Recently I recognised a pattern amongst those who fail at 'dieting' and are constantly complaining about weight loss (or lack of): they like to eliminate things and restrict themselves. Persistent dieters are constantly saying they 'can't eat this' or they 'can't eat that'. I mean, I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure whenever I'm told I can't do something, I want to do it. And it doesn't take a genius to work out that those who rely on restrictive dieting to lose weight never manage to keep it off.
So maybe it's time to take a different approach. Perhaps instead of chaining up our desires (only to resulting in more desire) we start to look at all the things we CAN do.
For example....
Instead of 'I can't eat carbs if I'm trying to lose weight' saying 'I can eat lots of yummy protein to help satiate my appetite'
Instead of 'I can't run 6km in this heat, it's too hard' saying 'I can enjoy this fun aerobics class with pumping music'
Instead of 'I can't exercise today because I have a busy day at work' saying 'I can wake up for an early morning yoga class to relax me before this busy day ahead'
Instead of 'I can't be sociable this weekend because I'm not drinking' saying 'We can chill by the pool and cook a BBQ this weekend!'
You get the point....
One thing to remember though, if you are on a weight loss journey or just into looking after yourself physically and mentally, don't turn too many 'cans' into opportunities to have a cheat day or get out of exercising! The whole point is to put a positive spin on a healthy lifestyle (aside from the obvious positives that are obtained when eating well, exercising regularly and being sociable).
And trust me, the less you start saying you can't do things, the more things you are able to do!
You can do it!
V x
