 | Lisa Vermillion is President and co-owner of Get Fit Bee Fit and Thin and Healthy Weight Management. Lisa opened Get Fit- 4 years ago in Valley Center, after receiving certifications thorough the American Council on Exercise as a Weight and Lifestyle Management Consultant and Certified Personal Trainer. In January, she Grand Opened Thin and Healthy Weight Management in the same location. Lisa not only provides weight loss programs for individuals but she also implements business wellness programs for small businesses and large corporations. Additionally, Lisa is a Certified Life Coach providing guidance for individuals in the areas of career, relationship and personal development. She is available for speaking engagements in the areas of Physical Fitness, Weight Management, or any Life Coaching area (goal setting, positive attitude, sales, etc). Lisa can be reached for questions or speaking engagements by phone (316) 755-1115 or email at mvmillion@yahoo.com |
Diet & Nutrition
2012-04-19 13:17:46
No need to starve to lose weight
Q: I hate diets. I always feel deprived and I’m always hungry. What can I do so I can lose this extra weight for good?
A: I don’t blame you for hating diets; most of them have to do with starvation and deprivation. They work short term but they’re rarely useful for keeping weight off. The right eating and exercise program is one you can do for the rest of your life. Sometimes deprivation isn’t part of the program though. The way you think about food has a lot to do with your success. There are three main phrases that signify you may be sabotaging your own efforts. “I can’t (or shouldn’t) have that”, “I’m cheating when I have an unhealthy food”, and “I’m a failure because I don’t stick with it.”
First understand that your brain doesn’t comprehend the words “can’t”, “don’t”, and “shouldn’t”. When you tell yourself you “can’t” have something your brain goes into overload trying to figure out how to get it. When you “give in” and eat that food, you eat fast and you eat more than you want or need because you feel guilty. Instead, think about it another way; “I can have anything I want. Some things get me closer to my goal. Is this thing worth setting my goal back?” Some things are worth it. The point is you get to decide. Your decision lets you have a little bit, enjoy it, and then compensate for it later. The guilt is gone and so is the overeating issue.
Second, when you look at eating unhealthy food as “cheating” you set yourself up for failure. It’s a similar scenario. You’ll eat rapidly and not feel full until you’ve eaten too much and you’re overfull. You’re setting the scene for developing a guilt complex. The problem is many people react to guilty feelings by eating more. Give yourself a break by giving yourself permission to choose what you want, and then handle the consequence of that decision.
Third, failure is an event not a person. Failure occurs when you give up or when you refuse to learn from choices that don’t help you get to your goals. Many of my clients tell me they “feel like a failure” and they “feel like giving up” because they’ve been on “diets” and have lost weight and then gained it back. My favorite example is Thomas Edison. It took him over 5,000 times before he figured out the light bulb. What he said was, “I didn’t fail 5,000 times, I found 5,000 ways it wouldn’t work and I’m 5,000 ways closer to the way that will work.” Just because you haven’t maintained success doesn’t mean you’re not going to be successful, it only means you haven’t been successful YET.
Your thinking dictates your behavior. Thinking, “I can’t have this”, “I’m cheating”, and “I’m a failure”, sets you up for guilty eating and self sabotage. Retrain your brain to help you succeed and you’ll accomplish permanent weight loss and indeed you’ll reach all your goals.
