There is only one problem with dieting. It seems so simple
on the surface. Isn't it (simply) based on a philosophy
which says, 'I don't like feeling (or looking) the way I
do, and I want to change'? No, there is a catch, and that
is that the dieter only wants to follow this plan
temporarily, until the weight is lost or some semblance of
'normality' is restored, and then they intend to go back to
their old habits, the bad old ways, the way of life which
got them into the situation in the first place. If a person
said to you, 'I keep getting these headaches and I need
something for them', you might be forgiven for wanting to
supply them with an aspirin. But suppose you followed them
around for a day and noticed that they had a habit of
banging their head on the walls, wouldn't you be tempted to
advise them to stop that behaviour? Stop the banging, you
end the headaches. Then there's no need for the
painkillers. Stop the bad eating habits and you'll stop
gaining weight. Then there will be no need for the diet.
Now that really is 'simple'.
Let's look at a few bad habits. One might be the way people
often try and 'eat on the run', without bothering to find a
good old-fashioned dining table to eat their food from.
Then there's sitting and eating in front of the television.
Or there's the workplace habit of eating at your desk -
even when there's a perfectly good Staff Room available
where you can sit down at a table and enjoy your packed
lunch. (Or, even more sensibly, there's a Staff Canteen for
you to use.) Finally, there's the worst offence of eating
in the street. What's the rush? You've bought something and
you can't wait? Whether it's a burger, a pie, a sandwich or
a bag of sweets, surely there's somewhere nearby where you
can sit in comfort, relax and enjoy your food. If you eat
standing up - and maybe even walking at the same time - you
aren't going to feel the benefit, and you'll feel 'empty'
afterwards and ready for more food.
Also, you'll have forgotten that 'small snack' when you
start planning your next meal. People often do. In fact,
overweight people are renowned for underestimating what
they have actually consumed. If they had to write it down,
of course, it would be embarrassing, but 'forgetting' is
another one of those ever-present bad habits. Also, later,
not only does convenient 'memory loss' usually set in, but
there's the underestimating of what was involved as well. A
bag of chips? 'Oh, I only ate a few', they say. Looking
back, it might seem that way, but, in that case, where did
the bag go? Anyone else with you? If you didn't finish off
the lot, then who did, may I ask? No, if you are going to
try and keep some sort of Food Diary, then the rule is
always write down what you have in front of you, before you
eat it. If you write it down after, you'll always be
looking for a way to excuse yourself - Fish and Chips, you
say? 'Oh, but I didn't eat all the chips.' No? Don't ask
anyone else to count them then. You really will be
embarrassed.
The result of all this monitoring and trying to curb bad
habits is that the calories take care of themselves. Why?
Because most people who overeat, always try and excuse
themselves. They underestimate what they consume, ignore
the evidence or lie to themselves (or others). If you
really take the time and sit down and look at what you're
about to consume - before you start - then there's no way
of deceiving yourself. It's there in front of you. If it's
gone, then Honey, you ate it.
Every single slimming regime in the civilised world will
tell you the same thing, basically. The only way to slim is
to eat less and exercise more. It means that you need to
put less calories in and make sure that somehow, anyhow
necessary, more calories are used up. If you could stop
some bad habits, stop pretending 'I didn't mean to eat all
the chocolates' and stop 'forgetting', (like that kebab
you ate at the bus stop on the way home but didn't count),
then you could start making progress.
It's not about adopting some faddy new food or exchanging
grapefruits for candy bars. You already know what a bag of
chocolates looks like. The trick is to stop pretending you
aren't eating the thing when you quite clearly are. Learn
to live with the evidence in front of your face, admit the
overload, and then you might find there is no need to cut
down any further.
Also, remember the Rule of the Heart. Most 'comfort' eating
comes after a disappointment, a row or any other emotional
hurt. If there's one thing you need in such situations,
it's time to cool down before you do anything else, whether
it's seeking revenge or actually starting to eat. You need
time to calm down and put things in perspective. Don't
reach for that chocolate bar or pie straight away. Go for
the tissue, dab your eyes and blow your nose. Then look
around. This is life. Really, do you need it, after all?
----------------------------------------------------
Mike Scantlebury is an Internet Author with novels, stories
and educational material to his credit. Currently domiciled
in the Queen of the North - Manchester, England - he finds
time away from football to exercise and give advice. The
extract above is from a book on diets he is currently
writing, which will only be available on subscription. Sign
up at his download web site, http://www.mikescantlebury.biz
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