Top 10 Reasons Diets Don't Work
From www.WriteEating.com

Over $40 billion dollars are spent by those who want to lose weight every year on books, tapes, foods, programs, diets, pills, herbs, shakes and who-knows-what-else. Unfortunately, less than 5% of those who lose weight actually keep it off for more than one year. In fact, researchers are saying that it's easier to cure cancer than it is to lose weight and keep it off for two years! Here's why diets don't work.

1. They are short-term Yes, they help in losing weight, but they don't offer long-term results.

2. They are restrictive By their very nature, they restrict the "dieter" from eating at certain times, or eating certain foods, that result in a sense (real or imagined) of deprivation.

3. They can be a form of self-punishment. "I was really 'bad' on my vacation. Now I need to go on a diet." Or "I ate my way through the holidays, I'm going on a diet on January 2nd." Diets begin to seem like a good way to 'get a grip' and 'get back in control'. Unfortunately, while it creates an initial sense of control, it usually results in calamity when it collides with the reality of everyday life; the business lunch, the office party, the family dinners, etc.

4. They aren't practical. Very often, a diet will require a variety of behaviors that are difficult to sustain in public, while raveling, vacationing, or just living 'normally'. For example, "Just drink this shake every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner", assumes you eat at home and never venture out.

5. They aren't flexible. Everyone has an 'unusual' day now and then. Maybe it's the boss's birthday, or your in-laws 25th Anniversary, or just a dinner out with your family. Quite often, diets don't allow for that and make the dieter eel 'bad' for participating in the everyday activities of life.

6. They create deprivation. It doesn't take long for the dieter to lose touch with their own hunger level and begin to focus solely on when they will next be able to eat.

7. It does not lead to good eating habits. Typically, a person will reject 70-80% of the eating prescribed by a typical diet as an act of independence from the diet. Rather than creating lifetime healthy habits, it creates a polarization of eating.

8. It leads to "Good Food" and "Bad Food" thinking. Quite often the dieter will feel good about themselves when they are eating the food on the program, and feel terrible about themselves when they eat food "off" the program. There begins to be a sense of the 'good me' and 'bad me' perspective based solely on how the person is eating! (As if that has anything to do with morality!)

9. The more we diet, the fatter we get. Statistics show us that the more a person diets, the more they usually gain during the following regression.

They are NOT the solution, they ARE the problem People usually develop problems with eating because of dieting. The fastest way to create an emotional eater is to restrict their ability to eat normally.

PERSONAL NOTE Over the last 30 years I've constantly struggled with my weight. Although I've never been more than 35 pounds over weight, I've lost the same 20 pounds over and over, always regaining and then some. I've been on every diet and weight loss program imaginable including a lifetime member of Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, and many others.

Several years ago, I discover Write Eating and Gisele Guilbert Anderson, a weight loss coach. What I thought was "just another diet" turned out to be a wonderful "eat for life" program on which I lost 25 pounds, kept it off, and gained new insights about my hunger, likes/dislikes, and other tools to last me the rest of my life.

As a result of my enthusiasm for this program and a desire to share the possibility of success with others, I've recently expanded my personal/professional coaching practice to include Write Eating. If you'd like to schedule a complimentary Success Coaching Session just send me a quick email. To learn more about the program before the session visit www.writeeating.com.

This is not a diet. You can eat what you want, when you want, where you want. However, there is structure, accountability, and a coach who holds your hand every step of the way

What do you have to lose?

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