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Why DIET is a Four-Letter Word

By on August 12, 2013
nancy irwin

By Dr. Nancy Irwin.

 

The word “diet” comes from a mixture of the Old English, Latin, and French words for “day” or “daily;” a word intended to reflect a daily habit. In our culture, the “d-word” has come to connote not only deprivation, but also a short-term goal…..like you follow a plan, get your goal of losing 10 lbs., and go back to eating they way you did before.  This rarely happens, and explains the yo-yo effect and why “diets” rarely work.

Health and fitness are a lifestyle choice; a daily habit. If you were lucky enough to be born with a normal, healthy body, you may consider expressing your gratitude for it by being responsible. With any gift comes a choice: you can either treasure it or trash it.  So instead of focusing on loss and deprivation, try this:

 

d

Dedicate yourself to performing, feeling, and looking your best for life.  Instead of thinking of depriving yourself of your favorite foods, instead switch your mindset to:

i

Indulge yourself in a higher degree of health.  Many people mistakenly think that healthier foods cost more. Not really.  You can buy a healthy, “fast food” pre-packaged salad at most grocery stores for less than what you’d pay for a burger and fries at a standard fast food chain. Further, the long-term costs of the latter can completely eclipse the former, and not just financially.

 e

Eat good foods. Find ways to “cheat” and make your favorite foods with healthy substitutes.  E.g., try Ezekiel brand pasta. It’s a sprouted whole grain, which makes it a “wild card carb” and infinitely higher on the food chain (pun intended) than a standard carbohydrate. You can eat all the lasagna you want when you make it with turkey vs. beef and Ezekiel pasta vs. flour pasta.  By the way, Ezekiel also makes other bread products (muffins and tortillas). Choose your chews wisely!

 t

Train.  You certain can lose weight and feel better by simply eating better, but to do so faster and to ensure permanence, you might consider committing to an exercise regimen. Just as you would never allow a car to go undriven for months at a time, you want to drive your body to keep it in shape as well.  Indeed, your body is your only vehicle for life. Humans are mean to move.  Our Paleo ancestors had to move or else they couldn’t eat.   Begin your program with baby steps; walk briskly for 15 minutes a day.  After a week, bump it up to 20, then 30, etc. Then when you are ready, start running.  Get an at-home exercise DVD.  You needn’t join an expensive gym. You can hike, go salsa dancing, biking with your child.

Remember, if you are reluctant to eat healthy or work out, you are actually practicing negative self-hypnosis. All thought (“self-talk”) is hypnosis!  Make sure it is positive rather than negative, because your subconscious mind cannot distinguish between the two.

Hypnosis can also help you embrace a commitment to a healthy lifestyle, doing your best on a daily basis to eat right, work out, and stay positive.

 

image004 Dr. Irwin is a Los Angeles-based doctor of clinical psychology, certified hypnotherapist, and author of YOU-TURN: CHANGING DIRECTION IN MIDLIFE (Amazon, 2008).  She specializes in reinvention, smoking cessation, weight management, celebrity stress, and recovery from sexual abuse.  310/235-2882. www.drnancyirwin.com http://www.YouTube.com/DrNancyIrwin

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