I WAS really upset by the stories several ladies told me last week about the real-life effects of the diet clubs culture and the emotional connections it creates. They were made to feel bad by the people running their diet clubs because they had broken the rules. One of them had eaten a shortbread biscuit. Another had two glasses of wine. A third went out for an anniversary meal with her husband.
What shocking “crimes” !!! The lady who ate out was actually scared to go to her weekly weigh-in in case she was shouted at. They were all made to feel bad at their diet clubs because they’d had harmless treats which weren’t in their food plans.
Ironically, the two things diet clubs most want you to do are the two things that are most likely to make you fail. They are: Regular weigh-ins and focusing on food diaries and plans.
The scales have a terrible knack of controlling people’s feelings. They don’t control their weight but they definitely control the way they feel about themselves.
Everything becomes about the number on the scales at the weekly weigh-in at the diet clubs and people don’t want to feel humiliated in front of others.
If the number doesn’t say what they want it to say they turn to food for comfort. Guess what – this puts on a few more ounces and they’re back in the cycle of diet-fail-diet-fail.
Once they’ve fallen off the wagon they say “I’ve broken it” and they start to eat the way they always used to.
Food diaries don’t work because they make you focus on what you can eat and also on what you can’t. Food is the one thing you don’t want to focus on if you’re aiming to lose weight.
What you should be doing is have food firmly at the back of your mind – and this is what Slimpods do for you. They help you not to obsess about food.
We get more of what we think about, and if you’re thinking about food you’ll get more food – and that’s the last thing you want !
This time of year I’m constantly hearing from people who have got it in their heads that they are about to fall off the diet wagon. It’s vital that people are aware it’s the weekly weigh-ins at the diet clubs and the food diaries which are largely causing this.
When you’re on your Slimpod it’s crucial that you keep on listening when you get these feelings. Having little treats in your week is normal! It’s called living.
I am sure that naturally thin people have days where they feel more hungry than usual, eat cake, eat too much cake even. The difference is that they don’t beat themselves up about it.
