Maria's Last Diet

by Maria's Last Diet

What happens when cravings collide with your diet? Which one wins out?

Maybe it doesn't take much to push you over the edge. What to do?

Here's what.

Face every dieting day armed with a plan for cravings. You probably don't know when a craving will hit, so the best thing is to have a little plan up your sleeve, one you can whip out on a moments' notice. That's the way to make sure a craving doesn't rise up high enough to overwhelm you.

There are many different ways to cope with a craving.

• You can try to ride out the craving without giving in, until it naturally recedes.

• You can have on-the-spot ways to divert your attention away from the craving to something else.

• You can decide to have a very small bite of what you are craving.

• You can give in to the craving, but have a foolproof method of getting right back on your diet immediately afterward.

• You can engage in a meaningful conversation with a helpful person, try to determine why you are having this craving at this time, and see if there's something else to do that will satisfy you.

These are just a few of the methods you can base your "cravings plan" on. There is no one-way to devise such a plan. See what you think will work for you, and then have it ready to use when the unexpected craving hits. Don't wait until that moment to figure out what to do. Act preemptively to keep your diet intact.

by Maria's Last Diet

Goal setting is an integral part of losing weight.

There are two kinds of goals to set: short-term goals and long-term goals.

Short-term goals should be set to guide you in your daily actions. For example:

• physical activity day by day
• how many calories to consume each day
• buying healthy food
• keeping a food log
• weight each week

Long-term goals are set to help you keep your motivation going - for example: an ultimate weight-loss goal or improving your health.

Goal setting works best when it is specific and detached. For example: I will walk for 15 minutes every morning before work. Or: I will prepare a lo-cal snack in the evenings that I can bring with me and have at my desk mid-morning.

Short-term goals like these can lead to the achievement of long-term goals, like losing weight.

But: both short-term and long-term goals need to be realistic and obtainable. So, for example, if you set a goal for yourself of running 10 miles a day - unless you're well-trained to do this - that would not be realistic. Also, a long-term goal like being a size 2 might be unrealistic and unobtainable.

Both short and long-term goals need to be stated in specific, objective terms. This is the only way you can know when your goal is actually reached. For example, if you say "my goal (long-term) is to get healthier", this may be hard to judge. But if you say "I'd like to lower my blood pressure and cholesterol levels" then you have a good way to evaluate whether you've achieved the goal or not.

Take away lesson: when you are setting your goals - both long and short-term - be specific, be objective, and be realistic.

by Maria's Last Diet

I'm stuck. I feel silly, with the country in such bad shape. But I'm in bad shape too, and I feel awful.

How so?

I feel like I'm a pile of lost potential.

Why lost?

I feel like the good stuff has passed me by.

Really? At 43?

Sounds silly. I just can't see myself getting out of my rut.

What's the rut like?

Well, I'm fat, and no matter what I do I can't lose weight. So on top of everything else - the financial disaster, the fighting all over the world - there's me, a total waste. I can't even run any more.

It would be hard for you to single-handedly fix the economy and create peace in the world.

That's for sure.

But you might be able to single-handedly fix your weight, since it's bothering you so much.

How?

Can you think of any way? Even a small way? Something you can do?

I can't. That's why I'm stuck. But it's so ridiculous. I'm a pretty strong person, and kind of smart. And you're right, I should be able to fix my own life.

I didn't mean you should. I only meant I think you can if you want to.

I haven't been able to.

So what can you do differently?

I could take more time, really think about how I can do it.

That's good.

Maybe that's just what I need: to study my problem, and figure out what would really help me lose weight.

Sounds like a wonderful first step.

It is different. I've always forced myself to go on a diet, without thinking.

I like your new plan. It's fresh and exciting.

It is, isn't it?

by Maria's Last Diet

The road to diet hell is paved with good intentions. Even when you go ahead and act on your good intentions, there will be obstacles that you didn’t expect and that you are unprepared for. Then your good intentions are overpowered. That’s dieting for you.

How can you get past the distinct possibility of not following through on your good intentions?

The solution does not lie in strengthening your intentions. The answer is to make a good plan for acting on your intention: the more specific the plan (time, place, how, etc.), the greater your chance of acting on your good intentions.

There will always be obstacles that you haven’t planned for. Even so, the specific plans you make will give you what you need to overcome these obstacles.

Let’s say you declare to yourself, “I will start my diet tomorrow.” This is an intention, pure and simple. It leaves you vulnerable for stumbling over any obstacle that may come along (changing your mind, too busy, don’t feel like it, feel daunted by the idea).

So, what happens if you make a plan? First, a slightly more specific intention: “I’ll start my diet in the morning.” Then, get more specific: “I’ll start my diet at breakfast. I’ll have a Swiss cheese omelet with 2 pieces of bacon and a fresh orange to balance it with enough protein to feel satisfied on my first diet meal.”

With this specific plan, you would be already anticipating a possible obstacle—feeling unsatisfied. Perhaps you even visually rehearsed, without realizing it.  

If the unforeseen circumstance the next morning is that the bacon has passed it’s freshness date, you will still be prepared to do what you need to do according to the guiding principle of your plan—to make sure you feel satisfied. You can find something else to add to breakfast to accomplish this. So, the unanticipated obstacle, while it is an obstacle, does not loom large. You’ve reduced it with your specific plan.

On the other hand, if you and your teenage daughter have an argument first thing in the morning, can this be the unanticipated obstacle that sends your diet intentions all to hell? It could be. In this case, you didn’t anticipate that “feeling satisfied” might mean being OK emotionally, being OK in a non-food way. Will your specific plan help you here?

You’ll be surprised to learn that the planning you’ve already done in one area will help you here as well. That’s because the pressure is off having to figure out the eating part, and you have energy left to deal with your feelings. Furthermore, you’ve already empowered your intentions to start a diet—by making such a specific plan. There is now no need to re-energize these intentions at a time when your energy is taken up elsewhere.

Following up your good intentions with good plans is the best way to get on the road to diet heaven.