SMASH Your Quitter’s Mindset While Dieting!

Having a quitter’s mindset and being a quitter never feels good. But when we quit on our diet it’s more than just a decision not to do a task in life.

It’s a sign that we’re not valuing ourselves as much as we should be.

Most people diet for one of two reasons. Either they don’t like the way they look being overweight, or they want to prevent or treat health problems that occur from obesity.

It’s okay to have vanity as the reason why you want to lose weight. Even wanting to look good is a sign of self care, BUT when you quit on yourself, it can cause you to go into a frumpy state (and I’m sure we all know what it means to be in a frumpy state – when you stop getting fixed up and taking pride in your appearance – this never feels good!).

It’s as if you don’t feel worthy of getting fixed up because the pounds didn’t come off. This can cause a great deal of depression because your self esteem is taking a hit.

I’ve been there and I’m sure you have too but how can we overcome, no, SMASH, the quitter mindset we have when “dieting”? (First of all, I hate the word “dieting” so let’s look at this as more of a lifestyle because that is what being healthy SHOULD be.)

Below are four simple ways to weave “dieting” into your lifestyle so you can finally stop being a quitter and finally smash that quitter’s mindset.

 

Allow Yourself Freedom to Enjoy Food

Quitting a diet is often caused by deprivation. You’re suddenly eating healthful foods that you didn’t eat before. A diet of fried chicken, marbled steaks and mashed potatoes is replaced with vegetables and lean meats grilled to perfection.

I don’t want you to suffer from food boredom so you need to keep things interesting and never make some things you love off limits or you’ll end up gorging on it. All foods should be acceptable, with mindful eating and proportions in place, of course!

 

 

Try to learn various new cooking styles.

For example, maybe you’ve never owned a pressure cooker. You can cook lean meats where the juice is packed in and the end result is tender and tasty.

You can also drop in a mess of peas with a bag of okra and pressure cook the ingredients for a healthy side item that’s not filled with fat or butter, clogging your arteries and sticking to your ass.

You can try out a variety of cooking styles using new kitchen appliances and cookware. Look up recipes online or get advice from a YouTube cooking channel as to how to properly use it for healthy cooking.

If you already have a favorite dish, find out new ways to make the meal healthier. For example, let’s say you absolutely loved lasagna. You might feel like you miss this decadent meal when you begin to make better health and lifestyle choices because your usual version is a rich combination of pasta and cheese with meat and sauce.

Instead, look up a way to make it healthier online. For example, you can substitute loads of chopped vegetables for the meat. Or make your own healthy sauce that has less sugar and salt in it. You can try using a fat-free or low calorie cheese or even a dairy free cheese.

You might even find recipes that are similar, but that don’t even require you to make substitutions. For example, you can find a vegetable lasagna where you cut thin strips of squash and eggplant and other vegetables and layer that instead of pasta.

Try new ethnic foods, too.

You might have a typical All-American diet with fried chicken and steak, but you can expand your repertoire to include foods like:

 

Sushi

Mediterranean Greek meals

Vietnamese foods that focus on flavor

Japanese meals like Miso soup

Spicy Indian food that helps burn calories

 

You can also try cooking classes to help you prevent diet boredom, and ultimately, quitting.

Cooking classes can be done in groups which is a ton of fun or one on one with a chef for some personal coaching.

However, just make sure you sign up for a class that teaches healthy cooking. Much of this will be centered around herbs and flavoring, not the actual selection of the meal. You might have an entire new world of flavors opened up to you when you rely on a professional to show you the ropes. Personally, I love, love, love to cook with a wide array of spices because they can make any seemingly boring meal into something palatable or even mouth watering and exciting.

 

Even for those foods that you know you already like but aren’t willing to give up, make concessions for them to exist.

Once you get past the guilt of allowing them to be on your menu, it will be easier for you to use them – in moderation.

Sometimes, you might want to have an entire piece of cake. You’re hungry enough, you crave it enough – and it’s okay to allow that to happen. But the key is to be aware, or mindful, when you eat.

You want to eat slowly so that you’re not full before you even have time to notice it. You want to put the fork down between bites to give your brain time to get the signal from your stomach that you’re no longer hungry.

Notice I didn’t say full. I said not hungry. That’s because this is when you want to stop eating! Just satiate your hunger and wait until the next meal to eat. This might mean that half of your cake is left on the plate and that’s perfectly okay. Over time, you’ll learn what portions your new hunger needs. Until then, just wrap it up and put it in the refrigerator until the next time you want to eat the leftovers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Keep in mind, it takes time to get past your old habits.

You won’t feel comfortable at first listening to your hunger cues, but this is what you did innately as a baby. Eventually, it will feel natural to you, just as eating two bites of cake will make you feel content.

