Stop Dieting and Lose Weight Anyway

Diet - not one of the most loved words in the dictionary. Yet so many people are on them, over and over again. What is it about dieting that incites such a negative reaction? Mostly because diet is synonymous with restriction. Nobody likes to fee restricted. When one is dieting life is all about 'can't have this' and 'can't have that'. What is happening is you are building awareness for the things you can't have, making you want them more.

The problem with restriction is it makes you feel boxed in. Human nature is to react to that boxed in feeling with resistance. Now you're in this tug-of-war. You have made yourself more aware of what you can't have, which is only making you want it more. No wonder nobody wants to diet!

Another issue with dieting is the concept of it being a temporary situation. The last time you started a diet, wasn't it your intention to stick with it only until you reached your goal? Right after hitting that goal you probably went right back to your old eating habits and most people regain weight as a result.

Is there a better solution to all this dieting? There is. But to be successful you need to stop looking at the short term. Think, instead, of creating healthy habits. Take a more long-term view. By building a healthy lifestyle you will feel better and look better for the rest of your life.

So how can you stop dieting and lose weight anyway? For starters, stop trying to change everything. By immediately eliminating everything you know you shouldn't have you are putting yourself right back in that place of restriction. You can't be successful when you feel restricted.

Next, take a close look at your eating habits. There are many small changes you can make that turn into significant weight loss over time. Did you know that by simply eliminating 100 calories a day you could lose up to 10 pounds in a year? It's amazing how you can shave off 100 calories in a day and barely notice.

Take a careful look at the list below and choose a habit or two you could change:

· Swap a Pop-tart for a slice of high-fiber toast with strawberry jelly

· Eat just half a bagel

· Skip creamers and sweeteners in your coffee

· Skip butter on your pancakes

· Use a smaller bowl for your cereal

· Eat an orange instead of drinking orange juice

· Skip the cheese in your sandwich

· Use mustard instead of mayonnaise

· Don't add croutons to your salad

· Stuff chicken salad into a whole-wheat pita instead of using bread

· Have a turkey burger instead of a beef burger

· Drizzle extra buffalo sauce on your wings instead of dipping in blue cheese

· Have salsa with your chips instead of guacamole

· Have sparkling water instead of soda

· Snack on pretzels instead of potato chips

· Eating pie? Stop eating when you get to the crust. The edges and bottoms absorb the butter used to grease the pan

· Top dessert with ½ cup fresh berries instead of chocolate sauce

· Use nonfat Greek yogurt instead of sour cream

· When making meatballs, meatloaf or burgers, use half ground beef and turkey

· When getting a fountain drink get a medium instead of large

· Order grilled chicken sandwiches instead of breaded ones

· Dip bread in marinara sauce instead of olive oil

As you review this list, think about your habits and where you might be able to make simple changes that you'll hardly notice. For example, skipping the cheese on your sandwich. Or go with mustard instead of mayonnaise.

You probably saw numerous changes you could implement. Remember, each of those small changes represents about 10 pounds of weight loss over a year. Choose a few that would be pretty easy to stick to and start implementing them one at a time. You don't want to start feeling restricted. Take it slow.

As you start making these small changes you are creating a healthier lifestyle for yourself. Isn't this a lot easier than dieting?

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