Well it's been five years for me now since I reduced down my weight and stopped dieting forever, it's been a strange Christmas for me this year but as usual I moderated and had what I wanted and therefore I won't be needing to jump on a diet tomorrow morning like I used to.
I get loads of E-Mails at this time of year with people asking for advice on what diet they should do, what the secret is and general hints and tips on getting motivated to slim down.
My advice is maybe a little controversial but the reason I am slim is that I haven't dieted for five years, sure I had to do a diet back in 2005 to get to slim but once there I got off the dieting bandwagon as I think it is designed and promotes people to lose/gain/lose and then gain again.
When I tell people that dieting doesn't work they look at me like I am mad and try and tell me that it does work and that you just need to moderate and cut back a bit after you finish dieting.
But if that were true then why do 99% of people regain all the weight within 12 months ? Why are there more people on diets today than ever before? If diets were the answer then surely 90% of people would stay slim and less and less people would need to diet? But we all know the diets don't work, but when you are big and need to trim down then what other options do you really have? I stood once at a dieting conference when the presenter admitted that whatever diet people did it was statistically very unlikely they would keep the weight off, I have even seen pictures in magazines of people who are being plauded for reducing weight even though they have already regained it.
And the diet industry is very good at promoting itself at this time of year promising bikini pictures in the summer etc etc but the reality is that diet companies need you to regain weight, therefore I would always question their real motives as if they got everyone slim and not dieting then they would go out of business ? Therefore are they really trying to help you or make money out of you ?
Now I am not saying I have all the answers to everything but I definitely have a different view on dieting to most and the fact I don't now need to do it and haven't for years means I must be doing something right, and one of my things for 2011 is to get out there and tell the world that crash dieting is not the answer for most.
So if you are sitting down tonight to eat and drink with a big plan of a New Year's resolution tomorrow to join a slimming club or gym and get fit then ask yourself the honest question... Why do I really eat too much ?
The answer won't be answered by points, calories or packs of soups...
My hope for you for 2011 is that you are healthy and truelly happy, once you have those then you'll find the weight takes care of itself.
Happy New Year
Mike
