Certain foods can be labeled “good” or “bad,” causing us to place a value judgment on them. But food is neither good or bad, it is simply food. However, if we eat what we see as “bad” food, we feel ashamed of ourselves, which hurts our self-esteem. So why do that? Are we not entitled to taste those foods now and then? If you “beat yourself up” for eating the forbidden food, then you may want to really binge, and the vicious negative cycle of “bad” food and feeling like a “bad” person spirals out of control.

When we stop denying ourselves foods we enjoy, we can stop feeling deprived. We should realize that it is acceptable to taste the foods that we love, and eat those foods without feeling guilty. We, then, won’t feel the need to binge. We can choose to eat a modest amount and really taste and enjoy. We can find a good balance by respecting ourselves and our choices.

Excerpt from the award-winning book Lose the Diet.  Copyright by Kathy Balland.  Get Lose the Diet now on Amazon!

There have been thousands of diets, yet there has not been one diet that ultimately works because, for one thing, it is not possible to maintain someone else’s way of eating. If you grew up eating your family’s ethnic food, and now, you are not allowed to eat that food because it is not on some diet plan, you are not being true to yourself. It doesn’t feel right, because the diet is not about who you really are. There is a sense of a loss of identity, and eventually you must go off of the diet to return to “homeostasis” or your true self.

“Dieting” can actually trigger us to overeat.  We can become overly focused on not allowing ourselves to have food by saying things like “I want that, but I can’t eat it.” In the end, we wind up wanting it even more because of feeling so deprived. When we suddenly allow ourselves to eat the “forbidden” food, we usually indulge because it is so special to us. It tastes so good we gorge ourselves and end up back where we started.

Excerpt from the award-winning book Lose the Diet.  Copyright by Kathy Balland.  Get Lose the Diet now on Amazon!

I’ve been on a diet for two weeks and all I’ve lost is two weeks.  – Totie Fields

Broken into two syllables, the word Die-it is enough to send chills up the spines of those who know what it is like to deprive themselves without getting long-term results. In some cases there may be immediate results (especially in the case of losing water weight), but in the long run, the weight can come back (and then some).

After all, if you completely deprive yourself of the foods you love, are you really living the life you deserve? Are you savoring all of the wonderful flavors that food has to offer? We are not living this life to starve ourselves, but to nourish ourselves. We are meant to enjoy the smells, textures and flavors of foods, and to appreciate the rich diversity of the cultural differences in food. As the character Auntie Mame said “life is a banquet.”

Excerpt from the award-winning book Lose the Diet.  Copyright by Kathy Balland.  Get Lose the Diet now on Amazon!

Perhaps our society is beginning to see the light. Nowadays, even bariatric specialists (doctors who treat people for obesity) are beginning to approach obesity from various fronts, under­standing that there is a mind-body connection. Physicians are now working with patients to learn about their motivations and values. They may discuss self-nurturing habits and healthy new routines, and help to create an attitude that maximizes the mind-body connection.

I want to show you how you can make the mind-body-soul connection. In the following chapters I will offer insight and suggestions that have been effective, and have given people a choice — a choice to live more healthy lives while enjoying the food they eat.

Excerpt from the award-winning book Lose the Diet.  Copyright by Kathy Balland.  Get Lose the Diet now on Amazon!

The fact is that today most of us have lost connection — the connection with ourselves, our inner power and with other people. When the body is treated as a separate system from our mind and our soul, then permanent weight change cannot occur. Typically, the attitude of Western science has been that our inner being is independent from our bodies, that is certainly one of the reasons obesity continues to be an issue.

Our fast-paced lifestyle has had a negative affect on people’s weight. It’s not just “keeping up with the Joneses” — today’s economy forces both mom and dad into the work force — this separates them from their family, friends and a sense of community, leaving them feeling unful­filled. They have a sense of emptiness. This can create the need to fill up with food, then diet — starting a cycle of loss and gain.

A better solution is to create time in which to reconnect to ourselves, our family and other people. We must choose to re-connect, and find the love and positive energy that will allow us to feel satisfied from our body to our soul. By connecting with the mind, soul and body, we can maintain a better balance for health and well being.

Excerpt from the award-winning book Lose the Diet.  Copyright by Kathy Balland.  Get Lose the Diet now on Amazon!

As you look at the actors and actresses who have the “perfect” bodies, be aware that those people have personal trainers and chefs who help them on a day-to-day basis to maintain that level of fitness. In fact, there was an article in which a famous actress admitted that it was not fair to the average person to compare themselves to her, since she had the time and money to invest in her appearance.

And don’t forget that many of the photos of the stars and models we see are artificially enhanced. This adds to the misconception that we can achieve that look. We should strive for health and fitness, but we can all drive ourselves crazy by trying to emulate the perfect air-brushed photos.

