Dieting: The battle of the Wills, Mind and Spirit

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Jessica Leo, LMSW 
 

If you are a seasoned yo yo dieter, you know all to well the battles that rage in your mind.  From how you feel about yourself, to committing yourself to diet yet again, controlling mood swings, cravings and your food intake, elation when you are successful and feelings of guilt, shame and low self esteem when the pounds don’t come off. 
 

It is no wonder our moods are in full swing!  Dieting mood swings can put PMS mood swings to shame and can greatly hinder our success and view of our own self worth.  How many times have you uttered negative statements to yourself such as “I’m a failure”, “I’m so fat”, “I’m repulsive”. I have to say that I am bashfully raising my hand here.  When it comes to negative self talk and body image – I am my own worst enemy at times.  That is when I have to practice what I preach and make a very conscious effort to refrain from doing it, turn my thinking around, deflect my corresponding negative mood and make better choices. 
 

The first thing we need to do is focus on the positives- positive thoughts and positive actions- For example: 
 

• You’ve decided that you want to be healthier…good for you!
• You’ve begun to take the steps necessary to reach your goal…awesome!

      Tell yourself:

• This craving will pass…I’m doing great!
• This mood will pass…I’ll go do something to distract myself
• Okay, so I ate a donut…I wont let that sabotage my efforts
• Okay, so I binged last night…today is a new day and I’ll exercise longer
• I lost a pound! It may not sound like a lot; but just look at this pound of butter! Better in the fridge than on my ribs!
• I’m worth the effort…I can do this!

Stay away from:

• This won’t work
• I messed up…to heck with it now
• I’m too tired to exercise
• I don’t care anymore
• I only lost (fill in the blank)
• It’s taking too long
• I would give anything only if… (p.s. if you are making healthier choices, you are already on the road to doing the “anything”!)
• Other negative, condescending or self sabotaging remarks

Next, be aware of how making good choices can help you succeed.  For example, starving yourself is not a healthy way to lose weight no matter how frustrated you are.  In order for your brain to function properly in alignment with your body, it needs to be able to manufacture certain chemicals, via the fuels provided in the foods you eat.  All of the good fatty acids, enzymes, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates, amino acids, etc.  Some of these chemicals include things such as endorphins and serotonin (the body’s natural pain killers and feel good hormones).  So if you starve your body – you are biting your nose to spite your face- these hormones will be imbalanced; you’re mood will suffer and so will your diet I bet!   
 

How many of us recurrent dieters suffer from the cycle – mood leads to eating-eating leads to weight gain – weight gain leads to negative mood – and so on.  So by, ignoring the needs of your body – you are setting yourself up to fail. 
 

What are healthy choices: We all know them, time to do them

• As said above – don’t starve yourself!
• Drink your water! It helps you stay hydrated (which can help you keep from getting too lethargic and ruining your motivation to exercise) and stave off some hunger.
• Everything in Moderation – especially the refined sugars, carbs and all of the things that sabotage your efforts.  If you need a taste to get you through – go ahead; but avoid the binge that can sometimes come from that feeling of “I ruined the day now”.  When you eat, eat smaller, more frequent meals.  Instead of a big bowl of pasta with meatballs, bread etc, have a small portion with a large salad, etc.
• Eat until you are no longer hungry – not until you are full.  This can be difficult if you are really enjoying what you are eating; but remember that we are striving to learn how to eat to live – not live to eat.
• Eat foods that will keep you fuller longer.  The rice cakes, calorie counter packs, diet shakes and quick grab items are great when we are in a rush – but the truth is, they don’t keep us satiated and then we want something else.
• Ever eat something and you think “that didn’t do it for me”.  Make your first choice a healthy one that satisfies you so that you don’t end up grazing.
• There is some research that states that some foods (avocado, bananas, some seeds and certain dry fruits such as apricots) that are high in the amino acid, tryptophan, can increase the levels of serotonin (feel good hormone) in the brain; which can help you keep your spirits up and help you maintain motivation.  Also, Omega 3 fats help elevate your mood also, so try a good supplement or eat omega 3 rich foods like certain fish, nuts and seeds.  These foods can help satisfy your hunger and boost your mood – a win win!
• Exercise – stretch, get some cardio, do some weight training.  But don’t get discouraged if the pounds don’t drop because muscle weighs more than fat.  Most likely you are shedding inches!
• Be patient.  You didn’t gain the weight overnight – so you can’t lose it overnight either.
• Make it a lifestyle, not a fad.

With a little mental reframing, positivity and a life long commitment to making healthier choices – we can all be on the road that ends the internal battles and allows us to live a healthier physical, mental and emotional life, which will in turn allow us to live with ourselves-. 
 

2010