Lots of people want to diet. Some of them want to lose weight, others want to get healthier. For many it's a combination of both. Yet, with all the research into dieting and the various diet plans on offer to consumers many people struggle to lose weight permanently. Often people stick to a diet for 30 days but soon their old habits creep back in and the progress is lost. That's because the real enemy isn't the food, it's yourself.
Going on a diet is only covering over the problem. If you want to solve the problem, you have to address its root or cause. In this case, the real enemy is your craving. It's those bad habits that take over once you've been dieting for a month that cause the problem. The diet works for a while, but then you start to eat the odd snack here, or the odd treat there. You think it'll be alright because you've lost the weight and you've managed to stick to the plan so far. But then with each extra snack you eat you slowly lose all that progress made after eating to strict rules for the last month.
Be totally and utterly honest with yourself when trying to identify your cravings. The only way to successfully change the way you eat is to start at the root.
Pay attention to what you want to eat and when you want to eat it. Do you like eating sugary things, or things with a high fat content? Do you usually crave them at certain times of day or perhaps after you've struggled with the chores around the house? Make a note of anything which you spot - and patterns of behavior relating to those unhealthy things which you desire to eat. The first step to a real solution is knowing the enemy (and that enemy is the craving within you).
One thing which really helps you to make a permanent change to your diet is having a really powerful reason for doing so firmly in mind. Long-term aims are the best motivator. Looking to lose weight in time for the Christmas parties is only a temporary aim and won't help you carry through your convictions.
The limbic system in the brain is what controls your cravings. This part of the brain really doesn't like being told what to do, so it requires a massive amount of work to overcome it, but it can be done. Learning how to deal with your brain in this way is a change in your consciousness and can be useful for all kinds of reasons as well as simply controlling what you eat.
You have to change the way you eat with full attentiveness. Make notes of every successful aspect of your eating each day such as "I chose to eat a salad instead of a burger". Record your progress and be strong. Use your successes as a motivation and you can quickly learn to overcome your cravings giving you the strength you need to keep weight off permanently.
