the enemies of your diet

So, you’ve gained some flab around the edges, and the curves aren’t as beautiful any longer. You give yourself that look in the mirror one last time and you know- it’s time to lose some excess weight. It’s time to go on a diet.

Different people have very different approaches to dieting regimes, and unfortunately there isn’t a global diet which is appropriate for every single person. Only one rule remains golden: if you want to lose weight, you have to eat fewer calories than you burn.

It is always going to be a tough stretch of time, whichever diet you choose, and sooner or later you will ‘break your rules’. Don’t beat yourself up if you do, life is about getting knocked down and standing back up again.

With that being said, there are a few top tier enemies of dieting out there, and this is how to deal with them:

1. Time

The motivation that you have today lasts for today. When we’re starting off on a diet, we are excited, we have something new to explore, we are motivated. We have everything set up, and for the first few days we do really well. But you notice that the excitement and interest you had on the first day starts to dim gradually.

Losing weight is not an exciting goal, not even if your life or your knee joints depend on it. Our brains aren’t wired that way, so we have to work with them, rather than against our own brains.

So rather than overwhelming yourself with recipes, ideas, and measurements, try to develop the habit of healthy eating instead.

• Plan the times at which you will eat

• Pick 1 or 2 healthy meals that you can eat at the chosen time, and always eat one of these at their chosen time. For example, at 11am you eat either oats with fruit, or chicken salad. Don’t deviate.

• Stick hard to the previous 2 rules, because they are the easiest path to travel. And when the inevitable days come that you’re stressed out, you hate your life, you can’t remember why you started dieting in the first place, then you simply eat the same meal at the same time as a matter of habit rather than thought, and save yourself from relapsing.

One of my martial arts teachers used to tell me that it is much better to practice one technique than practicing a hundred different techniques. “Imagine a soldier in combat who can choose just one gun,” he used to say, “and then imagine another soldier who can choose from 10 guns, who will be faster?” The answer is the soldier with 1 gun, because he does not have the distraction of decision-making. The same goes for food choices. If you have too many choices, your indecision will wear off your willpower.

2. Alcohol and hunger

I placed these two together because they have the same effect: they diminish our willpower. Have you ever been really hungry, and managed to stop yourself from eating the first available thing you find in your fridge? Have you ever been drinking and managed to stop yourself from buying that pizza slice?

Chances are you managed once or twice, but not any more. This is like going to the supermarket for your weekly shop when you’re starving - you’ll end up buying a lot more crap and spending a lot more than usual.

So, if you have to drink alcohol, limit the amount. If you don’t have the self-discipline to do this, don’t drink at all. Be honest with yourself.

As for hunger, simply do not allow yourself to get too hungry. Eat an hour or so before you generally feel hungry, and you should do well.

3. Foods you hate

The worst kind of diet is the one that forces you to eat foods you hate. Eating is one of the few pleasures in life. Going from eating grandma’s meatloaf to nibbling on a stick of celery is as exciting as getting your knees cracked against a concrete wall. Many people will say that it is the sacrifice that you have to make; sure it is, but we make so many sacrifices on a daily basis. You got out of bed and went to work, even though you didn’t feel like. You unclogged the sink, even though it disgusts you, but someone has to do it. You had a fantastic reply to your partner’s idiot friend’s comment - but you kept your mouth shut because silence won’t cost you.

We already make many big and little sacrifices in life, on a daily basis, so what’s the point of adding even more? No wonder so many people give up on diets.

Stick to foods you love that make sense to eat when dieting. If you can’t down a broccoli smoothie, then don’t. All you really need to have is a little common sense. Try to prepare food yourself. Buy fresh foods. Choose low calorie, high nutrient foods.

4. Availability of foods you should not eat

If you could measure in psychological miles the difference between opening your freezer and taking out an ice-cream, and having to drive 20 minutes to a nearby store for one, I’m sure it’s quite close to the difference in distance between the sun and the edge of the galaxy. If you should not be eating or drinking something, make sure there is none of that something around the house. I have a student who has a weakness for Bahlsen chocolate coated biscuits and all his iron will with other biscuits goes out the window when presented with the familiar blue cardboard box. So he doesn’t ever allow Bahlsen to enter the house, knowing full well that the guilt (and upset stomach) of scoffing a whole box far outweighs any quick joy obtained from eating them.

Remember - the best way to not commit a mistake, is to make sure the opportunity to commit it does not exist in the first place.

5. Stress

This is the hardest boss to beat in the world of dieting, because it is the only one that you can never have complete control of.

You cannot plan for stress, nor can you completely control it. Eating to feel better is a very real thing indeed, and if you’re feeling like crap already, you’re likelier to go for that whole bag of Twistees, followed by a Snickers bar and a Dr Pepper, because they’re comforting foods. For a short while at least...

In my experience, stress has caused more weight problems in people who train with me than any other factor. It does not allow us to function properly. And to have control over your diet, you need your willpower to be intact as far as possible.

As a personal tip to deal with stress, exercise comes in very handy. A regular half-hour of strenuous activity can really kick you back on track and remind you what is truly important in life.