Maria's Last Diet:

People are so different. Some women want lots of choices and feel too restricted if they don't have these choices to make. Others might feel frustrated and overwhelmed by many choices. It might even remind them of their out-of-control eating.

There is psychological research on this very subject. Here are some things you might like to know about choices and self-control.

First, we would all agree that your self-control comes into play when you are dieting You use your self-control so that you can stick to your dieting behavior. This is the way to attain weight-loss success.

Now, self-control takes a good bit of mental and physical energy. The reason is because you need to override one response—for example, giving in to being tempted by food—and then substitute another response, which is restraint. It's not easy, as most of us know.

OK, so you need self-control for dieting and self-control takes a lot out of you. You might even say it depletes your energy.

It is interesting that research about this shows how making decisions—choosing one thing over another—draws upon the same inner resource you use for self-control—which you might call energy, or strength. Furthermore, this kind of inner strength is limited, and apparently gets easily depleted.

To get more specific about self-control and dieting, let's say you are faced with some non-diet food, or even the thought of non-diet food—or, you may be faced with another kind of challenge having nothing to do with food, but you automatically think of eating as a way to help you meet the challenge. In order to stick to dieting, you need to override your inclination to eat whatever it is, and then substitute a different response. You need to interrupt what is by now a natural tendency on your part, and initiate another kind of behavior, which is pretty much the opposite. Can you see how this is an energy-consuming process?

So, if you add to this a wide variety of food choices while you're dieting, you'll need even more energy—decision-making energy.

The research findings indicate that having to make many decisions leads to impairment of self-regulation. Experiments have shown that people who did not have to make too many choices persisted longer then people who did have to make choices. This inability to persist was shown to happen on a wide variety of tasks.

It's a paradox. We all want to have choices, the freedom to live life as we want to live it. But we also tire of making choices, and even get stressed out by decision-making.

Making choices can be difficult, require great effort, and result in worse self-regulation. We are wowed by any dieting regimen that says "Eat whatever you choose and still lose the weight". But they usually don't work.

Think about these concepts, and see if anything here can help you on your quest to lose the weight.

Posted by Maria's Last Diet on Tuesday, December 29, 2009 in How to Get There | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Burning Calories: What to Expect

by Maria's Last Diet

Calories-in minus calories-out, that’s the formula for keeping your weight right “wear” it is—and you being none the worse for “where”.

Did you know that there are 3,500 calories in one pound of fat? A 250 lb man burns 3 calories climbing a flight of stairs. To burn the calories gained from eating one slice of bread, this man would have to climb 20 flights of stairs.

Doesn’t sound possible to lose the weight by the calories-out method, does it?

A better mousetrap has already been built—concentrate your efforts on the calories-in part. That’s where you do something about your food intake. You can limit your intake, change what you eat, or start dieting. This should help with the calories-in.

What about the calories-out? Exercising. Burning off the calories you take in. Exercise is not the great equalizer to calories-in that it’s cracked up to be. Exercising burns off the calories-in at a very slow rate, and cannot catch up to the weight gain from calories-in—except if you exercise to the extreme. So you can’t count on exercising to help you lose weight, unless you’re ready to climb those 20 flights of stairs.

Nevertheless, exercising does a lot of good for the woman who wants to lose weight. Here’s how. Exercising is a great motivator. For example, from exercising, you can get the idea that if you can stick to an exercise regimen, you can stick to any regimen, even an eating regimen. From exercising, you feel better physically because you are taking better care of your body. This helps you to realize how loading up on the calories-in destroys this “new body” of yours. This realization leads to handling the calories-in so it is more compatible with the “changed you” that’s coming from exercising.

So don’t count out exercising. It has enormous motivational and confidence-building value. But when it comes to losing the weight, focus your efforts on the calories-in side of the equation. (And remember, the calories-in side is not all about food. There is a psychological side to calories-in.)

Posted by Maria's Last Diet on Monday, December 28, 2009 in Exercise Advice | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Bad Eating Habits Succumb to the Small Changes You Make

by Maria's Last Diet

Do you feel like you need to make enormous changes to lose the weight? What if all it takes are small changes. Would you be surprised?

Actually, it's the accumulation of small changes that gives you the power and ability to lose the weight successfully.

The small changes we encourage you to make are not really so small. They seem small relative to what precedes them. Each little new step you take should be relatively easy, different from what you were doing up to that point, but not very different. That's why little changes don't take much effort, and each little change you make gets you ready for the next little change. These little changes add up to a real transformation. There is power and strength gained as you go through the change process in this way. It is a multi-faceted strategy that accomplishes the following:

Lets you gradually tear down bad habits, the same way you gradually built them up
Helps take the pain and struggle out of the weight-loss challenge
Builds self-confidence through the experience of many mini-successes
Avoids the impatience that comes from having only one big goal to shoot for

The whole sequence of small, cumulative change steps ends up in a complex and meaningful change in relation to your starting point. And yet, when you get there, you should feel perfectly comfortable, as though it is natural for you to be there.

