How to Develop a Mindset to Stay on Plan

I have always thought that if I could solve that deep inner mystery of how people can find the strength and mental attitude to go on a diet, be inspired to stay on it and then stick to it, I would solve a great mystery of humankind.  True, we all follow MM and Diane has taught us how MM works for us Met B’s, physically; however, our feelings, emotions and thinking need to be on board as well.  Our feelings, emotions and thinking is our mindset.

So, while following the MM plan, how do we tend to our emotional needs and develop a great mindset to be inspired to stay the course on MM?  My thoughts on this is that one of the most  important steps to stick to a plan like MM is to make the Metabolism Miracle your lifestyle.  I have always thought that a diet becomes your lifestyle when the diet becomes a natural way of life as you go about your daily routine.   I had a light bulb moment recently as I thought, yes, the thing to do is to make your diet your lifestyle, but how does one go about doing that? 

Give yourself a big pat on the back as you work toward making a lifestyle change.  Changing so many things about your life, what you have always known, how you eat, prepare food, exercise is huge. With the right thinking and planning it out; however, you can do it.

How can we mentally and emotionally change if we need to do so?  In the world of psycho-therapeutic interventions, there is a type of therapy called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.   A type of  “talk therapy” that is based on the theory that our ways of doing things are related to the interaction of thoughts, behaviors, and emotions. In Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, the therapist and patient will work on identifying and directly changing thoughts and behaviors that may be maintaining undesirable habits.

Basically, this means that if we change our thinking about something, we can change our ways, specifically, our not so good habits.  So, my thinking here is that if we change the way we think and feel about being on a diet, we can change our habits and that can become a long term lifestyle change for better health and well-being.

Here are some pointers on how to change the way we think about dieting so that we are inspired to stay on plan.

MM removes carb cravings
By following MM correctly, physically, we lose our cravings.  That puts us so far ahead of the game in the world of dieting. Just knowing this fact puts us on a super solid foundation for success.  When we see and feel this success, it motivates us to stay on plan.  How many of us have said MM is a diet we can live with?  To me, emotionally, that feels good.

Let go of fears
Convince yourself that you can be successful with weight loss.  Remove fears of failure and replace that emotion with the thoughts of how great you will feel when you start to see and feel real results.  Change any feelings of failure about starting the diet or recommitting to MM again.

Align with healthy food choices
Switch from thinking about resistance and deprivation, the things we cannot have, to all the good things we can have on MM.  I have heard so many people say “I could never do this diet. I could never give up my pasta”  I say, I always feel as if I am not giving something up, but I embrace new ideas and new choices. 

What are we “rooted in”?
Change old food associations, habits, customs and what I call what we have been “rooted” in.  For example, here in America, we are so used to going to the diner and having eggs, toast and potatoes for breakfast, or a burger and fries for lunch or dinner. I have changed old food associations to include an omelet without the potatoes and burger and salad for lunch or dinner.   I have no problem in asking for substitutions in a restaurant.  This is my thinking that has changed, which have changed my habits, which has made MM my lifestyle.  I could not even fathom going back to my old ways of eating and my old, ingrained food associations.

Know the plan
Educate yourself about everything MM.  Don’t just sort of know it; really know it.  What is the MM plan?  What are the steps involved? What is the right approach?  For many of us, myself included, thinking out, organizing and planning out a weight loss and exercise regime is essential.  This keeps us in a positive emotional mindset because we have a good plan to follow that truly works.

Support systems
Look for support.  This can include talking to the people here in Miracleville.  We all have common underlying issues in relation to weight loss, health and chronic Metabolism B.  We are so fortunate to have access to Diane’s advice and expertise.  Tell people (family, friends or others) you are dieting and you follow a certain plan for your health and ask for their support. 

When staying on MM is not going easy, reach deeper inside yourself and make it happen to stay on plan or recommit.  It is so easy to just get back on track.  As you work toward your goals, expect greatness from yourself.  From little to big victories, both on and off the scale, shoot toward maintaining your level of excellence to do well with MM.

I believe when we put emotions behind our weight loss and health goals, we develop a mindset that cannot be beat.  This winning combination inspires us to continue to step up to the challenge and take the prize of a better life!

 

Let’s talk about it

What changes have you made, emotionally, to stay on plan with MM?  How did you change your mindset?

 

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Spin Diet Sabotage into Diet Support

As Met B’s, we are very unique people who have decided to follow a very unique weight loss plan, The Metabolism Miracle.  When you think about it, Diane has developed an excellent diet for our health and well-being as Met B’s; yet, she has asked us to change or transform our thinking about food, eating, exercise and just about everything we have ever known about dieting. That’s a good thing! 

