Weight Loss & Food

There are only two ways to lose weight and they involve exercise and food. Tonight I want to talk about food. So what phrase do you use during that stage? Do you say:

I'm dieting
I'm watching what I eat
I'm eating healthier
I'm making a lifestyle change
I'm eating to live instead of living to eat
I'm doing Atkins
I'm doing Weight Watchers
I'm doing Nutri-System
...the list goes on

During my journey with weight loss I have said each phrase, some more than once. For a time each one of these worked. Maybe it's the excitement of something new, the "high" you get when you think of how it's going to go and how you'll look in that swimsuit. You think of how easy it's going to be and how fast it'll happen. Then the first week or two goes by and it's not so easy after all. The "new" wears off and it seems everyone else is eating what they want. Next you go to a party, a celebratory dinner, a shower, a wedding, a ballgame and you are surrounded by all this food. Have you noticed the opportunities in our culture for over-eating are endless. The next thing you know, you've lost your willpower. You justify it to yourself in any way possible:
I deserve a break
I've worked hard
It's a party
I'll just enjoy myself today
I like to eat - I shouldn't have to deny myself

The cycle starts again. You "fall of the wagon" and stay off for awhile and then time passes and you move on to the next diet. The problem is you're more discouraged so you subconsciously won't have as much confidence to succeed the next time around. Furthermore, when you lose weight in this style as soon as you quit what you were doing you gain it back along with a little more.

So how do you break this and make true, sustainable changes in your life that you can stick with and that truly work? Leave a comment if you feel like sharing - I'd love to hear about your successes and failures.

My "attempt" this time is to change the type of groceries we buy and experiment with recipes to make semi-gourmet meals that are healthier. Stay away from processed and packaged food and spend more time at the perimeter of the grocery store. And my whole family is part of it. No more special meals for each member. We are all eating the same stuff (well expect for the 3-year-old). My hope is this just becomes our lifestyle and thus it will be easier to sustain. I'll keep you posted - we've been doing this about 5 weeks now and so far pretty good. I have had some "splurge" moments, but I think that's ok on occasion and I've not beat myself up for it like I would do in the past. And I'm doing the boot-camp, which helps me stay motivated in regards to food. I'm also praying about it this time and asking for God's help - I know he wants us to treat our bodies as temples and I truly want to live that way!!

M