Not a Diet!

Happy Thursday!

Moving from a "dieting" mindset to a "getting (and staying) healthy" mindset is a real departure from the way most everyone else in this country thinks when it comes to weight loss. That point was brought home again last week when I read an article on the internet about Sherri Shepherd, who is one of the hosts on "The View."

Sherri modeled a swim suit on last Thursday's program to show off the results of several months of a strict diet and exercise regime. She didn't say how many pounds she lost, but she did say that she lost 5 inches from her waist and 10 inches overall. The article ended by stating that "producers for the show rewarded her hard work with a platter of ribs, corn bread, collard greens, M&Ms and other goodies."

Yikes!! That, my friends, is unfortunately the mindset of most of America when it comes to losing weight, and that is exactly why 85% of individuals who lose weight gain it all back - plus often more - within two years. A dieting mindset views reaching goal as the end of the road, and most people go right back to their "normal" eating and start "enjoying all the food they missed" while they were on their diet. There really isn't any intention to permanently change habits, because the diet mindset views the diet as a temporary thing.

This program is different. The intent of Take Shape for Life/Medifast is to first get us to a healthy weight, certainly, but that is just the first step of a life-long journey of health. Take Shape for Life/Medifast teaches us to eat small meals throughout the day; we learn to eat breakfast, we begin to incorporate exercise into our lives, we have the support of others, and we learn to plan our day while making sure we have the food we need. All of these things together give us the tools we need to maintain a healthy weight for the rest of our lives.

The things we're learning now will enable us to get off the miserable cycle of yo-yo dieting once and for all, and to get on with the rest of our healthy lives. We have to adopt a different mindset to do that, but, 15 months since reaching my goal, I can assure you that it's worth it!

Who's committed to an on-plan day today?