QuestionI hope you can help me with diet advice. See it's not so much nothings working as everyone is ruining them. For instance first I decided to go vegetarian and get lots of exercise. My parents in turn gave me a lecture about how eating meat is important and I was pretty much forced to eat it. They only ever buy junk food. The annoying thing is that I think they have some sort of psychic powers. Every time I'm about to diet and I'm all yeah I'm going to diet and get in shape. It just happens that we go out to eat or one of their companies is having a picnick and if I don't stuff myself I'll feel like a jerk. I am open to any dieting suggestions please and thank you.
AnswerHi Alex,
You don't say how old you are but you sound mature enough to stick to your guns when you find something that matters to you.
When you say "If I don't stuff myself I'll feel like a jerk" that says to me you are not serious at all about eating healthy. You find it easier to look for excuses and place the blame on other people when you stray off the path that would lead you toward your goals. That is a predictor of a poor chance of success.
Here's my advice: First, make a list of 5 reasons why it's important to you to lose weight. For each reason, break it down further into why that is important...your list shouldn't be so general as to say "I'll feel better, look better, dress nicer, be healthier and have more self esteem" because these aren't reasons that will burn down to your core and stop you from indulging at a restaurant. You need to decide on reasons that are SO important to you that when your family takes you out to eat you'll be able to pass up dessert when everyone else orders it and suggests you have some! A reason that tastes better than fried chicken and apple pie. It might be something as specific as "I'll have the nerve to ask Cindy on a date when I can walk up to her in size __ jeans". The more able you are to picture what you want your life to be like, the better!
Second, before you start on a "I'm going to diet and get in shape" plan again, have a PLAN. "I'll start Monday" is way too general to work. Have one or two goals each week and check back in with your plan Sunday to see how it went; readjust when needed. Examples might be "I'm going to walk/jog for 20 minutes on 3 days this week". (Saying "I'm going to exercise every day gives you a good excuse to drop the plan when you miss one day). Or "I'm going to limit desserts to just two all week". If you don't have one today, you know you can have one tomorrow or the next day. But expecting to go from every day desserts to none is setting yourself up for failure.
Set yourself up for success with solid reasons and an easy plan that doesn't expect more than is reasonable. Let me know how you're doing in a week or so!
