SteamTherapy Advice for 2013: Have a Diet Plan!

have a diet plan. Feel Good SteamTherapy advice New Year resolutions for many include diets. As admirable as that may be, we are here to offer strong SteamTherapy Advice to banish thoughts of diets and embrace having a diet plan instead.

Being “on a diet” is very different from “having a diet plan.”

One implies something temporary that’s based on deprivation, while the other is a long-term habit. Only one of these choices is headed for success.

Let’s compare these two approaches to eating so you can make an educated decision if you’re one of the millions of people who enters “weight loss” into the search bar.

On a Diet vs. having a Diet Plan

On A Diet	A Diet Plan
Negative	Positive
Punishment	Nourishment
Temporary	Permanent
Unsustainable over time	Sustainable
Foods are considered good or bad	Food is not an adjective, nor does it have a personality
Food is to be rejected	Food is to be embraced
Coupled with anxiety & depression	Coupled with self-efficacy
The food has all the control	You have the control
Ignores & overrides the body’s hunger signals	Based on the body’s hunger signals
You wouldn’t make a child do it	Would be healthy plan for child
You can’t be trusted to do the right thing	The choices are yours
Usually motivated by aesthetic reasons	Usually motivated by desire for health
Feel hungry most of the time	Feel satiated most of the time

Did you figure out that the left hand column should be left to actors and actresses who want to lose a lot of weight quickly for a movie shoot? Even then, it’s a bad health choice.

How many people do you know who went on a diet, then remained slim and fit? If you have, chances are you met someone with good weight loss maintenance skills - in other words, then had a diet plan and weren't on a diet. Anyone who is truly “successful” on a diet long-term would weigh zero, right?

SteamTherapy Advice for 2013: Pay Attention to What You Eat!

Here's our advice for 2013: rather than think of what you believe you must give up (deprivation mentality), make a list of the foods you love and foods you know are healthy that you’d eat.

Eat them.

Then just pay attention to the amount you’re eating of both the junkie and healthful foods.

That’s it. Just pay attention.

No self-judging, no recriminations, no restrictions - just increase your awareness. Keep a food journal and watch what happens. Food journal - helpful. Scale - not helpful.

One last tip - The scale was originally invented for butchers to use. Keep that in mind if you tend to rely on it for your self-worth.

We wish you great success with your diet plan for 2013!