 

As we study and read The Metabolism Miracle and get our mindset in synch with all of Diane’s new information, as we start our new MM lifestyle in Step 1 or move on to Step 2 or Maintenance, we take that leap of faith to a better life that is healthy and in balance.   We feel good, look good, start to feel more focused and more confident in the world.  At the same time, there are others in our lives, family, friends, co-workers who may not understand this way of eating, this lifestyle, or this new you. These people may become potential saboteurs of the diet plan.  That’s not a good thing!!! 

 

Personally, I encountered sabotage from my friend before I even bought the book!  That’s pretty bad, right?  My friend and I were actually in the bookstore and as I said in a previous post, she said to me, “don’t waste your money, you will never do this”  I felt so strongly that MM was the way for me, that I didn’t listen to a word she said.  I was strong and assertive as I said what was to become my personal MM saying, “No, I’m going to do this thing.”   

 

So, let’s talk about sabotage: how to recognize it, deal with it and how to become stronger than the sabotage itself.  Whether it comes from other people, or even ourselves, by being strong and assertive, yet, with kindness, we can overcome any sabotage that comes our way.

 

 

Sabotage by Family

 

Family may not realize they’re sabotaging you. They actually may feel threatened by a thinner or different you. They may worry that your new diet and exercise lifestyle could interfere with the life they’ve always known. They just may think it’s OK to offer a little treat in an attempt to make you happy.  Family may take it personally that you don’t “like” their food anymore or they made something “special” just for you and now you are not eating the special dish.

 

When I was on step one, at a retirement party for a family member, someone said “Oh, come on, you can have just a little piece of cake.”  I was prepared for this gathering by bringing a Step 1 dish and I packed my own Step 1 dessert.  I had to say “No thanks” a few times and I had no problem with bringing my own food.  Again, I was strong and assertive in my plan to stay on plan.

 

Sabotage by a Spouse or Partner

 

A spouse or partner may have a hard time coping with your diet or the change in your size.  They may knowingly or even unknowingly attempt to keep things in your relationship the way they have always been.  Change is difficult for people.  Even though you may be more than ready for a change to create a more healthful life for your self, your partner may not be ready for all your desired changes.  Because of their emotions, such as fear of the unknown, or what they thought used to make you happy, their feelings could cause them to sabotage your diet plan.

 

Some issues your partner may have:

 

Fear you will leave them

A real possibility is fear;  if you get thinner, you may attract more romantic attention from others, or they may think you could leave them because of this new you.  When a partner feels threatened in this way, it may cause them to react in a not so positive way and not be supportive.  If these feelings come up, communicate to your partner that you love him or her, and ask for support for your weight loss efforts.

 

Their attitudes toward food

Sometimes a partner may even bring treats into the house to try to sabotage your goals.  The most incredible news here is that since you are following MM correctly, you will have virtually NO cravings for foods that are not good for you!!  As far as I’m concerned, anyone can eat anything in my presence, and I could care less! Unbelievable, right?  MM makes that happen!  Sometimes a partner or spouse finds happiness with food and wants to share that with you. Perhaps, together you can look for ways to share experiences that do not include poor food choices. Use The Metabolism Miracle Cookbook to find new healthy foods to try, or healthier versions of family favorite comfort foods that Diane has provided for us.

 

Sabotage by Friends

 

Just like family members, friends can also feel threatened by your diet plan and healthy lifestyle choice.  They maybe fearful that you’ll look better, be more active or that you may leave them because you both do not have as much in common as before.

 

Some issues your friends may have

 

Feelings of jealousy

We would think our friends would be all for our choice to become more healthy.  Yet, friends could develop jealous feelings toward you.  They may feel this way because you are changing your life and moving forward while their life remains the same.  

 

Feelings of no longer having common interests

Perhaps your friends may avoid going out with you because you don’t go to old unhealthy food places anymore.  You don’t share the same ideas about eating and activity.  Make sure you are strong and do not choose the wrong menu option just because your friends want you to do so  Don’t take things personally; always keep your eye on your own goals. 

 

Feelings of guilt

Friends may also feel guilty when they are around you, especially when you go out and make the healthy menu choice while they order unhealthy options.   Do not allow their guilt to make you feel guilty!  I was out to a birthday dinner with friends and as they reached into the bread basket, they would look at me with so much guilt because they were eating bread.  I said, “hey go ahead, go for the bread, I’m not…but I’m not the bread police!”

