Diet is not a verb

Somewhere in the course of history we added a second meaning to the word diet. It went from this

Noun: the kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eats.


to this

Verb: restrict oneself to small amounts or special kinds of food in order to lose weight.

And that is the problem. When we think of the word diet we tend to think of the second definition. It is this dirty word that we all loath, and it has certain unmentioned caveats. One being, it is temporary. The original definition of the word diet is clearly not temporary, it is the kind of food you eat, you eat to live you eat every day, it is simply a description of the kind of foods you eat, nothing temporary about that.

But when we go on a diet, I think we all imagine it will be a temporary thing, "just till I lose the weight, then I won't have to be so restrictive." The truth is that's a sad little lie we tell ourselves to make it more manageable, more palatable. "I can do this because I don't have to do it forever."

But see the original definition tells us otherwise... Your diet is what you eat ALL the time. You have to keep it up, you have to keep going. You are making changes, you are not DIETING (verb), you are permanently changing your DIET (noun).

Personal story: when I started my weight loss journey I was determined. I was crazy about my diet and my workouts. I lost weight quick. I was down 30 pounds in 3 months. I was strict I was regimented, I said no to yummy things, I was a drill sergeant about working out even on vacation. I was committed. I was also under the illusion that it was temporary...

One day I had an ephiany. This is forever. If I go back even a little bit to the way I used to eat, the way I used to be about exercise, I will be right back where I started. I will gain it all back. I can never again be complacent about workouts, I can never again say "it's ok if I eat this."

This is a lifestyle change, you are changing who you are, changing your habits. You are a new different person. You have to give up the old and embrace the new. That was a hard pill to swallow. I reached a point where the weight stopped coming off. I kept up my "diet" (using it a s verb here) and saw no change no results, nothing. I hit a major plateau that I am still riding. The worst part about the whole thing was I kept thinking (and still do sometimes) but I am eating so well, I am doing so good, I am dieting! That kind of thinking discourages and leads to relapses.

Obviously this is my maintain point. It is going to take something drastic to get over this hump. I work out 4-6 times a week. I eat healthy, I count calories. I don't lose. I maintain, and that means if I stop, if I don't work out, if I don't eat this way I will start to gain.

You reach a point where you realize, these changes are permenant. I want you to know that now going into this so maybe you wan't be so shocked and disappointed like I was.

In all honesty I have a difficult time maintaining this. When I saw other mommies with stellar results and six packs and flat tummy's I used to think "I want that!" But now I know what it would take for me to get there, and I don't want it bad enough. It is easier to maintain than to lose especially when you are starting out. When I was heavier I burned so many more calories, now that I am 30 pounds lighter the same workout burns 1/4 of the calories it did before. That is discouraging, and makes it difficult.

I don't have the motivation or desire to have a flat tummy. And that is OK. My goal is to be happy and healthy and help my kids start good eating habits and have a good relationship with food while they are young. I would love to lose the extra fat I carry, but if that means more work than what I am doing now, it's simply not happening, and I am ok with that. I seriously have reached a peaceful place (after much whining and frustration).

You will reach a point where you are ready to stop "dieting" and simply maintain a healthy diet. Make your goals attainable, make them sustainable. Be happy with the little victories. If you find that you are miserable evaluate whether or not you can maintain this forever. You cannot think of this as a temporary thing. You are making changes for a lifetime. This is not A diet it is YOUR diet.