Is your food “bad”?

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!

It’s true, dieting can actually trigger you to overeat.

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!

Die-It is really a four letter word.

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!

It’s time to see the light. Can someone flip the switch??

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!

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