This contrasts sharply with trying to change big things about you and your eating habits all at once. This takes huge effort and can make you feel like you are attempting the impossible, as though you are defeated before you even begin.

If you are like so many other women, you may have said to yourself in the past: OK, Monday I'll start dieting and I'll be good. I won't cheat. I'll lose 30 lbs by the spring. I'll eat just what the diet says, and I'll walk every day for 45 minutes.

Wow, that sounds hard and all-of-a-sudden. But, what if you said to yourself something like this: Tomorrow I will take note of times during the day when I tend to eat too much.

Doesn't that sound easier? And it will tell you a lot.

Posted by Maria's Last Diet on Saturday, December 26, 2009 in Changing/Learning | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Tempting is Christmas

by Maria's Last Diet

Twas the great day of Christmas and all through the house

Was food mighty tempting to man, woman and mouse

The cookies were stored in the pantry with care

And I most of all knew that they were there

There was lots to do before the family came round

The cooking and baking made Christmassy sound

There we were altogether in our toasty warm kitchen

Keeping our old venerable family tradition

Of course there were spats and arguments too

As we were a family that felt at home in a stew

On this day of all would forgiveness come quickly?

We were trying our best to not be so prickly

But I had a conflict with personal wishes

That just didn’t jive with those hearty rich dishes

Like getting as thin as I used to be

Like feeling so light, so graceful and free

So here was my annual Christmas-time question

The one that always gave me much hesitation

Was it really all right not to stick to my diet?

Should I be firm—well I could try it

The spirit moved me to do something new

And that’s exactly what I chose to do

So I didn’t stuff but I didn’t starve

And it turned out to be just the slightest bit hard

It’s good what the Greeks said, use moderation

That was the motto of my celebration

No, I didn’t starve and I didn’t stuff

And I found that one helping was really enough

At the end of the day, cookies back on the shelf

And me, I felt very proud of myself

No over-full feeling, no regrets, and no tears

It turned out to be my best Christmas in years

Posted by Maria's Last Diet on Friday, December 25, 2009 in Holidays | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

When It Comes to Cookies, Is Zero Your Lucky Number?

by Maria's Last Diet

Dear Maria...

Some people can control themselves as to how many sweets they eat. I can't do that.

For many years, I thought I had to learn how to have one or two cookies, and stop at that. Well, believe me, I tried. But it is in my DNA to eat at least 10 cookies, and often more.

So, you know what?

Instead of trying to be a person that I am not, I'm going with who I am.

As I said, I am a person who has trouble controlling how many cookies I eat. So, for now at least - while I am trying with all my strength to lose the weight - I am laying off the cookies completely.

I am who I am.

- Louisa

Posted by Maria's Last Diet on Thursday, December 24, 2009 in How to Get There | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

How can I say no to my mother-in-law's famous, irresistible, to-die-for holiday chocolate pecan pie?

by Maria's Last Diet

Are you sure you want to say no? Because that sounds like a piece of pie worth having―decadent, delicious, special. Is it really that one piece of pie that is the worry? Or is it what might follow like more treats, the next day’s eating out of control, possibly even more pie or cookies or whatever holiday leftovers and gifts are lying around tempting you.

Suppose you work that luscious piece of pie right into your holiday eating plan. Can you plan to have it, enjoy it guilt free, and prepare yourself to eat other things in moderation?

Plan, plan, plan and you can eat your pie and have weight control too.

Posted by Maria's Last Diet on Monday, December 21, 2009 in Holidays | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

For a Long-Term Weight Control Problem, What's the Most Powerful Weapon?

by Maria's Last Diet

The most powerful weapon in trying to solve a longstanding weight control problem is to do something (or everything) differently. It stands to reason, doesn’t it? Because what you’ve been doing, maybe again and again, obviously hasn’t solved the problem if it’s still persisting.

Suspend judgment, and let some new ideas develop.

Here’s an exercise in doing something different that one woman used. She began by setting out this parameter: this time I will not use a “diet” as the answer. I will come up with as many non-diet ways that I can think of to lose the weight. If I want to try dieting, I always can do that. For now, I need to generate some new methods, because so far I haven’t been able to lose the weight on any of the weight-loss diets.

It really wasn’t a case of thinking “diets don’t work”. It was a case of figuring out why diets hadn’t worked for Ellen—what other factors were playing their parts.

