I get a lot of questions in my practice about some of the trendier types of diets that are floating around the Internet. I am not a fan of most of them. Some might be okay for the short-term, but the majority of these diets cannot be sustained over the long-term, and often bring more anxiety to people when the weight begins to creep back up.
Whenever I see mention of these “high protein- low carb diets,” I flash back to 1988 and see Oprah Winfrey, dressed in very tight jeans, pulling a wagon of 67 pounds of fat. In reality, two days after the show aired, Oprah began to resume eating real food and started to outgrow her size 10 Calvin Kleins. Looking back on that one image, she did not look healthy in any way, but it’s also a good reminder that those crash diets don’t work over the long-term.
For anyone who has read some of my previous posts, you know I really like daily affirmations. Those little vignettes that help to remind us (in a few words) of the things that really matter. Sometimes, all you need is a little thing to get out of bad funks. I get the blues on rainy days, and find great comfort under my puffy comforter. I’m good once the sun shines again but for some people, it’s not as easy as looking out the window.
Recipes on Facebook frequently traumatize me; why a healthy head of cauliflower gets dipped, breaded, and fried is beyond my comprehension. Occasionally, there are some good posts about the importance of a healthy body image and inspirations. I particularly like this one: “Yesterday I wore something from 5 years ago, and it actually fit. It was a scarf. But still. Let’s be positive here.” Right?
Another interesting concept involved setting up a “Happiness Jar.” The instructions are to “write down something that made you happy every day for a year, then open up the jar and read all of the amazing things that happened.” It sounds like a good one to start on January 1st, but you might not have to wait a whole year to crack open the jar.
In my practice, I used to have a patient come in to see me on a monthly basis. She kept a daily journal of her food and her feelings. Over the hour, I read each one and highlighted all of the positive things she had noted. I asked her to flip back through her book and look for the highlighted statements whenever she felt like she was slipping and needed a boost of her own encouragement. Reading your own handwriting and feelings can be a very powerful thing.
I can’t stress this enough:
No one can tell you how and what you are feeling.
No one should judge you on how you look or feel.
Neither should you....
Sophie