One of the neighbors mentioned to our newest residents that I had recently lost over 100 pounds. This announcement was followed with lots of questions...and they are the same sort of questions that I get asked whenever someone finds out about my weight loss success.
It goes something like this:
Q: What did you do?
A: I focused on changing my thinking first.
Q: Did you eat certain foods?
A: I eat whatever I want...I focus on eating consciously.
Q: I like __ (fill in the blank, I've heard it all), do I have to give that up?
A: I don't believe in forbidden foods...by putting foods off limits we just want them more.
Q: So what do you eat?
This isn't an exact transcript of the conversation but it gives you the idea. And I hope you see that the line of questioning almost always revolves around food and the idea that there is a specific formula that one must follow.
Folks...that is a DIET, and diets don't work.
I always try to steer the person back to the key concept which is that weight loss success starts with your mindset...you have to change your thinking in order to permanently, safely, lose weight.
If you've been around the diet block a few times then you know it isn't just about counting calories. But you probably don't really know what the answer is...because we've been told our entire lives it is about food in versus calories out.
It isn't about the food...not a specific food to eat, not a specific food to avoid. It is about how you feel about yourself, your body, about your ability to lose weight. It is about eating consciously. It is about not stuffing your feelings down with a side of mashed potatoes or a gallon of ice cream.
Weight loss success starts in your mind.
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