Most people want to begin a “diet” on a Monday, not on a Friday. The majority of people want to start their efforts after a vacation as opposed to before. And lastly, many patients entering our program ask if they can wait just a few days to start, as they want to “enjoy” their next few days.
All of the above basically implies that thoughts of going on a journey to control weight are essentially entering a very unhappy time period. It is almost construed as going into a sort of “dietary prison” when we cannot have the foods/drinks we like, but rather, will be forced to eat a limited menu of food items that may be “good” for weight loss but “bad” for fun.
This type of mind-set ultimately spells doom for long-term weight control success. The reason: When we feel that a situation/environment is negative/punishing, we cannot wait for this to end. Referring to weight control, the high protein/low carb/low fruit/low alcohol “situation/environment” becomes sort of boring, repetitive and deprives us of a number of foods/drinks that had been a pretty good chunk of our dietary intakes. Taking these foods/drinks away from us is almost akin to entering a prison where certain rights and comforts are taken away..
How do we avoid the “dietary prison” mind-set? Always remain focused on the reasons why you need to control weight and the benefits that await you when goals are reached. Looking younger, becoming much healthier, re-gaining energy, fitting into clothes, ridding yourself of medications, etc etc….these, and more are the great results that will transpire.
A much worse “prison” than the dietary one is being encarcerated by a number of co-morbidities secondary to poor weight control. That prison can place you on Death Row.
