Anne P. Jackson

Food Is Not The Enemy

That's right – food is NOT the enemy of your weight loss plan. We all need food to survive. Even those super skinny super models on the magazine covers need to eat food. But, deep down you already know that.

Food is not the enemy when trying to lose weight. Take a close and careful look at yourself and your attitude towards weight loss and you'll find the real enemy. We all have a deep seated desire to place the blame for our failures on other people or the circumstances or whatever excuse we can come up with. That's just human nature. The difference is in people who can face the music, look into the mirror, and know that they are looking at the reason for their failures. Failure is not always a bad thing, you know. How else do we know (for ourselves) if we are succeeding, if we have not, previously, failed?

It's all about changing your lifestyle. Losing weight isn't something you can do for a few months and then, when the weight is gone, go back to your old lifestyle. You will just gain it all back again – plus some extra! ANY good weight loss plan should tell you this. Making food your enemy will only lead to further weight GAIN and frustrating failure. Following the basic nutritional rules and adding in some exercise is the only proven way for people to lose weight effectively and keep it off.

Weight loss is a deeply personal and individual issue. Food is not the enemy because it's what keeps us alive. An effective diet plan that works for Suzie will not necessarily work for Mary. The basic principles of nutrition will be the same, but maybe Mary does better with walking, while Suzie like to swim laps. Or maybe Suzie, LOVES carbs and just can't do without her “special” breads, yet Mary just can't seem to forgo her desire for salt.

In these circumstances each one will have to find ways to avoid overdoing their “passions” and finding ways to allow some of them into their diet, while at the same time, not overdoing it. There are so many “tricks” that you can use that there is no reason to deprive yourself of say, chocolate, for the rest of your life in order to lose weight. You have to be realistic. You love chocolate, so do you realistically believe that you will give it up for the rest of your life? I don't believe so. You will lose. You'll eat that chocolate and then call yourself a failure and completely throw your diet plan out the window.

But what if you incorporated a little chocolate into your diet plan? Say, as a once a week treat? What is you rewarded yourself with a little chocolate for every 5 pounds that you lose? Isn't this a little bit more realistic? Now, don't get me wrong. Chocolate is fattening! You should NOT incorporate it into your diet plan as a regular “meal”! A small amount, on occasion, is perfectly acceptable.

Whatever your “downfall” with your diet plan is, whether it's chocolate, chips, or any kind of sweets, should not be put on the “never” list. Incorporate it into your calories with caution, but certainly you should not deprive yourself of the things that you love forever.

Article Tags: Lose Weight, Diet Plan

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