It is that time of year again where all the wonderful foods are at our finger tips and you may start hearing yourself say: "I will start my diet in January." In preparation for the most popular new years resoltuion (to lose weight) here are some answers to a couple popular questions people ask around starting a new eating plan.
Why do I begin to crave my favorite foods after starting a new diet or eating plan?
Have you ever started a new fitness program and eating plan and you were doing well for maybe even a couple weeks until, all of the sudden, a food craving hits you like a tons of bricks and you cannot even imagine going one more second eating your chicken breast and sweet potatoes for dinner? All you can think about is getting that yummy food into your salivating mouth. The food cravings that can arise from day 3-28 depend on the person, but what is going on here with these cravings may be something you are unaware of. Sure, it could be self-sabotage, a lack of self-discipline, or even a chemical imbalance. When it is an emotional craving, however, the best place to start is to begin to figure out what this food craving is truly for.
Ask yourself these four questions:
1. What is it that I truly want?
2. What do I think eating that food will give me?
3. What emotion do I think it will make me feel?
4. How can I feel that emotion without BLTing (bite, lick or tasting) anything?
Make a list of 20 things that give you that feeling (that you answered in number 3). Then do something on your list. These questions will help you to get in better touch with what you really want underneath that craving, you may be surprised with what you find.
What should I concentrate on when choosing the right diet for me?
I believe in balance and moderation, not only being the key to losing weight, but keeping the weight off. After losing 75 pounds and learning to maintain a new relationship with food, I found the space of moderation to be imperative. When choosing an eating plan, I encourage people to first start by identifying what their goals are and what their lifestyle is like. For instance, if you are a socialite, and appetizers and cocktails are a part of your everyday—weight watchers may be a great plan to follow. However, if you work 80 hours a week and barely have time for a lunch break, fitting in a simple eating approach like the Atkins diet, may work well for you. It begins with your goals, and the willingness to try some different approaches to find what realistically fits into your daily lifestyle.
How should I approach my diet so that I stick with it?
When you set goals that are bite size, maybe just out of your reach, you will most likely achieve and maintain those goals. I think the biggest reason for failure is that people set unmanageable goals that are far beyond their reach. The way to know that you may be setting unmanageable goals is if you ever fallen off the wagon and find it too hard to get back on again. This may be an indication that you were reaching too far and may have been discouraged when you broke the momentum. If this has ever happened to you, no worries, try to break your goal down into three smaller parts and focus on one at a time!
Happy Holidays, see you in 2014!