What is the Dieting Mind Set?

When it comes to dieting, too many people set themselves up for failure before they even begin the process. They literally fear dieting and plan their doom before they start. It's sad but true, too many dieters would be planning their first Rocky Road misadventure while eating their last bowl of Rocky Road before the big event. I have no idea why we do this to ourselves, but it's something I see dieters everywhere. It is an all too popular notion that one must gorge on the most loved and enjoyable foods before beginning the dieting process, as these things must be completely eliminated in order to shed unwanted pounds. If you are loyal to yourself, nothing could be further from the truth. Moderation is simply a concept that many of us are reluctant to embrace. For any diet you adapt to be successful, you need to change the way you think about food and your personal enjoyment of food. Food is not your enemy. And that's something that not enough people really understand. Even "tasty" foods are not the enemy. The enemy is your personal ability to think about the proper portion of the foods you eat. The problem is that the vast majority of us eat the wrong foods far more often than the right foods. Here, the problem is that our bodies need nutrients that we are missing out on by not eating the five servings of vegetables and three servings of fruit we should be consuming every day. Our bodies know something is missing, and we feel hunger or lack. If we actually ate the correct ratio of fruits and vegetables every day, we would find that we are much less likely to feel hungry and crave foods that are not so healthy. This means that we are much more likely to enjoy them in moderation, as they should be. Portion control is another problem we have. We live in an up-selling society. Super-sized fries and empty calories per gallon of your favorite cola are offered with almost every fast food meal that can be purchased. You must learn to say no to these things and avoid situations in which you may feel tempted to participate in these great orders. To be truly successful at dieting, you need to embrace the process of building a healthier you, rather than depriving yourself of something. Don't think of your weight loss plan as something negative, but rather as a positive force in your life that will help you make changes for the better. When you have negative thoughts, don't direct them towards your diet. When you feel exhausted, remind yourself that you are depriving your bones of carrying that extra weight. Remind yourself that you are depriving your wardrobe of bulky clothes to hide your bump. Remind yourself that you are depriving your body of years of bulging and returning it to the body of youth. Don't get so bogged down in the dieting process that you forget to enjoy some good things, life has to offer. Watching your weight and counting calories doesn't mean you can never exceed your allotment. However, the goal is to find a balance. If you learn to portion your meals, indulge in moderation, and incorporate enjoyable calorie-burning activities into your daily routine, you may be amazed at the results. Dieting for weight loss and health is only exhausting if you let it be. If you cannot control yourself when it comes to indulgence, then by all means avoid self-indulgence. However, if you can learn to fit these little treats into your routine in moderation and burn off those extra calories too, then you should be a much happier and more successful "dieter" than you've ever been in the past.