 

So why is it that we allow other people to sabotage our diet plan?  It may be that we want to avoid hurting other people’s feelings. It may be that it is just easier to let other people have their way.  Avoid the easy route, rather, be assertive; just say, no thanks.  If you are dealing with a persistent family member or friend, be polite, but firm and stick to your healthy plan.  Your goals should be just too valuable to you. If a friend continues to sabotage your weight loss efforts, you may have to find other friends who are more supportive of your healthy lifestyle.

 

Sabotage by Self

 

While family and friends can be saboteurs of our diets, we also need to keep any sabotage of self in check.  We can be more critical of self than we are toward others; consequently, we can be hard on ourselves.   We all have our own stresses in life and our own emotions to contend with as we follow our diet plan.  We need to take care of ourselves and avoid self sabotage by setting realistic goals, sticking to an exercise regime and we need to follow Diane’s advice of staying off the scale.

 

Some emotions that we may have to contend with as we work on our weight loss goals are: depression, anxiety, fear, anger, self-hatred, and disappointment.  Try to work through these emotional feelings and counter the sabotage these emotions may evoke.

 

Depression

When you feel depressed, it can feel like a chore to actually take care of yourself.  You may not have the energy to plan, prepare or organize your life in order to follow the diet. If depression is a real issue that gets in the way of your quality of life, seek professional help to get depression in check.  The great news here is that studies have shown that as metabolic syndrome becomes balanced, symptoms of depression can improve. 

 

Anxiety

Anxiety or panic is physically uncomfortable. To make ourselves feel better and reduce those feelings of anxiety, we may turn to unhealthy foods that we think make us feel better.  This also may have been a pattern in our past. Instead of choosing poor food choices, explore other ways to comfort and and calm yourself.  We all are anxious, stressed or nervous at times; yet, we can look to other options to deal with that. Another reason to really stick to plan, if you experience anxiety or panic, is that, like depression, balancing metabolic syndrome has proved to decrease anxiety and panic symptoms.

 

Fear

Many of us have started diets and they just didn’t work.  We can be fearful of starting another diet that may not work.  We may have fears of gaining back the weight we have lost.  We need to align our minds with the mindset of reassurance that MM works for us and is the only plan that really is for Met B’s. 

 

Anger

Many times when dealing with our weight loss, we are angry and frustrated with ourselves.  Anger can make us turn to poor food choices in order to stuff that negative emotion.  Look for other outlets for the frustration of anger.  Keeping a journal or taking a walk can be better choices for dealing with feelings of anger.

 

Self hatred

Feelings of self-doubt and that negative inner critic can get in the way of us making the most healthy eating choices. Instead of sabotaging your diet, find ways to change any negative thoughts of self.  Make a conscious effort to change any negative thoughts to positive ones.

 

Disappointment

Many times we can become so disappointed with ourselves because we have become overweight, we feel the weight is not coming off fast enough, etc. and we may get in the mindset of why bother?  Eating or being tempted by the wrong foods just perpetuate the problem.  We feel better when we follow our plan, stay focused on our goals and look at any non-scale victories.

 

How to deal with sabotage:   points to consider when sabotage gets in the way of staying on plan.

 

Work on Communication.

Tell everyone you are following a diet plan that is working for you.  Let them know you are truly committed to your plan for your health and well-being.

 

Ask for support. 

Your family may respond in a more positive way to a request for help rather than a more accusatory “you’re not helping me” vibe.

 

Tap into your own personal strength.

If your family doesn’t seem to be that supportive, draw upon your own strength to stay committed.  It would seem that those closest to you, family and friends, would be the most supportive; however, that doesn’t always happen. The good news is that you have a “family” of supportive people right here in Miracleville that understand your unique situation and offer wonderful support and encouragement. Diane is committed to making sure we all understand and follow MM correctly.  Always align with your own right choices. Family and friends can make those choices more difficult and more tempting for you.  Don’t resist that temptation; just confidently and, if needed, assertively, make the right choice for yourself

 

When working on a diet plan, losing weight, getting healthy and taking care of yourself,  it’s best to be organized, in control, motivated and committed to your goals.  Do this thing for you!  The best way to deflect any sabotage is with kindness, understanding and good communication.  People are concerned and curious about you, the changes you are going through and how you are doing just that!  Spin any weight loss sabotage into weight loss support.

 

Let’s talk about it…

 

Have you encountered any diet sabotage by either family, friends or self?  How did you handle it?

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