|
Diet or Not to Diet? That Is the Question
By Award-Winning Author
Bronwyn Marmo
Eight years ago at age 34, I came to a crossroad in my life. At 5'3", I was considered obese, weighing in at 173 lbs. I wore a size 16. I had struggled with my weight since I was a little girl and often got teased by the other kids in school. My growing girth did little for my self-esteem. I was never the first or even the fifth chosen for the dodge ball team.
I went on my first diet when I was 12 years old, which propelled me into the crazy world of deprivation dieting and binge eating. One extreme always led to an episode of the opposite extreme. I was either on a diet or binging. There was no middle ground and never a sense of balance or peace in my life regarding food or my weight. This vicious cycle held a tight grip on me for more than two decades.
At the time of my crossroad, I was introduced to meditation and contemplation. Through my practice, I began getting glimpses of the peace and calm that I was desperately craving. As I slowed down, I began to observe my eating habits, as well as my thoughts, attitudes and behaviors around food and dieting.
What I discovered was amazing and shocking to me. I began to observe my thoughts closely and started to recognize that I had adopted a certain thought pattern that was keeping me fat and unhappy. I call it my "diet mind." These thoughts were steeped in the belief, that if only I could stick to a diet, then all my problems would be solved. Because I could never stay on a diet longer than a week or two, I also believed I was weak, lazy, and lacked willpower.
Due to my deepening spiritual practice, I was able to objectively observe the self-defeating thoughts that my "diet mind" wanted me to believe. Without judgment or attachment, I listened and learned. I came to know that the negative thoughts were based on ideas that were rooted in the world around me. They invoked a lot of shame, guilt, and self-hatred. They did not come through the loving eyes of my innermost wisdom and truth.
When I reflect inward for divine guidance, it is pure love, acceptance, and forgiveness. I feel a sense of healing and balance in my physical, emotional and spiritual life. By focusing more and more attention on my "balanced-health mind," I began to realize I was already whole. That awareness allowed me to look at this issue from a point of strength and empowerment.
Here is what I found as some major distinctions between "the diet mind" and "the balanced-health mind." See if any of these resonate with you:
The diet mind says, "I am restricting my food for a certain amount of time."
The balanced-health mind says, "This is a journey, a lifestyle change that will be achieved one day at a time."
The diet mind says, "I have to control my eating."
The balanced-health mind says, "I'm giving up control, and allowing my innermost truth to guide me."
The diet mind focuses primarily on the physical aspects; such as the amount of weight I lose and how fast I can lose it.
The balanced-health mind focuses on my emotional and spiritual wholeness that leads me to a healthier physical body. The outcome is left to my innermost loving and trusted companion.
The diet mind says, "I will restrict my food until I reach my goal weight. At that time, I will go back to eating the way I did before."
The balanced-health mind says, "I will fine-tune my eating behaviors every day. I don't need to worry about tomorrow or regret what I did yesterday. Today is all there is."
At my fork in the road, I vowed to never diet again. Instead, I chose to listen to my ultimate authority, the divine spirit within. By making that shift, I released more than 50 pounds in less than a year, creating a life of balance, joy and peace.
If you are tired of going from one failed diet to the next and are open to a new way of looking at food, weight, body image and self-esteem; try listening to your "balanced-health mind." With practice and awareness, you will come to realize you have all the tools you need to create a healthy body. The best part is that they are within you right now.
Diet or not to diet, the choice is always yours. Go for it!
Bronwyn Marmo is a national award-winning author. Her newly published book, The Food Is A Lie: The Truth Is Within, A Spiritual Solution to Weight Loss and Balanced Health, has been praised by some of the leading thinkers of our day, including Deepak Chopra. She conducts workshops and retreats.
|
|