This was a very different thing for Ellen to do. She had always gone on a diet when she decided to lose weight. She had tried to exercise too, but the diet was her front and center plan. Dieting = Weight loss. But it didn’t.

Once she took “dieting” out of the equation, she had to find out What? = Weight loss for me

This new slant put a totally different spin on it. Ellen came up with things like:

My best friend Josie eats like a horse and she encourages me to do it along with her.

I can’t tell the difference between being hungry and being tired.

I can’t seem to relax without a big bowl of something to munch on.

I eat instead of crying.

I give myself food to feel worthwhile.

Well, these observations led Ellen to come up with very different actions to take for losing the weight.

She stopped making plans with Josie that had to do with mealtimes.

She paid close attention to her fatigue level, and really tried to get more rest when she needed it.

She got creative and came up with 10 different ways she could relax without eating.

She wondered about what made her so often feel like crying.

She faced the fact that a lot of the time she didn’t feel like a worthwhile person.

Without DIETING as the quick easy answer, Ellen came up with the important things that affected the issue of losing the weight for her.

And then, she decided to go on a new diet she heard about. It sounded good.

So the equation went like this:

Facing these issues + Dieting = Weight-loss success for me

It pays to break out of your rut when it comes to achieving weight-loss success. There are always different ways of looking at things, and different ways of doing things. That’s what makes the difference.

Posted by Maria's Last Diet on Sunday, December 20, 2009 in How to Get There, It's Not Just About Food | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Stop Strict Dieting and Eating Out of Control. Use Moderation.

by Maria's Last Diet

Moderation is a balance point in the middle of the two extremes - absolute control at one end and total loss of control at the other end.

If you are caught between these two behaviors, it is like you are forever going through a revolving door. You are caught between two magnets, each pulling you and attracting you. One wins out at times, the other wins out at other times. And you can never find a calm place for yourself. You can’t seem to be able to rest at a comfortable balance point.

So how do you find that balance, that moderate middle ground? Here are some concepts that have a lot to do with getting balanced: developing skills, exercising choice, becoming more and more aware, and taking personal responsibility. First of all, acting in moderation is a skill that you can practice and learn. You begin by noting errors, becoming very aware of times when you inadvertently get knocked off balance, and you learn from these occurrences. You see what happened and then you use this awareness to give yourself corrective feedback. You say to yourself “Well, I did that, but maybe I could have done such and such. That would have made the situation a lot better for me, and I could have stayed more moderate with my eating habits.”

So here’s where choice and personal responsibility enter the picture. You can then choose to try and do it differently next time. That’s your choice. You will be recognizing that you are the only one who actually can act differently. All the while, as you try new ways, stay aware, exercise your choice in the matter, take responsibility—all this adds to your skill level.

With enough practice, you become adept at finding your balance, your middle ground: moderation. You find this balance because you get to know your actions and reactions, and you gradually learn how to change them. This is true control, and it feels much better than careening back and forth from extreme to extreme. And once you learn the skill of moderation, it helps you overcome bad eating habits and the problem of staying overweight.

Posted by Maria's Last Diet on Saturday, December 19, 2009 in How to Get There | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

A Fail-Safe Dieting Plan for the Holidays

by Maria's Last Diet

Everyone knows the equation: holidays = pressure + stress. Even when you try to reduce the stress, it’s still stressful. Even when you’re not being a host, just a guest, it’s still stressful.

When you’re under stress, you can more easily be captured by the most prominent temptations in the environment. When it comes to the holidays and someone who struggles with her weight, the most prominent temptation is food.

“I can’t help myself”, you think. “There’s so much good food all around. It’s just too tempting.” All of this is real and true. However, it is what is in between the lines, what you’re not saying, what you’re not thinking about, that counts here. What is behind those words, beneath the surface? What is really driving your behavior?

When you are trying to lose the weight, what comes into play is the issue of self-regulation. There are different approaches to the study of self-regulation. Some prominent psychology researchers put it this way, and it’s a very good way to think about it. You have only a certain amount of self-control strength. Just like in many other areas of life, the supply of energy for self-control is not unlimited. Therefore, exercising a great deal of self-control in one situation might leave you with little or none for other situations. So what does this have to do with the holidays? If you stop to think about it, holidays require a great deal of self-regulation.

It happens every year. You need to regulate your schedule more than ever because there’s a lot more going on, and there’s always a lot more to be done. You need to have more control over your time so you can squeeze out extra for all the tasks that holidays present you with. You may need to use more self-regulation in spending money so you don’t go overboard during the expensive holiday season. Last but not least, you will no doubt find yourself in many more social situations than usual, and this alone calls for a big dose of self-regulation. In social situations you need to control certain reactions like annoyance, boredom, etc. Also, there is more need to regulate feelings of disappointment, hurt, excitement, joy, sorrow, anger, all of which are heightened during the holidays.

