Breaking Up With My Diet

Today I have a special invitation to those of you who have tried all the diets of the universe and still think that the problem is yourself.

I could do long monologues about why this is not true and that when it comes to weight loss, you should be more concerned about what is going through your head than through your mouth.

But not today. Today we will do something more dynamic!

I'm inviting you to do a very useful exercise -- something that will give you a shot of reality and help you to get you out of the vicious cycle of restraint, guilt, and failure. It may take some work, but I assure you it is worth it.

Paper and pen in hand?

Let's do this.

Analyzing Data With A Cool Head

To get started, make a list of all the diets you've ever followed (at least all that you remember). Do not be shy, no one will judge you for believing in the algae or milkshake diet.

Next to each of them, write down the reason you started and what your expectations were. Also write down how you felt when you started: lively? happy? confident?.

Finally, take stock of each one. More important than the number you saw on the scale, write down how you felt at the end of it -- not when you gave up, got tired or simply abandoned it -- but at least 6 months after that.

Did you get what you imagined to get out of any of them?

Did you feel really good, shiny and bright?

> Let's be brutally honest, ok?

It is quite likely that you, like the overwhelming majority of the women I talk to (including myself), have realized that you never got what you really wanted …

You may have lost weight, but the results were temporary.

It may be that you have realized that even at the lowest weight of your adult life, you still felt like shit and your self-esteem was crap.

It may be that after 6 months, you've regained all the weight back (or more) and felt the worst person in the world.

And if I could bet, I'd say you felt unsuccessful, wronged or miserable -- or a mix of all that.

But believe me, it's not your fault. It is not you who is failing on your diet, the diet is failing you. It is the system that is programmed to fail.

It's time to unfollow it.

If I Unfollow My Diet, Who and What Am I Going To Follow?

When I reinforce that diets do not work, the question I hear is "So what works then?"

Here it goes…

What works is reprograming your mind and your emotional patterns and rewriting your story with food through self-knowledge, diminishing the external control over what you are eating.

It is re-establishing trust, honor, and respect for the signals your body gives you about when, what, and how much to eat -- and no diet or meal plan can do that for you.

There are, of course, exceptions and propitious times for the use of structured eating plans. But, if you are tired of failing at dieting and want to learn to eat intuitively, they will not help you achieve the autonomy and self-confidence you desire after a life of subjecting yourself to external rules to eat.

> The idea of safety that a diet gives you is false. Bet on yourself. Your body is amazing!

* I am a Brazilian girl (living in Sao Paulo with my fiancé -- and another 20 million people). I love coffee, books, and good food. I also really enjoy studying and learning new things that allow me to further develop myself both professionally and personally. I have a degree in Food Science and hold a Ph.D. in Agri-food Marketing. In addition, I am a Certified Nutrition Coach and an enthusiastic Nutrition student. There is a power that comes alive when women free themselves from the food prison in which they have learned to live, when they realize that they are capable and deserving of feeling fantastic in their own bodies, and that confidence is a state of mind -- not a body lotion which you get the right to use when you reach a weight-loss goal. My work is dedicated to nurturing, celebrating and sharing this message.