Maria's Last Diet

by Maria's Last Diet

A diet is all about making progress.

The dieter needs to have sufficient forward movement to give encouragement and the satisfaction of knowing she can do it. To achieve good progress, a dieter relies on certain important dieting experiences. One of these is to have as much success as possible.

Being successful as she goes along on a diet gives the dieter a truly robust sense of forward movement. Sticking to the diet, not feeling hungry and deprived, making new lifestyle changes, being able to feed the children and not go off her own diet, handling her relationships and moods without turning to food, lead to feelings of mastery, a stronger sense of personal capability, increased self-confidence, and more hope of reaching the goal.

Ironically, in order to have these kinds of dieting successes, a dieter’s chief concern must always be “how do I keep making progress”. The dieter can’t just keep her eye on the long-term weight loss prize without identifying the important smaller steps along the way. Sizing up the path to the goal, identifying the steps she’ll need to take, and taking these steps are what tell the dieter she is making progress.

Progress needs successes and successes spell progress.

by Maria's Last Diet

How about doing 5 things this week with regard to your eating that you don't think you can do.

Here are some possibilities:

• skip a meal
• go to bed hungry one night
• have a totally healthy meal
• leave half of a meal on your plate
• have one cookie
• skip sweets for one day
• write an essay where you tell how you feel about your weight

These are just some ideas. What things do you think in your eating life would be too hard to do? Try a few of them out, just for one week. You might be really surprised.

by Maria's Last Diet

A diet is a good start. But a diet doesn't come out and greet you. You need to come out and greet the diet. You'll need to meet it head on with a welcoming, positive, and inquisitive outlook.

You might think of it in a new way.

        This is a tool for me to use.
        How best can I use it?
        What can it do for me?
        How can I tailor it and tweak it to fit into my life?
       What other tools can I use along with the diet?

So don't put it all on the diet. The way to succeed is to put your own human effort behind the diet. That's what makes it work.

by Maria's Last Diet

It's a major concern of your life - being healthy, eating right, being fit. But it's a lot to accomplish for most of us. It seems like a huge undertaking and it is daunting.

The best way to think of it is just taking small steps in these directions. Pick a place to start. The latest thought on exercise is that it only takes a small increase to make a difference. Really. So why not start there? Take a walk, a simple walk. Start with one time a week. Then 2 times a week, then 3 times.

Check with your doctor always before changing your physical activity in any way. then, with a medical go ahead, begin. Very often women say when they start exercising it made them feel a whole lot better, like they are doing something really good for themselves. It's a great way to get the ball rolling.

You'd be surprised at what a small step like taking a walk can lead to. Start small, end up healthier and more fit.

by Maria's Last Diet

If your fantasy and your dream are to lose weight, make sure you keep a grip on reality. If you envision yourself simply sailing along on a diet and reaching eternal skinniness without a hitch, you will endanger your dream.

Why?

Because things don't go necessarily as you'd like them to, especially losing weight. You'll need to anticipate how hard it will be at times, how it's not going to be just one smooth ride from being overweight to being your ideal weight.

Make sure you think about how such a change will affect you. Losing weight can be glorious, yes. But you may find you're losing more than just weight, and this can be disconcerting. You'll be losing a habit, a big one - overeating. Perhaps you'll be losing a way to moderate your moods or a perfect excuse for not going out and doing what you need to do in the world.

Optimism is important. So is being realistic. Losing weight requires you to be both.

by Maria's Last Diet

Dear Maria...

Diets have done all the bad things they can do to me. Is this why I was born - to keep dieting?

Losing weight doesn't necessarily mean going on a diet. The diet is not the magic. The magic is in your head, ready to be tapped.

Here's something to try. If you do decide to go on another diet, before you start, make a list of all the things you're concerned about in your life right now. Include everything from the smallest little worry to the biggest problem you have.

Keep this list nearby while you're dieting. Before you reach for whatever it is that will break your diet, reach for your list.

See if any of the concerns on your list is a player at this moment. See if any particular worry or situation or difficult area on your list needs your attention. Then use your creative skills to address any particular concern that may be triggering this eating response. This is a diet friendly strategy.

by Maria's Last Diet

The Wall Street Journal on January 25th reported that obesity rates have doubled in France over the past few years. So, it seems that French women do get fat.

People in France have succumbed to the ills of the U.S. - more fast food, more TV, less exercising. This could be the reason for the higher obesity rates. We should be hearing more about this as the French begin to face the problem.