Spring break is coming up, and the comments/questions are coming in are about getting bikini ready.

What bothers me are the promises and guarantees that are circulating. By know you know that the only guarantee in life is death and taxes, so stop fooling yourself by believing that a diet plan is guaranteed! All diets are effort dependent on results. You actually have to follow them. This is neither news, nor is it the point of todays message.

 

Short term restrictive plans work at first. By work I mean weight is dropped, but along with some fat, precious muscle is lost too. Worse yet, these restrictive diets fall short of changing behavior. What happens after diet is inevitable weight gain, eventual disgust and then another restrictive impossible to sustain diet or detox.

 

The cycle of diet>gain>diet>gain more is reinforced.

 

The problem with this cycle is that it is dangerous. Restrictive diets wreck resting metabolic rate. The body is starving, and it will hoard energy and store it as fat. This is survival mode.

 

Subsequent short-term diets are less effective, because the body recognizes calorie restriction as starvation and conserves fat.

 

The next conversations I hear are sad, because the belief that a failed diet must mean SHE is a failure. Of course that is false, but it can be hard to dismiss.

 

Additionally we hear so much about fast results from short-term plans, that we expect all new diets to have quick results.

The truth is that the faster it comes off the faster it will go back on.

 

True lifestyle plans take time to adopt. Time patience and consistency are imperative to make a lifestyle change.

 

During this process, a forgiving attitude is very helpful, because new behavior patterns are not created overnight. But once they are learned, and applied consistently, the body will gradually get leaner, and the mind will be more self-loving.

 

Keep this in mind:

The best place to seek acceptance is from yourself.

 

Speaking of self-love, this is a behavior pattern that takes time to adopt. Always remember, having extra fat tissue, does not mean we are not worthy. Our ability to enjoy vacation time is not dependent on our size or weight or shape.

 

If you would like to read more about worthiness and self acceptance  I highly recommend all of Brene Brown’s books, and this one in particular:

 

http://bit.ly/worthiness_self_love

 

Remember to always be grateful  and kind to yourself.

 

XO,

Judy