“Interruption”
© 2005 Sandra Ahten

Perhaps it is because you have an overly busy life in a society the serves up fast but fat laden food. Maybe you simply love delicious desserts that are a little too readily available. Whatever the reason, if you are on a roller coaster of unhealthy eating you know you need to apply the brakes. You need to allow a time for your mind to clear and recognize that there are other possibilities for satisfaction.

Weight loss plans that give specific directions - what I call directed diets - often get a bad rap. But they do have very real benefits. Waking up to other possibilities is a definite benefit. People who start them realize, “Oh, I can do something different. I can change. There are things other than what I was eating that will satisfy me.”

But with directed diets we tend to be either on them or off of them and when we are off of them - look out! We are off of the solid ground of sane eating and back on the roller coaster. But remember that the euphoria of over-indulgent eating is temporary - you can’t live on a roller coaster - and this particular ride returns you again and again to remorse, sluggishness, and a tight waistline.

A directed diet should just be an interruption to the ride. It should then be thoughtfully modified or replaced as we tune into what is right for our own bodies and lifestyles.

We are all on a diet, making choices about what we eat. The question I’m posing is this: Is your current diet helping you meet your goals in life? If not, are you willing to have an interruption? If so, should that interruption be a directed diet?

The first criteria for deciding if a directed diet is the answer for you, is determining if the diet is more sane and healthy than how you’ve actually been eating. When I first needed to lose weight I chose a directed diet for myself. Although I was primarily a vegetarian and I believed I was eating fairly well, I was gaining several pounds a year. I found I needed the education that reading labels and counting calories imposed.

But perhaps a directed diet isn’t for you. Make up your own diet. One gentleman did and lost 40 pounds in 2 years. He called it the No S diet. The rules: No sweets, no snacks, no seconds. Except on days starting with S. (www.nosdiet.com)

You could just aim for a few guidelines that address your most problematic areas. For example: No eating after 8 PM; eliminating sugar; or including five servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Whichever interruptions you choose make sure that you:
(a) Write them down for accountability.
(b) Plan a specific time each week when you are going to reevaluate.

This reassessment time is when you modify your plan based on what did and didn’t work in the previous week and a realistic look at your upcoming schedule. It is a time to make specific plans, including when to shop, where to eat, and whose help to enlist. You will face daily obstacles and challenges. Just calmly reassure yourself that your commitment can be modified at the end of the week.

Will you lose weight? The answer is yes if, at your weekly reassessment time, you look for small steps you can take to adapt your current diet in a healthy way. These are steps on solid ground. Spend a little more time on solid ground and little less time squealing on the roller coaster and you’ll be on your way to healthy stable weight.