- How has the advertising industry and fad diets affected the industry? How can one keep them away from being influenced by them?
Remember they’re designed to lure people to a quick fix because that’s what people want and that’s what sells. But it’s not what creates lasting results.
With any weight loss plan, it’s so important to ask ‘will this work for me long term?’ If the process doesn’t feel sustainable, it’s highly likely that the results won’t be sustainable either.
People tend to regain the weight lost through fad diets because they haven’t built the habits and lifestyle required to make it last. Making small doable changes isn’t as ‘sexy’ or initially exciting as a quick-fix approach, but it dramatically increases your chances of long-term success.
If you enjoy what you’re doing and you’re making gradual progress (in any area – how your clothes fit, your measurements, strength, fitness, relationship with food, mindset, energy, habits, – not just your weight), that’s brilliant – you’re on the right track.
- The first thought that strikes most of us when we want to lose weight is dieting. How do you go about helping women change their mindset on dieting?
For weight loss to be successful in the long term, it needs to come from habit change – not restrictive dieting. Often one of the key habits to work on is becoming more aware of your mindset and how it can hold you back.
I have had many clients who have been doing great – making so many positive changes – then stepped on the scales to find progress wasn’t as fast as it had been when they’d previously been on a diet, so they felt like they were failing. A common reaction then is to think ‘why bother’ and eat to feel better, thus sabotaging future success. We really have to work on that mindset and move away from the diet mentality.
If you lost weight on a diet, but you ended up regaining it, the diet didn’t ‘work’. So we need a different approach – we need to build habits and a lifestyle that you can enjoy and sustain. This takes time, but it’s a lot more enjoyable than following a restrictive diet. And it leads to long-term results.
Often, the quicker the weight loss, the less likely it is to last. When I work with clients on moving away from restriction, including foods they love and actually enjoying the process of getting healthier and losing weight… that’s when lasting success happens.
- Side-effects of dieting that affect young girls & women in later years of life. How far can the damage be undone & how?
For some – particularly young girls – dieting can have very negative effects on both body image and relationship with food. This can lead to decades of struggles with weight, food, body image, and self-esteem. If this is the case, working with a trained professional – a coach, dietician, counselor or psychotherapist can be needed and can make a real difference.
Whether or not you work with a professional, podcasts and books on building a healthy relationship with food can be really beneficial, as can journaling. It’s very powerful to write your thoughts, understand yourself better, practice self-compassion, and work on helpful thoughts you want to focus on instead.
From a practical perspective, many women find it incredibly helpful to build the habit of planning their food in advance – meals and snacks. This means you can incorporate great nutrition, along with other foods you love and build a balanced way of eating that works for you. When you don’t have to keep making decisions about what to eat throughout the day, you can focus on your hunger and fullness levels, and enjoy the food itself.
Over time, this realistic planning and mindful eating can improve your relationship with food, and help you find a way of eating that feels both enjoyable and sustainable.
Disclaimer
The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
