People often wonder why weight loss diets don't work. Why some people could spend a year or two taking the weight off, only to put it all back on again. In fact most people put that weight on and then some. This goes to show that weight loss is more complicated and deals with more issues, then exercise and dieting alone, which many of the so called experts seem to miss.
The fact is before you can begin any weight loss plan, you first have to learn to take care of yourself. This is how you become your own parent, being there for yourself in your own times of need. Learning how to make the right decisions for yourself and sticking to the discipline that you yourself had set up. Nurturing yourself when you are feeling hurt, and learning how to recognize those feelings. Learning how to listen to your body, what it is telling you? Telling yourself no, when the need arises. Basically what you have to do is get to know and love yourself again, while finding an alternative, healthy way to deal with these underlying issues.
The sad part is that many of us over the years learned that whenever we had a problem, to just ignore it, eventually the feeling subsides. But the fact is that feelings don't really subside, they just get buried into the deep part of our subconscious. Never having been dealt with, they surface over and over again in the form of anxiety or depression, and the way we choose to deal with it is to create a distraction, a way to put our on minds on something else, if only for a moment. Many times this distraction comes in the form of food.
The main reason we use food for this purpose is because it is so readily available. Let's face it, it is everywhere! And the more tastier it is, the more distracting it becomes. After awhile, food can become a habit this way, or even an addiction, and no matter how much you diet or exercise, the need is always there.
What we must do then is take care of that need. We can do this by paying attention when the need for food arises. Start keeping a journal of your feelings and what's causing them. It's time to dig deeper into the craving and find the underlying issue. Be your own investigator, your own loving parent, and work on finding out what's triggering the cravings. After keeping a journal for some time, you will be surprised when you begin to see a pattern emerge. Perhaps your feelings were hurt over a certain issue and whenever it came up, you reached for food. Or maybe memories of a the death of a loved one caused it. Perhaps there is an emotional abuser in your life that caused you to be in denial. You deserve better then that, you ARE better than that! Whatever the reason, make it your goal to find it, so you can begin to heal. No matter what the issue is, work on forgiveness and letting it or the person go. Take a whole day for yourself or as much time as you need to reflect on what you found. Let your emotions go as you work through them.
This journal exercise will start to reveal more things about you, that maybe you never knew or had ignored for so many years. Like maybe you would rather be outside riding a bike, then sitting around the house. Perhaps you will begin to see that going to the park would be a nice change. The thing you always wanted to do, but didn't and has long been buried, will suddenly come back to the surface. You are beginning to know the real you. The happy, healthy fun loving you, finding the joy in making yourself free again. Not everything will be obtainable immediately, but you can set goals to make these ideas reachable. In the meantime, you can find joy and happiness even in the little things in life that you used to do. A walk on the beach, a stroll through the park, joining a health club, or playing with the kids in the yard for instance.
It's when you feel generally at peace with yourself, that you are ready to start an exercise and diet program. Going without the food should no longer be a struggle for you. In fact, if all goes well, you will begin to build a full life for yourself, having little time to stop and eat. Get out and get involved, in the things you like best! It's time to take care of yourself, to put YOU first. After all, no one really knows you better then you!
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