Life After Dieting

Losing weight is not easy and there is no quick fix. It takes a lot of willpower and determination. For many people it is not possible to keep going without the support of a group. This could be part of a well known Diet Club, or a group of friends meeting up regularly. However we decide to lose weight it is worth remembering that whilst the Diet Club, and the friends, may provide the facilities, the support, etc., at the end of the day losing weight is solely down to each individual and the amount of effort put in. It is the individual who decides what to eat and what to avoid. If we stick with the programme then of course we will lose weight.

For most people, once the euphoria of losing weight wears off, the battle to keep the weight off starts. Then there is an obsession with the scales, good person if you don't gain, bad person if you put on weight. The gradual loss of being organised, losing a grasp on what to eat, what not to eat, obsession with food now stronger than ever. Perhaps followed by feelings such as guilt, shame, failure and depression.

It is the trend at the moment to blame Diet Clubs for the majority of people putting all the weight back on, and more, within five years. The Diet Clubs are multi-billion pound businesses, doing what big businesses do - we can draw our own conclusions. However, as stated at the beginning of this article, we are the ones responsible for our own success. Does this mean we are also responsible for putting all the weight back on!

In my opinion, we are responsible for putting weight back on or keeping it off. Once we understand that joining a Diet Club and losing weight doesn’t solve our problems, it does   provide us with the means and tools to lose weight; perhaps we can then avoid having such high expectations of the Diet Clubs. Most people will lose weight by being part of a support group, by eating healthy, regularly, and exercising.

The real work begins now we have lost weight, as stated above. It is not always possible to keep weight off, unless we make determined efforts to understand ourselves as to why we put the weight on in the first place. To avoid getting back into the same old habits, we need to look at how we came to have such a negative relationship with food; when did this start, what is the pay off when we eat too much and what feelings are we avoiding/suppressing.

As we are each unique individuals, the ways and means of keeping the weight off will not be the same for everyone. This is why we need to continue to take responsibility for ourselves by seeking out the professional (one to one) support and help we will need to enable us to remain fit and healthy both physically AND emotionally.

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The views expressed in this article are those of the author. All articles published on Counselling Directory are reviewed by our editorial team.

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London, Greater London, SW18 1QW
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Written by Megan Dawson
BSc(Hons) Psy. Acc.MBACP Reg. GMBPsS
location_on London, Greater London, SW18 1QW
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