"The diet starts tomorrow", "I'm on a new diet plan", "Once I finish this diet, I'll be exactly how I want to be".. we've all heard them (or said them) and other similar phrases from our friends, family and colleagues. However we've also heard them repeat such sentences every Sunday night that they'll "get back on the diet again Monday" and it's a never ending cycle. That's exactly what it is - the diet cycle. Here is what happens and why diets do not work.
First of all you decide you want to start a new diet, you're all pumped up and confident that you're going to achieve a certain goal connected to the diet, normally weight loss or appearance related.
This eventually leads to step 2, "the dietary failure" where something will go off tack, eg you slipped and ate lots of things you said you were avoiding, this then means you stop talking to your friends about how it is going because you've now reached step 3 - guilt. You feel guilty that you have "failed" (in your mind) which moves you on to step 4 where you start to get down about it all.
Step 5 your self worth is lowered as you feel like you didn't "have enough willpower to succeed".
This brings you round to step 6 where you begin counterproductive behaviour such as justifying why it's ok for you to start making less healthy food/drink choices again. Later on you get a party or wedding invite for example which then takes you full cycle back to step 1 - "this time I'm going to do it, I'll start that diet again tomorrow...."
The key is not to put yourself on a diet, otherwise you will just go round and round this cycle like many do. It is all about making little lifestyle changes as you go along. As you are not "doing a diet" you therefore won't be able to fail and that will keep you out of getting into the low self worth/down phase.
If you would like to find out more about the stages of change or would like help in this regard then drop me a message and I'd be happy to discuss.
