Why I Kissed Dieting Goodbye

Why do people still diet? Why are we so obsessed over our size and how we look even though decades of dieting have only made us fatter and sicker instead of healthier. Every 5-10 years a new and "improved" diet or lifestyle emerges promising to make us thin and beautiful. Yet every time we are disappointed. Do some people have luck losing weight on these programs? Yes they do. But what happens when they stop the program or lifestyle? They gain it all back and then some. Or it causes health problems they didn't have before. There is a much simpler way to live.

First of all, we need to learn to accept ourselves as we are. Love ourselves as we are right now. No matter what you may believe or what you think others think of you. Even if you know you are overweight or underweight or have health problems. The first step is to accept yourself just the way you are. Only then can you truly start to change for the better. I know this is much harder than just saying it. I am a healthy weight and a healthy person but I know I would look better and feel better about myself if I lost 15 pounds. There are times when I truly do not like the way I look. I know I could do better if I wanted but I beat myself up instead. But this is something I am working on. Accepting myself just the way I am. And choosing to do the things I enjoy and not letting fear of how I look stop me.

The next thing is to focus on health instead of weight. Instead of focusing on our size, we should put our efforts into good heath instead. What does good health look like? Well, it is generally feeling good and having energy to complete the things you need to do each day. It is not having major or minor illnesses. It is having a strong immune system. It is also having good mental health. That is as important as good physical health. Now I know a lot of people are suffering from various forms and degrees of sickness. It is so rampant now, that to not have some type of issue is not normal anymore. So your goal should be to be as healthy as you can be. This is my focus now instead of dieting. 

Find out what a healthy lifestyle looks like and focus on that. Not going to extremes. I have been on the extreme end of trying to live a healthy lifestyle and I will tell you it is not fun. It is fear based and all consuming. When you start really looking into what we eat and drink and how we live, we soon realize that we live in a very toxic environment, from the air we breathe, to the water we drink, to the food we eat. Not to mention all the products we use to clean our bodies and homes or the makeup or hair products we use every day. It can be quite frightening and overwhelming. So start learning what true health looks like and move slowly in that direction. 

The best way to start transitioning into a healthy lifestyle is to ease into it with one change at a time. Make that one change a habit then move onto the next change. I am still not talking dieting or eliminating food groups or anything like that. I am merely saying pick one area you know is probably the most unhealthy and start there. Then move onto something else. For example, if you are a smoker, the obvious choice would be to start there. Everyone know the dangers of smoking. It is not the easiest change you can make but definitely the most important. If you know you drink too much, then start with that one. Maybe you drink soft drinks or diet sodas. Then that can be your first change. Changing to flavored water instead. The important thing is to start educating yourself on healthy living and start somewhere. Look at healthy people you admire and find out what they are doing. But don't think you have to live like they do. That it another whole trap. Trying to live like someone else. But maybe pick one or two of their habits you would like to incorporate into your own life.

The key is to make this transition your own. You will learn what makes you feel the best inside and about yourself then move in that direction. Learn what foods make you feel good and what makes you feel sluggish or not so good inside. Find some type of exercise you enjoy doing and do that regularly. All healthy people exercise in some way. But make it fun for you. If you hate to run, then don't take up running. If you hate gyms, then don't go to a gym. There are many forms of exercise. You just have to find what you enjoy. I keep harping on the enjoying part because this is your life. We are talking about making changes for life. Not just for a while. You should enjoy every day. Do things that make you happy every day. Life is way too short to be miserable. So you are looking for changes you can make that make you feel better and love life more. Changes you can live with.

One more thing to think about. You need to do this for yourself. Not because someone told you to change. True change can only come from within. So put some thought into how you would like to see yourself feel and learn what a healthy lifestyle is to you, then work on that. Don't stress over the changes or feel like you are giving something up. Do the things that you know will make you feel better and be a better person. Then the change will not have been such a big deal and you will wonder why you didn't start sooner.

Good luck with your healthy changes. If you have questions about any of this, don't hesitate to reach out to me. I am no expert but I will help in any way I can. Remember to enjoy the process.

Life is truly an adventure!