Thursday, April 15, 2021

Weight Loss requires 5Ds: Diet, Determination, Discipline, Distraction, Diffusion

I lost 100 pounds a few years ago (right is before and left pic is after). Now I'm working to shed some pounds regained. I've found that weight loss requires 5Ds. I'll go into detail on each of these in upcoming posts but here's a summary. 

Diet: Or should I say diet makeover, lol. I had a diet prior to weight loss: It was called the "wine and cheese and chocolate and pizza party with the cat" diet. Seriously, I didn't overeat that much and I've never been a big junk food person. But I did eat too much, especially on the antidepressant Paxil which busted limit switches. Ergo the obesity. So obviously a clean up of eating habits was in order. Which brings me to the second D.

Determination: I had to make up my mind that I should, could and would lose weight. No more excuses, putting it off, cheating, denial. I knew it would be a long haul so I had to visualize myself thinner and keep that mental image in my head. I call this tool "eye on the prize" and that takes 
me to the third D. 

Discipline: I wanted to lose weight but I didn't want to diet. I dreaded it. But like so many Al-Anon slogans I've used, "fake it till ya make it" works great. Also, "it works if ya work it" cuz self-discipline really does pay off if you're will to do the work of weight loss. 

Distract/Deflect: Part of  how I lost 100 pounds was to distract myself from constant thoughts of hunger and food and deflect my thoughts on other things. I keep busy and active. I try to focus on others' greater suffering to minimize my own minor struggle. I promise myself I'll eat later and sometimes I forget that I'm hungry! Having said that, brings me to the last D of weight loss. 

Diffuse: In order to be able to distract from obsession with food, I avoid getting too hungry. If I let myself go too long without eating, hunger pain (and it really is pain that can hurt like crazy) sets in. It seems I can't get full. Blood sugar drops and I can't stop eating. So I diffuse intense hunger by nibbling throughout the day. I track calories for weight loss and don't just mindlessly snack. But I spread them out over more small meals instead of a few large ones. I may not ever be completely full but I'm also not completely empty! 

These 5Ds are my formula for beating obesity! 




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