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[Out*With*The*Old]

Given many topics of late, I thought this was good readin'! Hope you find something useful.

Give Yourself a Diet Mentality Makeover

By Janis Jibrin, R.D., Best Life lead nutritionist

“I just blew my diet, so I might as well splurge.”

“This is my last week to really enjoy eating. I’m going to start dieting next week.”

“I’ve been so bad, I just don’t think I can get back on track.”

Do any of these sound familiar? You’re either on or off a diet; you’re being bad or good. This black-and-white thinking can really derail your weight-loss efforts, and turn a little slip into a major free-fall of eating and even bingeing.

But it doesn’t have to be this way! If you learn to slightly adjust your diet mentality, you can survive the occasional slip-up or setback. The advice below will help you reframe your thoughts about weight loss, and increase your chances of getting to your goal weight. So, the next time you get a little off track, remember that:

• Slip-ups are inevitable. Weight loss is a process. Think of other processes you’ve gone through—having a baby, raising children, decorating your home, advancing in your career, learning a language. Some days you’re good at these things, some days you’re not. But one bad encounter with your child or at your job doesn’t mean you throw up your hands and quit. It’s the same with losing weight. Even Bob Greene is still working on cutting back on sugar and increasing his intake of fruits and vegetables. Eating healthfully and getting enough exercise is a life-long pursuit, so cut yourself a little slack.

• Eating healthfully is your choice. Remind yourself that you are exercising your free will when you choose oven-fried chicken over regular fried chicken; broccoli sautéed in garlic over French fries; and raspberries topped with dollop of vanilla yogurt instead of raspberry chocolate cake. (Notice, the healthy choices are anything but boring and tasteless!)

• Small weight gains are easier to reverse than large ones. If you overdo it for a day or two and put on a pound, you’ll have to try a little harder for a few days, but you’ll be able to lose that pound pretty easily. However, if you give up and eat your way back to your old weight, you’re going to have a heck of a time losing it all again. So, the old “I might as well give up because I was bad” mentality is completely illogical. (That’s why we recommend weighing yourself weekly on The Best Life Diet starting in Phase 2. It will allow you to catch those small weight gains before they balloon into bigger ones.)

• You’re responsible for your health. The decisions you make should be your own, and you should accept ownership for them. For example, saying “my kids drive me to binge” or “Bob Greene says I should exercise three times a week” won’t work. If you give other people responsibility, it’s easy to rebel against them. Instead, put the power in your hands. You take charge and you make thedecisions: You decide to buy salad greens and rotisserie chicken, you decide to renew your gym membership, you decide to slip up, you decide to get back on your feet and make your post-slip-up meal a nutritious one. Then you can decide to enjoy the results of your hard work: a slimmer, healthier and more empowered you.