As you can see, you need to use a lot of self-regulation energy to navigate the holidays. Understanding this, it is easy to see why you may find your self-control energy bordering on empty when it comes to eating.

Here is a way to go. Since there is not enough self-control energy to cover everything you need it for over the holidays, why not ease up on your eating restrictions during this limited period of time? Here’s how to do it and still not go overboard.

Give yourself this holiday-friendly set of guidelines. You’ll find it works wonders for your weight loss efforts.

My goal for this holiday is to maintain my weight and not gain.
This is a goal you’ll be able to achieve. It is realistic and it won’t deplete your self-control supply.
I will not restrict myself to a narrow dieting plan during this time.
Set aside that particular diet, just for now. It will still be there for you after the holidays, when you will have more energy to bring to it.
I will give myself permission to eat the special treats that are offered.
Giving yourself permission eliminates your conflicting feelings about eating it or not eating it.
I will take care to not go wild because that will interfere with my goal of maintaining my weight.
You will want to be loyal to your interim goal because it is a fair goal, a good goal, and one that is within your capability.
I will consider the achievement of this goal to be a big success for me.
Instead of being left with the unsettling feeling that you’re out of control, you will actually be able to feel proud of yourself.

If you can ease up on your expectations in these ways with regard to your eating, not only will you achieve the important goal of maintaining your weight during the course of the holidays, but you are bound to feel better about yourself. You won’t have to feel like you blew it again. This is a great way to work out the holiday dieting failure issue. You just might eliminate your usual guilt, self-recrimination, regrets about overeating, doubts about yourself and the strength of your convictions. You might just come out of the holidays feeling empowered.

Here’s to the happiest holidays ever.

Posted by Maria's Last Diet on Friday, December 18, 2009 in Holidays | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Weight-Loss Success Quiz: What Makes People Change?

by Maria's Last Diet

In order to lose the weight for good, you need to accomplish personal change. There are important principles involved in personal change. Being aware of how people change empowers you to lose the weight and keep it off.

How much do you really know about the way change works?

Take this quiz and find out!

Punishing problem behavior is a good way to get rid of it.
False. This is actually not a good way to get rid of problem behavior such as overeating. It may stop it for a time, but it will rarely result in permanent change.
Diets don’t work to change eating behavior.
False. Diets do work, but they don’t work alone. It is important to concentrate on changing habits and thought processes along with dieting.
It is essential to ask for help from significant others when you are trying to change the way you eat.
True. When you are trying to change something as basic as your eating habits, helping relationships greatly increase your chance for success.
It is a good idea to tell people around you what you are trying to accomplish.
True. Letting those around you know―at home, at work, friends―gives more power to your decision to lose the weight.
In order to change your bad eating habits, you need to deal better with stress.
True. Stress reduction strategies are a number one tool for weight-loss success.
It is good to stay away from media weight-loss information while you are dieting.
False. The more informed you are the better. Read books, go on the internet and research articles, watch T.V. Gather as much new knowledge as possible about eating and weight problems and how to change them.
Losing the weight requires big changes.
False. On the contrary, losing the weight for good involves small changes, little steps, which really add up.
When you are trying to change your weight and your behavior, you must never have a lapse.
False. When you are attempting to change your behavior, a lapse back into a bad habit is normal. Learning how to pick yourself up after a lapse is an essential part of change.
Any change requires firm commitment.
True. Being ready to change involves a strong decision to make that change and to make it a priority in your life.
All you need to make an important change in your eating is willpower.
False. Willpower comes and goes when you are dieting. There are many other powerful tools involved in being successful, such as commitment, planning, sufficient support, and the ability to accept yourself as not perfect.

The more you know about how people make changes in themselves and their lives, the more equipped you are to make these changes.

Posted by Maria's Last Diet on Wednesday, December 16, 2009 in Changing/Learning | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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When You Are Dieting, Is It Easier to Have A Lot of Choices or a Few Choices?

Burning Calories: What to Expect

Bad Eating Habits Succumb to the Small Changes You Make

Tempting is Christmas

When It Comes to Cookies, Is Zero Your Lucky Number?

How can I say no to my mother-in-law's famous, irresistible, to-die-for holiday chocolate pecan pie?

For a Long-Term Weight Control Problem, What's the Most Powerful Weapon?

Stop Strict Dieting and Eating Out of Control. Use Moderation.

A Fail-Safe Dieting Plan for the Holidays

Weight-Loss Success Quiz: What Makes People Change?

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