Flawed last words of the health kick.

Health Kick

I know you have said and done it.  You plan to start a new diet or exercise plan.  Shortly after the start or a few weeks into the diet, you become distracted and reach for that comfort food.  It is just a small slip, and those words come out of your mouth.  You should know what is coming next and I guarantee you have said it multiple times.  If you haven’t, I will take my hat off to you.  

The flawed word of the procrastinator or the most common term I have heard for the derailment of your healthy kick plans is “tomorrow”.    Tomorrow, I will do better.  Tomorrow, I will be healthier.  Tomorrow, I will start watching what I eat.  Tomorrow, I will start exercising.   Tomorrow, I will avoid sugar.  Tomorrow, I will exercise more.  The problem is that tomorrow never comes and there is no better time than today.

Instead of saying “tomorrow” for months on end.  Focus on today and now.  If you slip up a little, avoid struggling for months on end and start eating healthier today.  Health and being healthier is a better focus than just losing weight.  If you focus on being healthier, losing weight will come naturally.  It will be easy and less of a struggle.  

Fitness

I have always known the value of eating healthy and exercise.  I learned all about it in medical school and my undergrad nutrition classes, but yet, I continue to screw up.  So many of us seemed to fail to be able to stick with it.  What is that?  As many of us do, we live in a constant state of stress and stress makes us need to reach for those comfort food.  Before you know it, you weigh more than you want.   Of course, the main problem is our attitude toward food.  Food should be that sustenance that is eaten in three meals each day and not a means to heal you emotionally.  

My comfort foods are the typical foods that we all reach for when we are stressed.  I love carbs.  I am addicted to sugar and reach for it in my time of need.  I am a hardcore addict when it comes to sweets.  I love the taste of sugar, and nearly everything tastes better drenched in its sweet goodness.  The problem is that I eat it when I am stressed, depressed, anxious, and bored.  Sugar is quite literally my cure-all.  My coping skill is to binge on junk food such as sweets.  

Sugar

The problem is that the feel-good of sugar is short-lived and you will almost immediately regret it.  Sugar is a freaking drug, and it is more addictive than almost any that you will experience other than opioids and that is arguable.  You will feel weak and like a failure in no time.  The result is that you will feel worse than before I binged.  So, is the solution to go on a low carbohydrate diet?  

I have tried low-carb diets before and after about a month and a half, I actually lost weight. I have to admit that low-carb diets work.  The problem is that it does not lead to lasting results.  I often lose 10-20 pounds in 2-3 months. It just does not stay off.  The weight loss leads to temporary euphoria, but when the weight comes back on, I feel terrible, and the resulting weight gain is often a higher weight than when I started.  

So what I am recommending?  Moderation.  It worked for me for two years, and I am going back on it tomorrow.  Simple enough, I am done with this crap.  I will say “no” to fad diets.  I tried Keto and Low-Carb.  They work quickly but like I said above, they just do not lead to lasting weight loss.  Being healthy change my life for two years.  I felt great and had more energy.   I am going to stop dieting and make a move back to being more healthy and if I lose weight great.  If not, hopefully, I will just be more healthy.  

The bottom line:  Stop dieting forever and make a move to better health.  Stop procrastinating and start doing.  Weight loss should come naturally.  Instead of denying yourself the foods you love, try to be more moderate and limit the serving size. When you stop denying yourself the foods you love and instead recognize that they can be enjoyed in moderation.