It has been said that people don't fail diets, diets fail people. It can also be said that all diets work...for as long as one is on the diet. These simple truths leave terminal dieters damaged. After multiple failures, confidence and motivation are lost. This is why responsible health professionals must steer the general public towards healthier lifestyles and away from the tired diet approaches of yesteryear.
Many clients I work with have tried a multitude of things to lose weight. They always want to know from me what will be different this time. It is my challenge to talk to them about previous failures and help them to realize that previous failures are good learning experiences. Drawing from what didn't work in the past can create a new, solid road map for what can. I have to make them believe in their hearts that this time really will be different because they are going to take different approaches and make changes that are manageable and sustainable for a lifetime. This is the real key to successful weight loss; sustainability.
It is also my challenge to help people understand that constant self-abuse over previous failures is terribly unproductive. My client base includes cancer survivors, survivors of debilitating accidents, cardiac patients and the list goes on. I see people that have experienced weight gain for a host of reasons outside of their control, yet each and everyone of them feels directly responsible for it. It can be disheartening to see, and I have to work very hard over the course of months to help them reshape their thinking and bring their focus towards the future instead of being resentful about getting hit by a car ten years ago.
Are you this person? Are you stuck in the past over woulda, shoulda, coulda? Do you hold yourself responsible for life-altering events that happened outside of your control? Are you looking ahead to where you would like to go and creating a plan that will take you there? This is where you need to be spending time and effort. The past is gone, it isn't coming back, and there is not going to be a do-over. Give yourself the pretend ability to hit the reset button and move on. Sometimes you have to get out of your own way in order to make room for progress. What matters most is what you do today and moving forward. Look where you are going, and not where you've been.
