Okay, let’s begin any discussion about weight loss and frustration with a few simple words: most people get discouraged. If you spend one hour watching television talk shows you are going to hear things like “yo-yo” dieting, crashing, and quitting mentioned whenever weigh loss is discussed. This is because almost everyone who goes on a diet is going to feel very frustrated and even like a bit of a failure. Why? Just like those who are trying to quit smoking, it can take up to four or five times to get it right.
This is why we are going to give you three very potent secrets to dieting success. These are ways of looking “around” the sense of discouragement and seeing success on the other side. They include:
- Focus on the actions not the scale – a good diet plan is going to tell you to get on that horrible old scale just once each week. You may feel the temptation to get on the scale once or twice each day, but that is a big mistake. Instead, look at the changes you are making. Show yourself some respect and admiration for the actions you are taking. If your success is not immediately reflected in that number on the scale, don’t worry because many people experience a delay in weight loss due to a change in their diet, new muscle formation from exercise, and the process of shedding water weight. The scale is not the real measure – your persistence is!
- Understand it’s a lifestyle not a quick fix – how many years did it take to reach the weight that you are right now? It was probably not a matter of a week or so, right? Okay, this means that you have to understand that you are changing your eating habits, which means that you are changing your lifestyle. This is something that will take a bit of experimentation and patience in order for you to be successful. You have to learn how to dine out, endure the holidays, deal with social occasions, and also how to feed yourself and your family. You have to learn how to develop a good relationship with food and how to incorporate more physical activity into your daily life. This is a lot to manage, so be good to yourself.
- Don’t take the numbers too seriously, too many factors are involved – scales, calories, grams, and all of the other numbers of dieting can be a bit overwhelming. Don’t let this discourage your efforts. Ignore the numbers if they are too much to handle. Learn what to eat and how to exercise, and then go from there!
