Mind Articles
Diet Extremist
Erin* was a diet extremist. Every time she started a new diet she would throw out all of her favorite foods and exercise vigorously for at least an hour a day. She thought that her tactics were effective, she usually lost some weight, but she ended up making herself miserable in the process. And, the diet always ended in the same way, with Erin reaching the breaking point and binging on the things that she had deprived herself of for so long.
When Erin joined Jenny Craig she was surprised to learn that she didn’t have to stop eating the foods she loved. She could enjoy chocolate cake, pasta and even comfort foods like meatloaf and still lose weight. Physical activity was also not an overwhelming, time-consuming chore. She and her Consultant were able to come up with many easy, practical ways to incorporate it into her regular schedule.
Setting a realistic goal for your weight loss is the first step to letting go of a diet extremist mindset. Too often, we use the size 0 images we see in the media as a model for weight loss success. But the reality is that few people will be able to healthfully attain that ideal. A more realistic way to determine your goal weight is with Body Mass Index or BMI. Use our on line BMI Calculator to find the healthy weight range for your height. Other things to consider when determining a realistic goal weight are your personal weight history, genetics and level of physical activity. Even if you are not able to achieve your dream weight, keep in mind that you can gain health benefits by losing just 5-10% of your initial weight. You will also be more likely to maintain a moderate amount of weight loss for the long term.
If you are a diet extremist, you will find that taking a more moderate approach to weight loss can lead to long term success. Think of weight loss as a lifestyle change and not a diet. Do this by replacing extreme tactics with more moderate ones. For example:
| Instead of | Try |
| Self-control | Self-awareness: Become more aware of the things that challenge your weight loss success. |
| Deprivation | Moderation: Enjoy small servings of your favorite foods. You will find a small portion is just enough to satisfy a craving and ward off a binge. |
| Willpower | "Skillpower": Rather than placing yourself in tempting situations, come up with creative solutions to avoid your weight loss challenges. |
| Perfection | Self-acceptance: Realize that the goal is progress, not perfection. Remember where you started, look at how far you’ve come and resist the urge to compare your success to others. |
| Radical change | Realistic steps: Focus on small lifestyle changes that you can maintain over the long haul. |
Set some realistic goals for yourself today. Whether you are looking to make a change in Food, Body or Mind; be sure your goals are SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-specific.
