A long time ago, I used to watch Dr. Phil every afternoon. I was a pretty big Oprah fan as well. Of course, back then Oprah was putting together an awesome show everyday, filled with inspiring people, stories, and ideas. She was like the anti-Jerry Springer for awhile there. And I did learn a few important things from Dr. Phil, too. I learned that forgiveness is not a feeling that suddenly washes over you and magically allows you to let go of all the anger you have been harboring. Forgiveness is a choice that you make because you no longer wish to carry around all the pain. And you have to keep making that same choice over and over again. There is nothing magical about it. Sort of like choosing to live a healthy lifestyle. Or choosing to lose weight.
Another thing I learned from Dr. Phil is to ask the question, "How's that working for ya?" Dr. Phil likes to ask that question a lot. Usually when he asks, it is obvious (at least to the audience) that the choices this individual has been making are NOT working out very well at all. But denial is such a powerful force! Sometimes it takes being hit over the head with a metaphoric frying pan before one's eyes are opened.
Such is often the case with diet. Even the word "diet" sends most people into an immediate state of denial.
"Diet?"
"Did someone say 'diet'?"
"Oh, I don't need a 'diet'!"
"Diets NEVER work!"
"I've already tried EVERY diet out there. None of them work!"
If you've ever watched The Biggest Loser or Extreme Make-over: Weight Loss Edition, you have already heard every contestant make these claims. Although they are morbidly obese, they have "tried" every diet that exists and none of them have worked. You would have to then believe that they are just physically incapable of losing weight. But as soon as they begin to follow a simple diet devised by their television trainers, the pounds magically fall away. Why? Because the truth of the matter is that they have never actually followed a diet before. They kidded themselves. They made feeble, half-hearted attempts. They never committed to a diet. They never stuck with it. They gave up before the diet had a chance to work.
In truth, just about ANY of the standard, well-known diets will work if your only goal is weight loss. I am not a fan of calorie-counting, but the bottom line is that this or any method of restricting your portions, eliminating empty calories, and eating less than you burn will do the trick. I happen to believe that the Zone is the best method for not just maintaining a healthy weight, but also (and most importantly) reducing the type of silent inflammation that leads to most types of chronic disease. But Atkins, Weight Watcher's, South Beach, etc. are all effective at helping people lose weight.
What is NOT effective is denial! So if you have been telling your friends and your family that you need to lose weight, if the size of your waist has been blossoming along with the numbers on the scale, if you weigh more than 5-10 pounds over your weight at age 18, then you might want to ask yourself, "How is your current diet working for you?"
And if you decide it is time to make a change for the better, do it for good. Make it permanent. A healthy lifestyle is not a week-long kind of commitment. Like forgiveness, you have to keep on making the choice, every single day, for the rest of your life.
Another thing I learned from Dr. Phil is to ask the question, "How's that working for ya?" Dr. Phil likes to ask that question a lot. Usually when he asks, it is obvious (at least to the audience) that the choices this individual has been making are NOT working out very well at all. But denial is such a powerful force! Sometimes it takes being hit over the head with a metaphoric frying pan before one's eyes are opened.
Such is often the case with diet. Even the word "diet" sends most people into an immediate state of denial.
"Diet?"
"Did someone say 'diet'?"
"Oh, I don't need a 'diet'!"
"Diets NEVER work!"
"I've already tried EVERY diet out there. None of them work!"
If you've ever watched The Biggest Loser or Extreme Make-over: Weight Loss Edition, you have already heard every contestant make these claims. Although they are morbidly obese, they have "tried" every diet that exists and none of them have worked. You would have to then believe that they are just physically incapable of losing weight. But as soon as they begin to follow a simple diet devised by their television trainers, the pounds magically fall away. Why? Because the truth of the matter is that they have never actually followed a diet before. They kidded themselves. They made feeble, half-hearted attempts. They never committed to a diet. They never stuck with it. They gave up before the diet had a chance to work.
In truth, just about ANY of the standard, well-known diets will work if your only goal is weight loss. I am not a fan of calorie-counting, but the bottom line is that this or any method of restricting your portions, eliminating empty calories, and eating less than you burn will do the trick. I happen to believe that the Zone is the best method for not just maintaining a healthy weight, but also (and most importantly) reducing the type of silent inflammation that leads to most types of chronic disease. But Atkins, Weight Watcher's, South Beach, etc. are all effective at helping people lose weight.
What is NOT effective is denial! So if you have been telling your friends and your family that you need to lose weight, if the size of your waist has been blossoming along with the numbers on the scale, if you weigh more than 5-10 pounds over your weight at age 18, then you might want to ask yourself, "How is your current diet working for you?"
And if you decide it is time to make a change for the better, do it for good. Make it permanent. A healthy lifestyle is not a week-long kind of commitment. Like forgiveness, you have to keep on making the choice, every single day, for the rest of your life.
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