I’m throwing the red challenge flag.
Maybe it’s because football is still on my mind since the Eagles kept me up way too late last night with their victory over the Packers.
Or maybe it’s because I know what you’re planning on doing and I want to challenge the ruling on the field.
I know how it can feel after a holiday weekend.
You feel out of your routine, the scale is probably up, you’re questioning some decisions you made, there may be a little guilt and shame sneaking their way into your brain.
And your thought process goes a little something like this …
I’m just going to diet quickly to get the scale back down and then I’ll be able to enjoy the December holidays and New Years. Then in January I’ll realllly get my shit together.
*insert picture of me throwing a red challenge flag*
Dieting as a reaction to an over indulgence (whether intentional or unintentional) is never a good reason to diet.
In fact, it’s a massive red flag that you should NOT be dieting.
5 Reasons You Shouldn’t Be Dieting
Allow me to hit you with my top 5 red flags that you shouldn’t be dieting …
1. You’re dieting because you over indulged – you overate one night or one weekend or one holiday. If your response is to diet, you’re firmly planting yourself in an all or nothing mindset and never learning how to create sustainable change.
2. You dislike your body / yourself and think that losing weight will solve your problems. Look … if you want to change your body, I’m all for it. I can just tell you that if it’s coming from a place of hate or dislike … it won’t last. Negative motivators (like being disgusted with yourself) have been shown to be effective for getting started … but really ineffective for continuing. True change comes from the mindset of … I love and appreciate my body for what it can do and I’d like to see what I’m capable of.
3. You feel aimless / directionless if you’re not dieting. This is a classic case of thinking that dieting and losing fat is the only goal worth pursuing. When in reality, it’s the least stable goal with the most likelihood of failure. If you haven’t embraced pursuing strength, muscle building, metabolic health, quality habits, longevity, balance / moderation, performance, or anything other than fat loss … you shouldn’t be dieting.
4. You are overly stressed in other areas of your life. When work, family, or personal life stressors are high, it’s the best time to not diet. You don’t need to add another stressor on top of an already stressful environment.
5. You are always dieting, have dieted most of your adult life, and constantly try to eat very little with not much consistency to show for it. A lot of us have been raised on diet culture. We have early memories of our parents counting points or buying low fat everything or not eating carbs. Dieting has become as normal as breathing. So it’s no wonder our default mindset is to diet. We have a certain number of calories in our head and it’s probably way too low. Some days we hit it, some days we don’t. But it’s always in the back of our minds that we need to be eating less, losing fat, getting leaner. If that thought process is running in the background 24/7 … it’s time to pump the brakes on dieting.
It’s time to give up the dieter’s mindset.
Look, I get it, you may be feeling a certain type of way right now.
You may feel bloated, gross, and/or frustrated.
You may be on year 10 or 20 or 30 or more of trying to reach your goal weight and it still feels miles away.
You may be ready to give up altogether.
If that’s how you’re feeling, consider giving up the dieter’s mindset. Consider giving up the constant pursuit of fat loss. Consider giving up the all or nothing way of thinking.
Don’t give up on yourself. Just give up on the old way of doing things.
If you want something tangible you can do instead that requires very minimal effort …
– How about picking 1 single habit you’d like to incorporate right now? Start today, not tomorrow. Maybe it’s 5 minutes of meditation. A 15 minute walk each day. A gratitude journal. Or 5 minutes of mobility work in the morning.
– How about you actively try to get stronger this month? Track your weights, see if you can lift heavier or more explosively. Monitor performance and set goals for yourself.
– How about creating an awareness journal around emotional / stress / boredom eating? Simply log when it happens and what the context was and see if you can identify patterns over time.
– How about spending some time understanding maintenance and figuring out what your body truly needs to thrive?
– How about removing one thing from your life that isn’t serving you? Maybe it’s cutting back on sugary coffee drinks. Or scrolling your phone before bed. Or dialing back the alcohol or ordering in.
I know, I know … it’s not as exciting as the get fit quick diet that you were thinking about. But maybe, just maybe you need a little change up.
Final thoughts on why you shouldn’t be dieting and what you should do instead …
Wait, it looks like the call is in …
“After review, the ruling on the field is overturned! You will NOT be dieting right now.”
Maybe now is the time to invest in yourself and get the help you truly need to reach your goals in the most sustainable way possible.
This goes along with changing the old tune and embracing a new approach and a new mindset.
Quality coaching is about so much more than just helping you reach your fat loss goals.
It’s about helping you find a lifestyle that allows you to thrive. Feel your best. Be there for your family. Get strong and healthy. Improve confidence and well-being. Support internal health and longevity. And eliminate the mental roadblocks that are holding you back.
It may be time to stop dancing around the real work that needs to be done.
Well, apparently it’s Cyber Monday so I guess you have one more day to take advantage of the best deal we’ve ever had on 1 on 1 coaching.
If you’d rather wait and pay full price, that’s cool too.
If you want to take advantage of the opportunity, you can schedule a call this week.
Either way, I hope this gave you some food for thought.
