If you've taken off 10, 20, 50, or even 70 pounds with strict dieting then going off your diet probably sounds pretty scary. Here's five cues that tell you it's time to move on from weight loss diets to more balanced healthy eating.
1. You're Super Active & Struggling To Keep The Weight Off
As you lost weight you realized that being active actually feels good so you tried walking, and stretching. It helped you speed up the weight loss so you progressed to tougher things like bootcamp, and yoga. The problem with being more active is that your body needs more calories. If you deprive your body of calories then you gain weight. When you gain weight your instinct is to exercise more and get even more strict with your diet. Unfortunately this leads to further weight gain. If your weight has become an issue again after much success then this is your cue that it's time to change from weightloss eating to a metabolism boosting plan.
2. You're Craving Foods & Binge Eating
The tough thing about diets is that many of them are super strict. They exclude entire foods groups or have long lists of foods that are off limits. If you've been on one of these deprivaton plans for a long time you're probably dying for a bit of fun food so you deny and deny until you break down and overindulge. If this is happening more often than you like then this is your cue that it's time to learn how to eat the foods you love in moderation.
3. You're Constantly On & Off Your Diet
One week your on the next week you're off then it's strict dieting for a month then you cheat for two days then get back on and so on. Your eating behavior is so erratic that your friends and family don't even listen to your dieting sob stories anymore. Diets are dull, limited, and intended for short term use. If you can't stick to one or if you do then gain all the weight back then maybe dieting is not for you in the first place. It may sound great when a plan promises to strip off 40 pounds in a month but what's the point if you can't get real results. If you're suffering from yo-yo dieting this is your cue that it's time to get on a long term balanced eating plan. It may take a whole year to get permanent results but you'll get them and isn't that what you really want!
4. You're Immune System Is Shot & You're Always Sick
One of the ugly consequences of continous dieting is a sluggish immune system. Your body can't function at 100% if you're low on vitamins and nutrients. The more you diet the more your body protests by slowing down your metabolism and sending you signals to slow down to conserve energy. Allergies, stomach viruses, colds, skin rashes, and ear infections that you always avoided are now a weekly thing. If you're always fighting something then this is your cue that it's time to start feeding your body what it needs to function properly.
5. You're Exhausted, Down, & You've Lost Your Mojo
Constantly monitoring your every bite, saying no to every single indulgence, passing up a date to workout, or eating the same foods all the time can really take a toll on you emotionally and physically. It's almost like your diet is your second job and it doesn't even pay that well. Life is all about having fun and experiencing new things so when you get in a diet rut you often get in a mood rut and a mood rut is a binge just waiting to happen. If your diet has taken over your existence then it's time to learn how to eat for pleasure as well as for weight management.
Stop dieting and keep the weight off for life with help from Refuse to Regain!: 12 Tough Rules to Maintain the Body You've Earned!
