Desperation Leads to Crazy Dieting

by Lisa P | More from this Blogger

28 Jun 2008 07:37 PM

"Hey! I am 17 and I hate the way that I look. I really want to lose about 15-20 pounds and I want to do it fast."

There are quite a few problems with this statement:

First, there is the issue of self-esteem and negative self-talk. Hating the way you look can be a very dangerous thing. For years, I hated the way I looked and I'd say terrible things to myself in the mirror. "I hate you, I hate the way you look, you're so fat!" These statements eventually program us to believe these things whether we are fat or not. This is the sort of negative self-talk that can cause serious self-esteem issues for us well into adulthood. I know this from personal experience. Love yourself. You are a unique and wonderful human being with a bright future. Be healthy in both mind and body and life will seem much easier for you.

Second is the amount of weight you want to lose. How tall are you and how much do you actually weigh? Just because your friend who is 5' tall wears a size 2 doesn't mean that you need to starve your 5'7" body into fitting into a size 2 too! Some of us (most of us) do need to lose weight but some of us have convinced ourselves for social reasons that we need to lose weight when we really don't.

Third is the fact that you want to do this quickly. This is our microwave mentality talking. Modern society has become conditioned to doing everything in seconds rather than minutes, minutes rather than hours and hours rather than days. You didn't put that weight on overnight and you won't lose it overnight. When projecting how long it should take you, bear in mind that permanent weight loss must happen slowly. With a good deal of work and careful eating, you can expect to lose about three pounds per week. Mind you, this involves regular exercise and eating properly.

Lasting weight loss is not something you can expect to accomplish overnight so don't set yourself up for failure.

Learn more about Lisa P

Lisa used to be a freelance writer and Community Manager for Families.com, but she has finally made the jump to novelist.

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