Can you be a SUCCESFUL DIETER?
1st Place in the diet competition goes to…
JK.
But seriously, now that I have your attention, this post should really be called:
How BEST to SUPPORT a ‘Dieting Phase’
Less flashy but to the point.
Firstly, there is a huge negative connotation with the word ‘diet’.
Diet is not a bad word but over time and due to ‘diet culture’, we as a society instantly jump to the idea of over-restriction when we think of a ‘diet’.
The success of a diet depends greatly upon how restricted that person feels when dieting.
We think ‘diet starts Monday’.
No sweets, no chocolate, no bread, no carbs, no……FUN? LIFE? The list is ENDLESS.
Unless you have tried flexible dieting, in which case you will learn that you do not need to cut out any of the foods you like and ditch your entire social life in order to diet successfully.
If you don’t know about this type of dieting, hit me up, it is literally what I do.
If you or someone you know is on a diet, there are a couple of ‘best practices’ that should be implemented in order for you/your friend/family member to be slightly more successful (and less praying endlessly for the diet to just end).
1. FOOD NEUTRALITY.
There is NO good & bad food. Food does not have a moral compass.
Yes, there are slightly more nutrient dense foods and you’re probably going to feel better after having a plate of vegetables than 6 Galaxy bars but it is important to step away from thinking of food as good & bad, clean & cheat.
Food is FOOD.
It is FUEL.
That’s it.
I wouldn’t recommend living off McDonalds & chocolate bars but STOP labelling these meals as ‘cheat meals’.
It leads to dichotomous thinking & leads to inflexible diet rules.
‘Oh no fuc**** it now, may as well eat 6 bars of chocolate cause I had the one’.
2. DIET BREAKS.
If you are dieting for a prolonged period of time. Take a break. Simple as.
It will benefit you physiologically & psychologically.
If you have been coached in flexible dieting and have a good awareness about food by this point, this should not stress you out.
3. EMOTIONAL REGULATION.
Practicing Mindfulness – being present in all your situations.
Present when you are EATING not just mindlessly snacking.
Reappraisal of situations – instead of looking at a situation negatively, try to look at it from another viewpoint? i.e. that was pretty sh** but what can I learn from it?
Problem solving – the world isn’t happening TO YOU, it is happening AROUND YOU. Chose how you want to react to situations.
Acknowledging & meeting emotions with action – NO MORE burying your head in the sand. How are you really feeling? Explore your emotions! It’s okay to feel down, it’s okay to feel elated, embrace them all, they all serve a purpose.
4. POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY.
Gratitude.
People who practice gratitude tend to have a higher body appreciation & lower body dissatisfaction. They also have greater psychological strength.
PROACTIVE SELF COMPASSION. And it’s not just #selfcaresundays
It’s about really digging deep and showing up for yourself!
Not just the whole #selfcare movement that’s on Instagram that thinks getting your nails done is self compassion.
Instead of #SelfCareSunday
Why not start practicing DELAYED GRATIFICATION
Ask yourself: What can I do now that my future self will thank me for?
I LOVE this quote by Kristen Neff & I personally think it can be translated into all situations: ‘The reason you don’t let your children eat five big tubs of ice cream is because you care about them’
So why do you let yourself?
Ask yourself: Would I let my child/dog/little brother or sister do this?
If the answer is NO, why are you treating yourself this way?