Semantics

     There is a big problem with the whole world of weight loss and healthy living and it has to do with the words we use to describe it.  Words are very powerful and how we use them colors how we see the reality.
     Diet literally means, "the food you eat."  That's it.  However, we have changed the meaning of that word through common usage to mean a special short list of foods that we must limit ourselves to in order to lose weight, after which time we can go back to eating exactly the way we always have.  Because of this restrictive idea and the prevalence of what I call, "Big D Diets," our entire idea of healthy living has become skewed.  In order to lose weight, you have to change your diet, not go on a Diet.  There is a difference.
     A change in diet means you begin to eat smaller portions of healthier foods, eliminate or at least cut back on foods you know you shouldn't eat, and do so in a way that you can live with the rest of your life.  A change of diet will make you feel balanced and healthy.   Going on a Diet means you will feel angry and restricted while eating food that feels and tastes like cardboard, lose the weight, then binge right back up to where you started or even higher.
     Another word we use is "lose."  All our lives, we have been told to be winners, now we are being told to be a loser.  My friend Evanna Evans called her program a weight donation program.  She made it positive and fun, and she donated over 30 lbs!
     Frame your experience in positive terms and enjoy the journey.