Escaping the Diet Trap

What follows will be achingly familiar to any woman trapped in the cycle of yo-yo dieting.  We re-print an (anonymous) thread following the conversation of a woman determined to lose weight:  six brief comments from among million published on forums for mums….

"The new diet recipe book arrived today and I swear I was dreaming about some of the puddings (have a sweet tooth). And some I can make for phase 2 - yipee!!! Only day 2 and it is not as easy I thought because I cant have the choc biscuits to dunk in my tea I want them more than ever now both biscuits and tea with milk!!! Still feel rough!! Will be going to bed early again to avoid TEMPTATION!!!"

Later

"I'm ashamed to say I have failed ladies!!! I'm upset with myself!! Have had a hard day with ex and things just got too much with me feeling ill etc I had some chocolate and a cup of tea!!

I feel like an idiot!!!"

Then

"Feel positive and motivated today!! And yes still guilty and ashamed that I let myself down!! But today is a new day luckily it was only day 2 so here I go again!! I need to focus on why I want to do this and I'm going to look good - slim and toned (still doing my ea active) to P*ss off my ex who has underminded (sic) my confidence and self-esteem whilst doing this diet with his comments!!! Shouldn't let him get to me but after a horrendous 2 years I'm still vulnerable!!

Wish me luck AGAIN!!"

Later that evening  

"Should also say I'm doing this for me as I for once need to feel good about myself as somewhere along the line I lost that!!!"

The line went quiet for some time after that and then in response to another post:

"I'm also starting again Monday as I need to buy some more food in!! Going to do this time especially as I have a goal!!"

The last comment read

"Well it's Day 2 and I'm getting there though the rough feeling is coming back makes me feel sooooo tired!!!! Like I have no energy and a bit dizzy!!! But I'm going to do it as I failed once   and I want to do this!!!!

How is everyone else doing???"

After that the thread ended.

Horribly familiar isn't it?

Like some insane definition of Hell repeating the same thing over and over (in this case, crash dieting) and hoping to realise a different outcome which never happens.  Why doesn't the result change?   Because the dieting advice is fundamentally flawed: most diets teach that you can be lean but only if you are hungry and miserable, that a calorie is a calorie and energy in equals, energy out.  Not Paleo.

It is easy to say we want change and we want to lose the weight but without commitment and specifically without the possibility of still believing change is possible, it's not going to happen!

So what can we do? Is it still possible to lose the weight and make a dietary change for good?  Can we? Even after all this time?  Even after all these beginnings?  Hell, YES!

Play around with that thought.  Feel into it.  What's happening around that?  Make a note, log the response and continue to follow this blog!  There's work to be done and more suggestions to follow!