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What comes to mind for you when you hear the word diet? If you’re like most people, you probably imagine eating carrot sticks, going to bed hungry, and giving up your favorite foods—and that's why so many diets fail. Most people just can’t tolerate those kinds of restrictions for very long. The more you try to eliminate your favorite foods, the more feelings of discomfort, deprivation and resentment build up. This can result in bingeing on all the foods you’ve been denying yourself, undoing all your hard work in a single day. But even if you can avoid that problem, are you willing to eat like a rabbit for the rest of your life? Studies show that 95 percent of people who follow a highly restrictive diet to lose weight will put the weight back on when they return to “normal” eating again. So what’s the alternative? How do you manage to lose weight without eliminating the problem foods and problem behaviors that made you overweight to begin with? The alternative is moderation—in your eating and, perhaps most importantly, in your thinking. At a deeper level, moderation is a commitment to balance and wholeness. It is rooted in the recognition that each person has many different (and often competing) needs, desires, abilities, and goals. Living up to your full potential means finding ways to incorporate all of them into your decision-making processes and choices. Practicing moderation in your weight loss program begins with practical strategies, such as counting calories, measuring portions, learning about your nutritional needs, and planning healthy meals. Achieving a reasonable rate of weight loss (about 1-2 pounds per week) by combining a tolerable calorie restriction with exercise is the moderate way to go. Fad diets, eliminating food groups, severely cutting calories and using diet pills are just as extreme as completely denying yourself foods that you enjoy. The idea is to follow a healthy, balanced, and enjoyable nutrition and fitness plan that you can stick with—for life. There’s no “ending the diet” or going back to “normal" eating or anything that will cause you to regain the weight you’ve lost. When you reach your goal weight, all you need to do is gradually increase your caloric intake to a level where you can maintain your weight loss. Continued › |
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Motivation Articles › Staying MotivatedModeration in All ThingsHow to Avoid the Diet Blues-- By Dean Anderson, Behavioral Psychology ExpertSparkPeople advertisers help keep the site free! Learn more
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About The Author
Dean Anderson
Dean Anderson has master's degrees in human services (behavioral psychology/stress management) and liberal studies. His interest in healthy living began at the age of 50 when he confronted his own morbid obesity and health issues. He joined SparkPeople and lost 150 pounds and regained his health. Dean has earned a personal training certification from ACE and received training as a lifestyle and weight management consultant. See all of Dean's articles. |
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Member Comments
mm well maybe that? - 1/12/2013 10:50:51 PM
To say that refined sugar is not bad, causes me to wonder who is in Spark People's back pocket. It would be my guess that we will start seeing ads for Crystal sugar soon. I think too much emphasis is placed on the macronutrients and not enough on the micronutrients.
According to this article I an eat:
Breakfast: 1 donut instead of 3
Lunch:
12 ounces of soda instead of 24
regular-size chicken nuggets and french fries instead of the upgrade
Dinner:
2 slices of Pizza instead of the whole pie
As long as I eat in moderation, everything (my weight and health) should be fine. Hmmmmmph!
http://www.drmc
dougall.com/r
es_whi_report.html - 10/22/2012 12:27:14 PM
My sweet tooth is just too strong to allow me to indulge in candies. With all of the hard work I've put into losing weight I cannot and will not sabotage myself by having "just one" candy bar because I know that I'll end up polishing off a package of them. It just isn't worth it. - 5/28/2012 8:22:18 AM
- 5/28/2012 5:48:18 AM
OOOOOO true! - 4/7/2012 6:46:32 AM
I agree that I need to find balance in this healthy journey. As I am learning to eat more healthfully, I am also learning to include some of my favorite foods. Whether I attempt to make old favorites healthier by substituting ingredients (like skim milk for whole milk, or egg whites for whole eggs) or I simply eat smaller portions of full-fat foods or sweet treats, it's about how I am going to be able to live the rest of my life. Going through the rest of my life without ever having another slice of cake or another piece of fried fish is not feasible FOR ME. On the other hand, there are other foods that, as I learn to eat better (and incorporate exercise--an important part of my new balanced lifestyle), they simply fall out of favor with me and they are not missed.
Again, the important thing is to tailor this information to YOUR specific lifestyle and needs. Just because your individual needs require you to do something differently does not mean that this advice is wrong. - 4/7/2012 6:21:14 AM