What do you lose when you diet?
Weight, right? You lose weight when you diet. That’s the point, yes?
Unfortunately, if you were one of 100 people in a room who went on a diet, it’s likely you’d be one of the more than 85 who found that weight again. More than 85% of dieters will gain the weight back and then some within a year. And for the scant fewer than 15% who don’t get it back right away, they can expect it back by year 3 almost for sure. Lousy odds.
So, you don’t actually lose weight when you diet.
What do you lose?
Have you ever been obsessed with the calories, points, macros, etc etc of the foods you eat? Ever try to limit the portions, the times, the types of foods you eat? That’s a diet. It takes a lot of focus. It takes a lot of time.
What was that you lost?
Freedom to enjoy food (which, by evidence of tastebuds, we’re meant to do). Freedom to go anywhere and know that if you’re hungry, you can eat anything without guilt or shame. Freedom to join in the fun at celebrations, parties, family events, the holidays. Brain space, time, emotional and physical energy.
That’s some quality stuff you’ve lost.
Consider that amount of weight you’ve been losing and gaining and losing and gaining over the years. Has that futile pursuit been worth the stress and strife?
I’m thinking, if you really pause to consider it, you’ll see what dieting has done is very different from what it promised. And, insult to injury, the very process itself is almost a guarantee that you’ll stay stuck in the cycle.
If you’re tired of the hamster wheel of dieting, guilt, shame, self flagellation and the feelings of defeat and failure, please know that you don’t have to live like that. You can change your relationship with food, be true to yourself in your eating and living, and settle into a lifestyle that is happy, joyous, and free.
That’s Intuitive Eating, and it’s what I’m all about.
I’m hosting a Masterclass in Intuitive Eating that can teach you how to do just that. I hope you’ll join us! It’ll be Thursday, October 6 at 7pm. The cost is $35. Get the details here.
Your friend,
Jennifer
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