media to create perfect presentations of some of the foods highest in fat, sugar and calories available to us today. If that weren’t enough, the women seen eating these foods are typically model thin. So if our goal is to eat healthier, why do we fall prey to the messages of mouthwatering meals, decadent desserts and sinful sweets we see and hear?

For many women, eating a highly restrictive diet is the cause. The more we restrict ourselves from enjoying foods we love, the more we begin to crave those same foods. The more we crave the foods we’ve decided to eliminate, the more we’ve put them on a pedestal only to be enjoyed once excess weight is lost. This type of restrictive behavior signifies the “diet mentality” where there are no allowances for imperfection. We’re either on or off the diet at any given time. In fact, studies show that the most common reason for binge eating behavior is dieting!

The other reason women may succumb to messages from the media is when they feel insecure or suffer with a low self-esteem. Models can be 6 feet tall and a size zero while the average woman is about 5’4” and over 140 pounds. Comparing ourselves to the models we see can leave many women feeling poorly about themselves. This insecurity fuels a lack of confidence or self doubt; traits that encourage women to be influenced by what they see because they feel that others must know better than they do.

A strong, empowered, confident woman can look at any message and take it in with discretion and a keen eye. She knows what’s realistic for her, what she can make allowances for or not. An insecure, uncertain woman will often be easily influenced by what she sees, reads or hears about, regardless of her desire to lose weight or become fit. When these same women gain trust in themselves, their strengths and their decisions, they’re much less likely to be affected by all they hear and see. When they understand that they are the experts of themselves, already equipped with all the tools they need, they can simply look for some ideas, tips and information to get their job done, while ending the discouraging need to compare themselves to others.

The first step is to sort through the barrage of messages we see, taking in only what is realistic for us to use. The next step involves losing the self-doubt, fear and belief that others know what’s best for us. With a renewed sense of trust we can begin to make gradual changes, which builds confidence and success. The more confident we are, the less likely we are to be swayed by some of the most powerful eating triggers which influence us today.

Comment and share!

Debi Silber “The Mojo Coach”
www.TheMojoCoach.com

Your Diet Legacy and Your Daughter

Published on April 23, 2009 in General. 0 Comments

As moms, we often try to instill our beliefs, values, ethics, morals and standards of behavior onto our children. Often, our goal is to ensure that our children learn from the benefit of our knowledge and experience so that they can create enriching, rewarding lives for themselves. So why is it then that one of the most significant messages moms often pass on to their daughters is the legacy of dieting?

Every mom wants the best for her children; there is no question about that. But unfortunately, when a mom lives through the emotional and physical pain that her overweight body may cause, she unknowingly passes the “right to diet” on as though it were a “right of passage” into womanhood. Maybe the mom wants to prevent her daughter from suffering from a low self esteem. Maybe the mom wants to ensure that her daughter is spared the harsh judgment from others as a result of excess weight. Finally, maybe the mom regrets not having the confidence to pursue a goal or dream and wants to make sure her daughter doesn’t pass up similar opportunities.

While these goals are driven by the desire to protect and fueled with the power of love, often the greatest message that comes across is that when the daughter is ready, she’ll learn to diet just like her mom. Of course it’s not intentional but this is the “diet legacy” a mom will often pass on to her daughter. So, if this isn’t our intention, how can we teach our daughters the benefits of health and wellness without teaching them how to “diet?”

The first thing we need to do is stop dieting ourselves. We need to recognize the example we’re setting and understand that if it’s not one that benefits our daughters or ourselves, it’s worth changing. By getting rid of our own “diet mentality” we’re taking the first step to setting a better example for our children.

We also need to understand that we are our children’s greatest role models. They watch, learn and emulate our behaviors and actions. If we’re berating ourselves for the way we look, we can only expect that our daughters will learn to do the same. If we fear certain foods because of the feeling of powerlessness we feel when we eat them, we’re teaching our daughters to feel that fear as well. Finally, if we’ve spent decades battling an unhealthy relationship with food, we can easily pass along this same relationship on to our children if we’re not careful.

True, lasting weight loss only occurs when changes are made slowly and gradually. The reason is because when changes are small enough, we’ve had a chance to slowly incorporate them into our routine and make them our own. As moms, we’re so overextended already. We’re often so overcommitted and overscheduled that the last thing we want to do is take on something else…especially something unpleasant. We have such a small window of “self care time” that it’s so easy to give up before we even begin. That’s what the “diet mentality” can cause. That “black or white” or “all or nothing” perspective that makes us feel that if we’re not completely overhauling our eating behaviors, it’s not worth trying at all.

It may be time to change this way of thinking in order to finally give up dieting in exchange for lasting lifestyle changes. As moms, we have so many wonderful ideas we want to pass along to our children. Dieting and the pain it causes doesn’t have to be one of them.