The weight loss industry loves to make us feel bad about ourselves.
Born with a wide-hipped bone structure? Bad girl!
Did you diet so much in your teens that, even though you feel healthy and can maintain your weight easily, you still weigh 30 lbs more than those “magic” weight charts in the doctor’s office? Terrible you!
Despite constant dieting, is your waist roughly the same size as your hips so the latest fashion hip-rider jeans just don’t work for you? Shame on you!
I know I never would have lost over 70 lbs., or maintained that weight loss for over 10 years, if I stayed hooked into the diet biz OR bad feelings about myself. It took me a long time to disengage from commercials and advertising that shows EVERYONE with long legs, taut arms, tiny waist, and big boobs. In real life, every body is unique and very few meet the advertising world’s criteria for beauty.
Instead of feeling bad about ourselves, we should feel bad for them. What a boring, pathetic, lying world they depict!
Take note of this new commercial for Jenny Craig where the absolutely beautiful actress Sara Rue talks about not being able to leave the house (oh, the shame!!) when overweight:
The reason this lovely woman is in for a rude awakening (and I hate to see that) is the route she’s taken in order to lose that weight and fit into those “skinny” jeans. My research taught me that dieting is the key to regain. The body is programmed to regain after sudden loss. (If you don’t understand this, see this audio class.)
The very first Principal in the Catalyst Weight Loss System is “Don’t do anything to lose weight that you can’t do forever” because otherwise you are just setting yourself up for regain.
Do you want it now or do you want it forever?
The approach is different.
Here’s what I also learned losing all that weight. Women (some men, but especially women) buy the skinny=happy equation and waste precious TIME, ENERGY and PASSION worrying about it, pursuing it, failing at it, running their lives by it (staying home!) and making u-turns in life.
WE ARE GIVING AWAY OUR POWER BY BUYING INTO THIS MYTH!
Just think what we could do collectively if we harnessed all that energy and passion and used it to care (really care) for ourselves!
Whew! Last week was wild! I came back from a short vacation with a big goal in front of me – the release of my new audio class on CD.
In the past, an event like this, which brings a certain amount of deadline pressure, has served as an excuse to go unconscious for me. I wouldn’t say I binged over this kind of stress. That hasn’t been an option for a long time.
The Hard Cold Truth about Permanent Weight Loss Audio Course
But, even if binging is an impossible reaction, controlling food and using it to help control stress…
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I’m often asked this question as my year-long weight loss group class ends:
“Will I be able to maintain weight loss permanently?”
I compare this to driving. (I love to drive. Damned good at it too. Driving is awesome.)
Remember when you first learned to drive? It was kind of hard! There were all kinds of things to remember inside the car. The gear shift, the pedals, the windshield wipers, the turn signals. Then, outside the car, there were other cars, bikes, signals, signs, turn lanes, and (eeeek!) people. And (double eeeeek!) people doing stupid things like crossing on a “don’t walk” signal.
It was a lot to maneuver and coordinate.
How's your driving?
Now, what is it like to drive now?
Do you even think about it?
Do you panic when you miss a turn? Do you freak when you get near the center line or the edge of your lane?
No, you simply CORRECT and keep moving.
In fact, most corrections on the road require only a tiny 1/16th move of the steering wheel. We do it completely unconsciously and we do it continually or we’d be running off the road ALL THE TIME!
That’s what happens with weight loss
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You hear a lot about “lifestyle change” today. In fact, most diets call themselves a “lifestyle change”, even Weight Watchers.
I guess it makes customers THINK they’re doing the big job, not the little (short-term) one.
My favorite “lifestyle change” quote was a friend on Phen-Fen who had lost a lot of weight. As she ordered lasagna and whipped four packets of sugar into her tea, she proclaimed “It’s not a diet! It’s a lifestyle change! I feel so different!”
Well, with real change you don’t “feel different”, you ARE different.
Don’t be fooled. My friend’s sad truth is that
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I’m all about living consciously – making decisions with full attention to the moment I’m living in, as well as the way that moment is connected to the future.
When I finally saw the connection between my momentary urges for foodication (medicating through food) and the ultimate result in my body, I changed my weight permanently.
I’m focused on a lifestyle that ends the lease on weight loss and OWNS it instead. I emphasize making my own decisions instead of going with the crowd. I don’t like being a “sheeple.”
I’m convinced accepting the norm, programmed by the media, advertising and fashion industries, means lots of excess weight and fat in our lives.
Soda Consumption is Directly Connected to U.S. Obesity Epidemic
Case in Point: McDonald’s new Sweet Iced Tea commercial where the woman has been sipping tea so long, she’s developed a tan line across her chin.
Yowza!
My first reaction was: “that’s the stupidest commercial I ever saw!”
No one would drink that much, right?
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In the 16th century, people believed their kings were chosen by god, and were not fully human.
In the 17th and 18th century, people thought cancer was a curse from god for evil thoughts and was contagious.
In the 20th century, people believed diets cured excess weight.
Every one of these beliefs robbed human beings of their natural power in life. And, in every case, science proved these beliefs untrue and noted that the belief prevented proper treatment.
Permanent Weight Loss Requires a New Solution
No one can blame us for what we didn’t know then. But, now we know.
In 1996, I knew something was wrong with my previous approach to weight loss. I knew because the weight just kept coming back every time I lost weight (and it always brought an extra 10 lbs with it!).
My doctor gave me the hard science.
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I love this quote by Bill Gates:
“If I’d had some set idea of a finish line, don’t you think I would have crossed it years ago?”
I differ from many weight loss experts since I’ve accomplished permanent weight loss. I learned my lessons down in the trenches, instead of in a book, and my experiences smashed many of the widely accepted tenets of weight loss.
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Thanks for all the comments to the “Sick & Tired of ‘Food Decisions?'” post! Emails and tweets abounded. It was great to hear from you!
The quest for permanent weight loss MUST eventually become non-diet weight loss. Our willpower sooner or later deserts us. In fact, willpower was not equipped for long-range quests. In other words, diets have to morph into intelligent, sustainable lifestyles in order for the change to last. Diet mentality, on the other hand, has us yo-yo-ing our weight and repeatedly coming back for more dieting.
Feeding the body when it is not hungry builds more fat.
Many of the themes I heard from reader responses were from diet mentality and clearly centered on controlling food or controlling behavior with food, rather than focused on real needs. Let’s have a look:
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- Confused? Most people are. All this is diet advice from the perspective of what I call Diet Mentality. Based in fea… https://t.co/oLbdhU6utw
- https://t.co/0JcSIOHFVS https://t.co/0JcSIOHFVS
- I've always said exercise is more important than food control. What do you think? https://t.co/nRyJeKMZ9y
- Before and after pictures are usually complete fakes, and give us the misconception that the "after" picture is the… https://t.co/QUdTrITjeG
- Take a look! Wisdom! https://t.co/zjh6DbmIh9
