I’m Tired of Dieting

(c) Sangoiri Fotosearch_k30339986

There are five common thoughts of those who, when it comes to weight loss, fall prey to Given Up and Given In to Hopelessness. 

“This is who I am.”

“Guess I’ll be fat forever.”

“It’s in my genes.”

“I’m tired of dieting.”

“I’m happy being fat.”

These folks think this way all at once or come to these thoughts one at a time.

I’ve recently addressed the first three thoughts on the above list, and today, I want to write about “I’m tired of dieting.”

There are hundreds of diets. Each of them will tell you exactly what you need to do or to buy to hit that magical number you’ve been searching for. And it’ll only take you a few days, a few weeks or a few months. And you’ve been dieting this way for months, years, decades.

This kind of dieting keeps you in a time capsule of always searching for the next diet that’s going to help you lose all the weight you want to lose and keep it off forever and ever.

But as most of us have learned, the overwhelming majority of diets promise much and deliver little. The reason why is because they create, on the one hand, an illusion of quick and easy, and on the other hand, an obsession with food. 

You’re either counting calories, counting macro nutrients, tallying up grams of proteins and carbs every day, or depriving yourself of total food groups.

If you’ve reached the point where you’ve thought or said, ‘I’m tired of dieting,’ you’re in good company. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with saying you’re tired of dieting. What’s wrong, however, is when you couple it with an, “I don’t care” attitude and you eat and eat anything and any way you want.

You’re angry and hurt that, once again, dieting has failed you and you feel like you’ve failed you. The truth is that you haven’t failed until you give up and park yourself firmly in hopelessness.

By its definition, the word “hopelessness” means without hope. Without having hope, you won’t try, and the only one who suffers there is you. If you’re tired of dieting, the best piece of advice I can give you is: then don’t.

Sounds kind of contrary to think that way if you’re someone who wants to lose weight, and especially coming from me, who helps people to lose weight. But it’s true. If you reach the point where you’re sick and tired of dieting, then give up.

Success is not found in adhering to a rigid set of eating plans. It’s not found in carefully measuring foods. It’s not found in depriving yourself of anything.

Success is found when you change your focus. Instead of focusing on dieting and weight loss and how much food you need to give up to reach your goals, change your relationship with food. There’s a big difference between perpetual dieting and changing one’s diet and eating habits.

Food is not your enemy. It’s there to provide your body with everything it needs to run on, not only in the present but in your future days as well. Because there’s a cumulative effect of poor eating and obesity over time and sometimes the poor health and medical issues that arise from that cannot be undone even with weight loss. 

Food is there to give your body nutrients, to give you energy, to boost your immune system, to keep you alive, to keep you active and enjoying life with no limitations. 

A healthy relationship with food is when you can look at it as something you can have when you need it and something you pass on when you don’t.