Why I won't diet ever again!!!

This time of year always sparks a fire under people’s butts to get healthy, to lose weight, to exercise more, you know, the same things they have said every January for the past 10 years or so. I know this because I was one of them! I would go through the holidays with the mentality of “enjoy whatever you want because you are starting your diet on Jan 1”. I would over indulge in foods that made me feel bloated and enjoy drinks that left me with mental fog and headaches. I would eventually outgrow all of my clothes and would rely on stretchy pants and oversized shirts because I didn’t want the reminder of the muffin top to make me feel guilty. Then come Jan 1, I would start my diet that would leave me feeling restricted and I would catch myself drooling over other people’s food/drink choices. I would say things like “I can’t have that right now” or “I can’t wait to eat brownies again”. I also found myself justifying food/drink rewards “I have done so good this week, I will treat myself” and would find myself overeating and/or overdrinking. Then the next day, I would wake up feeling the effects; shame, guilt, mental fog, bloat, fatigue, irritable. And since I didn’t have food/drink to cope with these emotions, I would “muscle through” the day following my diet plan with negative thoughts of restriction. That day would seem so long and honestly, I wasn’t showing up as my best self. I was short tempered with my husband and children. I was moody and had an array of emotions that really weren’t pleasant to be around. Eventually, I would follow this pattern long enough that I would lose the muffin top and would eventually find myself back in my old eating/drinking patterns that got me there in the first place.

This pattern continued for SEVERAL years! I built up so much experience with it that it became “normal”. It wasn’t until a few years later that I realized that this pattern wasn’t serving me! The restrictions that I placed allowed me to practice strong will power, but eventually that will power would die off and would leave me with what I thought was weakness. This then lead to feelings of shame, guilt and defeat. And just like so many, I then relied on external supports (food, drink, shopping, etc) to replace those negative feelings with something pleasurable.

It wasn’t until I began working on my thoughts that I was able to realize something very powerful…
I DON’T HAVE TO DIET EVER AGAIN!!!

WHAT??? How in the world is it possible for a person to say that they don’t have to be on a diet for the rest of their life when the diet industry is one of the most thriving industries in the USA????

I DECIDED!!!

Yes, I decided to no longer believe that I was on a diet. I decided to believe that I would eat foods that fueled my body. I decided to believe that I could eat this way for the rest of my life. I decided to find joy outside of food. I decided to be proud of myself during the journey, instead of waiting till I reached the destination.

I worked on my relationship with food, alcohol, sugar, but most importantly, I worked on my relationship with myself. You see, I had been in the practice of treating myself with less respect than I would treat other people. I would allow myself to make excuses in the moment rather than honoring a decision I had made in the beginning. I was relying on foods to fulfill my need for satisfaction. Think about this, have you ever made a plan with a friend and then canceled on them last minute just because something better popped up? I would never cancel on a friend, so why was I cancelling on myself. That “pop up” doughnut at work was not on my plan, so why was I eating it? Why was I cancelling plans on myself, just because something ‘better’ popped up????

Or, have you ever had an appointment with someone and then just not shown up because you don’t feel like it? Nope, I would never no show a friend, so why was I allowing myself to no show my plan with myself?

You see, I would never do this to someone else, but I was doing this to myself OFTEN. I would allow excuses of “I don’t feel like it” to not show up or I would justify eating/drinking something that wasn’t on my plan. Ultimately, all I was doing was breaking patterns of trust with myself. I would often end up feeling guilty and full of shame which would then trigger my need for something pleasurable, but since I found pleasure in food and was on a diet, I then had to tap into that will power again.

Are you seeing the pattern? It’s like a roller coaster ride…..but the beautiful thing is, it’s your choice! You get to choose to get on the ride or not. It all stats with a decision!!!

The beautiful thing that I am learning is that the journey that I’m on, the journey of self connection and personal growth, is a never ending journey. So the thought pattern of “I can have this when I’m done” is going away. The restrictive thought patterns are getting smaller and the confident thought patterns are getting stronger.

This journey is exciting and is revealing so many layers of myself that I never knew existed. It has allowed me to identify my strengths and weaknesses. It has given me the confidence to do things like share this story with you without fear of what you may think. It has allowed me to model this pattern to my children and hopefully model healthy eating patterns.

My relationship with food right now is centered around fueling my body in an organized way. I am currently following a plan that is teaching me how to find balance in my protein, carbohydrates and fats in each meal. I am learning new recipes and food combinations that will provide adequate nutrition for my family. I am learning how to plan my food for the day. I am learning how to follow the plan and am treating it like it’s an important meeting. I am finding so much confidence and trust in myself because I am not feeling temptation by the foods that aren’t on my plan for that day.

This has taken time to get to this space, but I wanted to share my journey with you in case you needed to know it was possible. The thing I want you to learn is that if you are falling short on your goals or have a history of not sticking to a plan, remember that it isn’t because you are weak!!! You don’t need more willpower. You don’t need more discipline. You need to build your relationship with yourself. You need to build your trust with yourself. You need to decide that you can do anything that you set your mind to!

“whether you think you can or you think you can’t….you’re right either way”.

So many times I hear people say “Oh, I could never do that”…. well, you are right! With a thought of I can’t, you won’t! But the beautiful thing is, you can decide what you can and cannot do and that my friend is powerful, confident and strong…just like you!!!

If this message speaks to you and you could use a little support or guidance, please contact me for a FREE consultation call. I’d love to support you on your journey!!!