When a typically “off limit” food is suddenly okay again, don’t stress too much or beat yourself up over it if you initially binge on it. Keep making it available and when you consciously understand that it’s okay to eat and it’s not going anywhere, you will find yourself less attracted to it – because it’s not a situation of, “I’d better scarf that whole cake down because tomorrow I go on a diet!”

 

Lose “Fail” From Your Vocabulary

Guilt foods no longer exist because as we discussed above, nothing is off limits. You still might have other issues that you’re struggling with when it comes to changing your lifestyle, like the exercise part of a healthy lifestyle. It can seem too difficult to go to the gym when so many people there are already fit and perfect (to you).

But you don’t want to be a quitter. If you’re tired of dieting, then the very last thing you want to do is quit. That’s because you know that eventually, you’ll have to go through this entire rollercoaster all over again.

You’ll have to feel the guilt and humiliation of being fat. You’ll have to hit your rock bottom again – something that motivates you to make a decision to diet. You’ll have to go through the process of researching the best diet, buying everything you need for it, and announcing to everyone that this is when it’s going to happen for you.

All of it is setting yourself up for failure. It’s a routine.

You already know how it’s going to end – and this is because you’re not approaching weight loss with common sense, long-term, healthy solutions.

 

 

Instead, become someone who is a healthy person. You eat well, you get up and move – and you treat your body right for the most part. Don’t see this as a timed event – saying things like, “I’m going to diet for 6 months” means this isn’t a lifestyle change for you – it’s a punishment.

You need a lifetime modification.

When you get on a stringent diet, it prevents you from living a normal life. Suddenly, you’re chained down to calorie counters, kitchen scales and bathroom scales, too!

The tips you implement should not become a burden!

They should allow you to approach weight loss effortlessly. Sometimes the burden they put on you isn’t time at all – it’s money. Diets can cost you an arm and a leg. If you’re used to living on cheap in the past and suddenly you’re facing an $11 bag of apples, it can cause sticker shock at the checkout stand. Find ways to cut costs and eat healthier without it putting a strain on your pocketbook because that can present as an excuse or reason why you should be allowed to quit.

When you diet, have you ever noticed that you just feel sluggish and tired? You may have been confused, because it seems like eating healthier should make you feel energetic. But if you slashed calories too much, you’ll feel the fatigue – and your metabolism will also grind to a halt. That means everything you do eat will go straight to your fat stores because your body is worried about you.

 

Set Small Goals to Prevent Overwhelm

 

Don’t just see the big picture.

If you do, you’ll want to quit because it will seem unachievable. Instead, set small, doable goals. Here’s some examples of small, simple, actionable goals:

 

Stop adding extra sugar to foods that already contain it

Eat one new vegetable per week

Drink 8 glasses of water each day

Lower your cholesterol by 10 points

Complete 10 minutes of exercise each day (Build up to 60)

Lose 1 pound per week

Lose one inch every 2 weeks

Learn one new healthy recipe every week

 

Make sure you reward yourself when you meet these goals, but not with a cookie! Do it with a non food reward, like a mani/pedi or a new iTunes gift card so you’ll have new workout music.

 

Enlist the Help of Professionals

You don’t have to go it alone, even if it might seem that way when you’re staring down a plate of desserts and you’re trying really hard to ignore it. There are many professionals who can help you to the finish line.

Counselors are there for you. You might be eating for emotional reasons, or suffering from food guilt. A counselor who specializes in weight loss can stop you from becoming a quitter.

Nutritionists are very helpful. They work with you to balance your diet so that you’re not hungry, you’re getting the proper nutrition, and you gain the maximum health from your efforts.

Courses are great! They may or may not give you access to the trained professional, but they can be inspiring as you read along with someone else’s triumphant story.

Trainers at your local gym will motivate you to push through any plateaus. They know better than you what your body is capable of, so when you say, “I can’t!” they’ll say, “Yes you can!”. Just be sure to find someone who is qualified and who you click with!

Doctors are a great source of support during your weight loss journey. They know the specific health issues you’re setting up for yourself, and they want you to win the battle of the bulge. I prefer natural doctors who aren’t going to push unnecessary medications on you so be sure to find someone who knows and understands your goals.

With a team of professionals by your side, there’s no way you shouldn’t be able to overcome your negative, quitter’s mindset.

 

Remember

Many of us have struggled with the quitters mindset, especially when it comes to our lifestyle and nutrition choices. You just have to trust the slower process and change your lifestyle habits to do your part. That’s it. It’s entirely up to you to make those choices and when you choose to empower yourself with healthy choices, you will ultimately be able to SMASH that quitters mindset!

 

Comment below and tell me one thing you’ve done or will do this week to smash your quitters mindset!