The diet culture in this country is toxic and needs to disappear. The battle for the best weight loss programs is spreading through our culture like a virus. The rate of children under the age of 12 who were admitted to the hospital for eating disorders rose over 119% in less than a decade. Disordered eating is only one of the results of toxic diet culture, and the hundreds of weight loss programs that we are bombarded with each day have not only disordered the relationship between American adults and their foods, but it has trickled down into the lives of our children.
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We must do better. It is our responsibility to develop a loving relationship with our bodies and the way that we nourish them. Furthermore, we must do this out loud so that our children can learn from us. Shifting the mindset of unhealthy eating patterns and harmful diet culture starts with us and the way we approach using weight loss programs to achieve our health goals.
Creating success does not need to include the newest and best weight loss program. Maintaining awareness in your day-to-day journey is an excellent way to work toward a healthy example for our children. It is also the most effective way to achieve a healthy weight that will last a lifetime. Keep reading to see if these tips may fit into your journey towards health, so that no matter what program you choose, it will become the best weight loss program.
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5 Healthy Tips For Making Your Program The Best Weight Loss Program
- Don’t make your body the ‘bad guy’. Your body is going to be your vehicle of life’s adventures until your life is over. Looking in the mirror and constantly hating what you see or wishing you had the features of someone else does your body a disservice. Your body is not the ‘bad guy’ and there is nothing wrong with the way that it looks.
Try this instead:
When you look in the mirror, find 3 things that you love about your body. If you don’t love them and you only barely tolerate them, then this is a great exercise in affirmations! Make these three things the truth by speaking them out loud. Affirmations are a powerful way to experience the healthiest and best weight loss program. - Aim for health, not looks. It is easy to want the flat abs of a Victoria’s Secret model or the arms of Jillian Michaels, but let’s be real: they are human and their looks are temporary, and those results hard to achieve even for them.
Try this instead:
If you want flat abs, find a way to get moving for 30 minutes every day. If this feels out of reach for you at the moment, start with 15. Still out of reach? Start with 5. Just start. Moving your body in a loving manner will always be a good choice. Want firmer arms? Try a push up. If this isn’t in your wheelhouse yet, try a wall push up. Just try. Once you honor your body with movements that will contribute to your overall health, your body will grow stronger. - Nourish, don’t punish. It’s easy to be disappointed in your jeans when they won’t button for the 3rd year in a row, and when we’re disappointed, it’s comforting to reach for a spoon and Ben & Jerry’s and comfort-food our way into oblivion.
Try this instead:
Start slowly, and start with your diet. Successful weight loss is 90% diet and 10% exercise. When you choose foods that benefit the goals you choose for your weight loss program, you are choosing to nourish your body and honor its abilities. - You don’t have to do exercises you hate. This may come as a surprise to you but running and sit-ups aren’t the only way to lose weight.
Try this instead:
Thanks to the internet, we have access to hundreds of quality exercises that can inspire us to get creative with our health. Start a playlist on YouTube with exercises you’d like to try, choose a different walking path, or walk into that aerobics class at the gym you’ve always been afraid of. Get moving and change things up! Once you find something you enjoy doing, your workouts won’t feel like work. It’s easy to exercise when it doesn’t feel like work. - You don’t have to eat foods you hate. Unless the only thing you can eat is ice cream and booze, then there is no reason your meal planning cannot include healthy, delicious foods that will nourish you and help you be successful with your weight loss program. Restrictive diets are not successful and can even be dangerous, leading to disordered eating, harmful habits, or eating disorders.
Try this instead:
Healthy meals don’t have to be expensive, sent via UPS, small, or gross. Healthy foods are colorful and filling, and there are so many resources on the internet that can make healthy family dinners a reality in your home. There are recipes for fans of Instant Pots and even families that constantly have to battle the morning rush. The most important part of healthy eating is planning. Planning your meals is what stands between you and finishing off your toddler’s dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese. Failing to plan is planning to fail. Making healthy choices is how the best weight loss programs succeed.
Deciding to become the healthiest version of yourself is the hardest part about losing weight. When you create a lifestyle that fits your goals, and when you find meals and exercises that you love, your journey to health truly begins. Like any journey, it starts with a single step. You just have to decide to take it. It may be hard, slow, even painful work, but each choice you make to love your body and self is a building block for the best weight loss program.
WANT TO READ MORE?
Check out this article on 5 Tips For Encouraging Healthy Eating Habits Early.
