Hooray! I’ve broken through to new territory, and am now 53.6 pounds down.

 

Thanks to several friends who are thoughtful enough to post articles, I’ve done more than average reading this week — not just on weight loss and the complications of obesity, but also about the psychology of allowing external forces to steer our decisions.

I think these two topics dovetail quite well. The first article attributed the idea that saturated fats are dangerous and that low fat eating is the way to health, to one very adamant scientist. While I’m not sure that’s true, I know the pervasive thinking for decades has been that the only safe and effective way to lose weight is to do so with a low fat diet.

Historically, I’ve never done well on low fat. Carbs trigger hunger for me, so it’s no wonder that the most I’ve ever been able to lose on low fat was 40 pounds. Believe me, I starved those pounds off, and I was absolutely miserable the entire time — every time. Before I tried a low carb diet (Atkins) eleven years ago, I had pretty much accepted the idea that I was just going to stay fat, because every diet I tried made me horribly miserable.

Then I tried Atkins, and lost not 40 pounds… but 140. I wasn’t miserable. In fact, I was pretty satisfied with how I ate.

Now, this isn’t an Atkins endorsement, although I think it’s an excellent plan. My point is more about how pervasive the diet industry is in putting peer pressure on people, whispering in their ears or yelling in their faces about there only being one effective way to lose weight — calories in, calories out — and that’s not true. At least for me.

In order to succeed, I had to be willing to try something that went against common beliefs, and stick to my guns, despite anyone else’s opinion on how I do things.

I think this is a huge failing for many people who attempt to lose weight. It’s a struggle, no matter what, and the moment someone says “I’m going on a diet!”, they usually have at least a dozen well-meaning friends trying to tell them how to do it. I’ve been there. I’m still there, despite having proven success with the methods I use.

You have to be willing to do two things: shut out those voices and do what your gut tells you is right, and be strong enough to accept that there’s no one simple answer that works for everyone. If that were true, we wouldn’t have the massive obesity rates we currently do.

I’m not knocking low fat diets, by the way. If they work for you, great! Do what works for you personally.

 

In a sea of confusing information regarding weight loss, and pressure from any number of sources to do things their way (because, according to them, that’s the only way you can possibly be healthy), it becomes immediately necessary to find a core strength that tides you through these assaults. It’s no wonder so many people throw their hands up in frustration; it’s easier to remain in place and not make the effort than to commit to making the effort and endure the immediate attack of well-meaning individuals.

This is one of the reasons why, for many of my past diet efforts, I just quietly went on a diet and said nothing to anyone about it. I didn’t need to have varying opinions on what I was doing; it was (and is) a personal journey. While I was quite vocal about my intentions from the start, this time, I still had friends who tried, in their own ways, to steer me toward their methods. I still had to endure an onslaught of opinions. And while I love those people for caring about me, I still have to make sure that what I’m doing is good for me.

I encourage people to read the article “Taming the Mammoth: Why You Should Stop Caring What Other People Think”. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen this sort of thinking diagrammed so well, and if you are looking for ways to solidify your own thinking so you’ll be more successful in your efforts, you may find some suggestions here.

It’s been my experience that the only way to truly succeed is to be firm in your own convictions and goals. If your faith in yourself is easily shattered by the opinions of others, whether it’s about your dietary methods or about your progress, you must learn to shut out those voices. I’m nearly a year into this effort; I’ve been on diets for much longer than a year, and sticking with them requires that determination above all else.

Be strong for yourself.