Our Mindset While Dieting to Lose Weight

When we diet to lose weight we are only thinking about what foods we should be eating and what society has told us we can eat on a diet. More importantly, we are thinking about the foods that have been deemed off-limit by society's standards. We begin to believe that we cannot eat certain foods when we are dieting to lose weight. These forbidden foods are often the foods that we love the most. So what happens to your mindset when you believe that certain foods are bad?

Many dieters begin to develop a black or white way of thinking. They believe that certain foods are good. On a “good” day of dieting, their food log may contain foods like whole grain cereal, salad, fruit cup, grilled chicken and a veggie. Eating these types of food and telling yourself that you can't have anything else is depriving your body of what it wants and needs. Deprivation is the common theme in many diets.

Deprivation ultimately leads to an eating binge filled with guilt. You may have a “bad” day when you consume a large coffee, cinnamon rolls, popcorn, a fast food dinner, ice cream and, of course, a late night snack. All the “good” that you did the day before is essentially wiped out by this bad day!

This is the main problem with diets. Foods are either seen as good or bad. There is no in the middle of the road. You deprive your body and end up binge eating later. So how do we stop labeling food as good or bad, and start dieting to lose weight in a healthy and natural way?

Dieting for weight loss should be about balance, and not about good food or bad food. There should not be foods that are off-limits. Trying to avoid certain foods may actually cause you to gain weight, as the body is craving a particular food for a reason. You should live in eating world that sees the value of eating in moderation, and not a world where each food is either good or bad. You can do this with a diet approach that allows you to work on your weight physically, as well as emotionally.

Physically, you should use the approach of listening to what your body needs. Once you develop a relationship with your body, you will begin to understand exactly what it needs. You may be wondering how you can lose weight with this type of approach. First, if you eat when you are hungry and stop when you are full, then you have less of a chance of overeating and gaining weight. Secondly, if you are eating what your body needs, you are reducing the risk that your bodies metabolism will slow down. Third, your body will get the nutrients it needs to function at optimal speed.

Emotions play a big part when you are dieting to lose weight. Many times, after years of dieting our minds are jumbled with emotions that have arisen due to the pain and hurt from dieting. You may be beat down and feeling like a failure. You may have developed negative myths about dieting. We must begin to erase these thoughts and feelings, replacing them with positive self-affirming thoughts. Doing these things will help keep you motivated and on the right path.