Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Delete the word D-I-E-T from your vocabulary!

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People assume, just because I'm "training," that I'm on a diet; they often ask me what "diet" I'm on and wait for me to tell them I'm "on" Atkins or South Beach,Weight Watchers,Jenny Craig or riding some other crazy-fad diet train. So most are surprised when I tell them that I'm not on any diet and, in fact, that I don't like that word at all.

See, I think the real start of the success I've had so far with weight loss was really understanding that I had to permanently change the way I eat. By definition, a diet lasts for a certain time period: You're either on one or you're not. And knowing they're finite makes their terms more restrictive--and actually impossible to stick to for a lifetime. So instead,Sham taught me how to take baby steps (I'm a big believer in those!) to change my bad eating habits (I used to have stock in Sweets; weekly/daily trips to Jamba Juice; ordered my healthy versions of restuarant foods and wondered why I wasn't losing any weight).

Once Sham helped me pinpoint those fat traps, I started to make changes I could live with. The best thing about eating healthfully and being really disciplined about my food choices is that I don't feel deprived. And let's be real: What's the likelihood of sticking to any wellness plan if we feel like we're serving jail time?

What's your take on the whole "diet" thing? Does it help you stick to more disciplined ways of eating when you know you can relax a little once you reach your goals? Or are you trying to make lifetime lifestyle changes too?

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