The Monday Diet

How many of you have a new diet you plan to start on Monday?

I can't tell you how many Mondays in my life I have:

• Started a new diet
• Planned to start a new diet
• Never actually got started on the planned new diet
• Never made it through the first full day of the new diet

I see people that haven't been active in a while decide on Monday they are going to start working out hard and they are miserable after the first day. Or they decide on Monday they will never eat chocolate or any other of their favorite foods again because you can't have certain foods on the diet they are about to start.

And some decide to do both and add in the activity and drastically restrict their food on the same day. I'm guilty of doing all of that for years. There were times I could even keep it going for months, but there was always a breaking point that I just couldn't do it any longer. And eventually I would gain it all back. It was just a matter to time.

I always believed every time this happened the problem was me. It took me a long time to realize I was not the problem, but all of the rules and restrictions that come with so many of the diets was the real problem.

I'd do the big before the Monday Diet Weekend Binge because I wanted one last taste of all of the foods I had to give up on Monday. My stomach would be hurting, but I still kept eating all weekend long to prepare for the new diet I would be starting on Monday.

Often, by Monday afternoon I had already "cheated", was on another binge and already planning my diet I was going to start the next Monday. That's just the way it works when you are a compulsive over-eater.

The one thing that I have used my whole life to bring me comfort and happiness the diets wanted to totally take away from me. So even when I succeed on diets and did lose large amounts of weight guess what the first thing was I reached for to celebrate my success? Food.

When I decided to stop depriving myself and focusing on my health my life really started changing that very day. I still have days that I make choices that aren't totally healthy, but the wonderful thing is that instead of thinking "I Cheated" I think to myself I will make better choices for my next meal or snack and it will all even out. And it does. In the past I would have felt like I had cheated on my diet, so I might as well go ahead and go crazy.

You can't "cheat" on your lifestyle because nothing is off limits. When you are on a lifestyle instead of being on a diet your goal is a life long journey of learning, doing a little better each day and always moving forward.

I know for some people this is so hard to hear and wrap your mind around because we have been told for years we must be tough on ourselves and deprive ourselves. Has it worked it for you so far?

If you woke up today ready to start a new fad/crash diet, just stop and think for a moment and ask yourself if you want to be on another diet or start living a healthy lifestyle.

Instead of deciding to restrict all of your foods and pushing yourself to do a hard workout your body isn't ready for give something new a try. Add in healthier foods today or a 10 minute walk.

Set yourself up for success and believe you deserve to live a healthy and happy life.