Weight Loss Tip: Stop Diet Sabotage

Weight loss is a very difficult endeavor. There really is no easy way to lose weight.  There are many contributing factors that make it even harder.  Oftentimes when attempting to lose weight the dieter may self sabotage even subconsciously.  That is something that should be kept in mind. Self sabotaging behaviors can be corrected usually quite easily once we are aware of them.  There is however another form of diet sabotage that can be a bit more difficult to combat.  That is the diet sabotage that comes from other people.

Many a diet has failed due to the diet saboteur.  These diet saboteurs come in all walks.  I feel there are actually three types of these diet saboteurs.  Let’s call them the malicious, the non malicious and the misguided.  The non malicious and the misguided may not even realize consciously what they are doing to hinder others weight loss goals.

The first type is coworkers and such.  This type generally does not want to see you succeed with your weight loss goals.  It could be for any number of reasons.  Some will try and sabotage out of jealousy. Perhaps they’re overweight themselves, and do not want to see you become fit.  Others may just be mean spirited people that enjoy trashing other people’s goals and dreams.  The other possible scenario may be that for whatever reason they don’t like you.  It is just one of those unfortunate facts of life, not everyone is going to like us. 

Confrontation is not advisable in these situations.  The best way to handle these people is to show off your willpower.  Willpower can be exercised just like a muscle.  Finding situations like these are an ideal way to strengthen it.  The next time a coworker tries waving a piece of cake in front of you, politely say no thank you and eat something healthy instead. This can also be a great ego boost.

The other malicious saboteur is a different story altogether.  Thankfully they are much less common than the other diet saboteurs. They are the people we have an emotional attachment to.  They are people such as spouses.  They feel that if they keep you fat they can control you.  I am no psychiatrist and do not intend to give any advice in that area.  If you find yourself in and unhealthy situation such as this it would be in your best interest to first survey just how important this person is to you.  From there either leave or seek the advice of professional counselor.

Originally I considered the next group of diet saboteurs as part of the malicious.  After much thought I felt that they deserve their own category.  Misguided seems to be a good way to describe them.

These people are emotionally attached.  They tend be a spouse a parent or even a best friend.  Many times they’re troubled and have their own emotional problems.  Their reasoning is usually along these lines. They feel that if you lose weight and get healthy that you will abandon them.  This can be a very difficult and touchy situation to deal with.  Usually though with proper reassurance these people will come around.  Though it may not seem like it, their motives are usually driven by how much they care.  This is why I felt misguided best matched this group.  If these people are overweight also, a good solution may be to try and convince them to lose weight with you.

Lastly are the easiest diet saboteurs to deal with, the non malicious.  These people really have no ulterior motives at all.  They are people like grandma. It may be an Aunt or Mom or a friend of the family. For this example I’m going to talk about grandma. 

I’m sure most people can relate to grandma saying come on eat some more.  It seems like Italian grandmothers really get the bad rap for this.  I can say from personal experience that my German gram was just as bad when it came to forcing that extra plate on me.  Don’t get me wrong this was always out of love, and I still miss it to this day.  Of course one of them was usually the first to say boy Jimmy you’re getting a little fat, also out of love.

For the most part these diet saboteurs are harmless, however they still need to be taken into consideration in regards to your weight loss goals.  There are a couple of simple ways to deal with them.  My preferred way and probably the most rewarding way is to save a cheat day for the days when you’ll be going to grandmas.  This way everyone is happy.  This only works though if you see grandmaw infrequently.

If you are one of those lucky people who get to see grandma all the time you will need to take a different tact.  Trust me those extra meals can add up pretty quick.  In my opinion the best way to deal with this is to just sit down and explain your goals to her.  Tell her the reasons you decided to start on this weight loss journey.  Explain to her all the health benefits that you’ll receive from being a thinner you.  Chances are she will understand.

Weight loss is a war. Every little battle counts. Smart planning is a huge part of winning the war against fat. Unfortunately even just small backslides can be the start on a slippery slope of weight gain. Planning for and taking control of situations such as the ones I’ve mentioned will be very helpful in reaching your weight loss goals, while avoiding these backslides.