Unfortunately, some people go overboard trying to duplicate the image of a perfect body, and the result can be ill health. What usually happens is we begin dieting and yo-yo through life as we keep fighting to lower our weight — and then gain even more pounds back when we revert back to the same old eating habits after slowing down our metabolism.

Excerpt from the award-winning book Lose the Diet.  Copyright by Kathy Balland.  Get Lose the Diet now on Amazon!

As I mentioned before, too often people are focused on the number of calories, grams, exchanges and various calculations — a mechanical process. They check out the percentages, ratios and the body mass index (which does not take into account certain variables such as bone density and muscle mass). After all, we are all built differently.

Then there is the scale, which is just another set of numbers in the seemingly endless parade of calculations. Women in particular become obsessed with the need to be at the “perfect” weight and look like women in magazine ads. No matter how hard anyone tries it never seems good enough. In today’s society, we are bombarded with images of stick-thin people. How realistic is that? Or more to the point, how healthy is that?  Just food for thought.

Excerpt from the award-winning book Lose the Diet.  Copyright by Kathy Balland.  Get Lose the Diet now on Amazon!

Then there are eating disorders such as binge-eating, where people eat large quantities of food in a short period of time, while feeling out of control. There is muscle dysmorphia. This is caused by men who work out to excess, while consuming large amounts of protein to build a bigger body. They may even resort to steroids. Yet, they never seem to feel adequate as they continue on their relentless quest to obtain even bigger muscles.

At the other end of the spectrum are the anorexics and bulemics. Those people who try desperately to maintain an abnormally low weight. They may not realize that they are slowly starving themselves to the point of non­existence, either by not eating enough food, or by binge-eating and purging.

Also, there are women who take “staying in shape” to extremes. They, too, maintain a dangerously low body weight, as they virtually exercise themselves to death. Like anorexia, their body becomes so out of balance that they are no longer menstruating. This disorder is known as “female athlete syndrome.”

The amazing fact about these eating disorders, where people maintain a dangerously low weight, only exists in industrialized nations, and most particularly in the U.S. In less developed countries, people do not seem to have the need to starve themselves. So, why is there such an imbalance in our society? What’s going on?

There are many things that are used or done to excess in today’s world. The emptiness that is felt from the stress and strain that our modern lifestyle creates has resulted in people trying to fill their emptiness in various ways. From drugs and alcohol to credit card abuse and living beyond our means, while trying to satisfy our soul with food. However, the emptiness still remains.

Excerpt from the award-winning book Lose the Diet.  Copyright by Kathy Balland.  Get Lose the Diet now on Amazon!

Our ancestors weren’t aware or worried about carbs and fat intake. They ate what they wanted and it generally was a good square meal. They did not analyze the foods that were available as so many of us do today. With all the dietary studies, we know much more about food than our ancestors did. It is now mandatory to label all the ingredients in the packaged foods we buy. The one exception, of course, the produce department — where foods are in their natural form. With all this knowledge — the reading of labels — learning what is best for us to eat — obesity rates continue to climb.

It has been proven to me that the answer to obesity is much deeper than our layers of fat (or the lack of). The answer is much more effective than all the numbers that we calculate and read on our bathroom scale. We must look into our soul; into our inner being for the key to the weight problem. We need to connect with our mind, body and soul, not just flesh, bones and muscle mass.

Take a look at all of the diet-oriented food out there. There is low-fat, no-fat, sugar-free and low carb. What have we got left? Some people seem to think the answer is a few leaves, nuts and twigs. Yet society, as a whole, is getting heavier from this continuing attempt at deprivation (diet), which just causes a yo-yo effect of weight loss followed by weight gain.

Exerpt from the award-winning book Lose the Diet.  Copyright by Kathy Balland.  Get Lose the Diet now on Amazon!

Now there are more overweight people in America than average-weight people.  So overweight people are now average.  Which means you’ve met your New Year’s resolution.  – Jay Leno

If you look at today’s society, you’ll become aware of how overweight people have generally become. From talk shows to news programs, weight is a constant topic. Obesity has continued to be on the rise, becoming one of the main threats to health. The Obesity Action Coalition reports that obesity impacts one in four Americans. It is estimated that more than 93 million Americans are obese, and that number is predicted to increase to 120 million in the next five years.

The resulting healthcare costs are enormous (in the hundreds of billions). But why is there increasing obesity when there are more diet books and programs on the market every day? There is a ton (excuse the pun) of information out there. But, why isn’t it working?

Dieting people are focused on the numbers— the pounds, calories, carbs, fat grams, etc. obesity still seems to be a problem. Maybe it is time to lose the diet and throw away the scale and forget the numbers. The obsession with numbers is not really controlling the weight problem instead it is a loss of control.

Excerpt from the award-winning book Lose the Diet.  Copyright by Kathy Balland.  Get Lose the Diet now on Amazon!