Why is “dieting” so hard?
There’s probably more psychology to changing the way we eat than we want to admit. In fact, mention the word “diet” to anyone and you’ll get all kinds of negative reactions.
What’s the first thing that pops in your head? Starvation. Bad tasting food. Scale fears.
We associate. Whatever our experiences have been in the past to something, that’s what we associate to it. So, if your experiences with losing weight is with negative experiences with eating badly prepared “diet food,” that’s what you’ll think of when you try to lose weight again.
How do we change that? There are three ways we can start to make positive association with changing the way we eat so we can lose weight:
- Simpler said than done, we must change our association with losing weight. If we use the word “diet” and that is what is associated with negative experiences, then let’s change the word, first of all. What about using the words “eating well” or “eating to live?” Immediately, the association we have is changed to taking care of ourselves not making ourselves suffer.
- Another way, is to start paying attention to the positive effects of changing the way we eat – more energy, better digestion, losing inches, etc. Even the slightest change is better than it was before and that’s to be celebrated!
- Start cooking – start making food taste better by using herbs and spices that will help the food you eat taste better. You begin to feel as if you aren’t really “dieting” but taking care of yourself and rewarding yourself with good food and good tasting food.
So, instead of gritting your teeth and pushing through those negative feelings, change the way you feel by what changing how you look at the experience with these practical steps.
What have you experienced that helps you feel better about changing the way you eat?
