1704 50 dieting mistakes

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• Oct. 15, 2003

  50 Deadliest Dieting Mistakes
  
  
  EDITOR'S NOTE: With Mr. Bad Food enjoying the snowbird life at the
  South Florida office this week, we've trotted out a golden oldie to
  help you chill out until next week.
  
  by John McGran
  eDiets Editor-in-Chief
  
  From skipping breakfast to rationalizing why I should have that
  fourth slice of pizza, I've made more dieting mistakes than Carter
  has made liver pills.
  
  And by using that liver pill analogy, I have just showed my age...
  and love of silly phrases. (OK, since you asked: I heard the phrase
  used by my Mom when I was a lad and it has stuck with me ever since.
  Oh, and I will be 44 in a few months... ugh, my aging liver suddenly
  feels like it could use a pill.)
  
  And while on the subject of silly phrases (stick with me folks),
  singer Paul Simon wrote the book (well, more the song) on this
  subject when he penned his hit "50 ways to Leave Your Lover." Hop on
  the bus Gus... Drop off the key Lee... Don't try to be coy Roy... You
  get the idea.
  
  I'm here today, not to tell you how to leave your lover, but to
  advise you how to leave diet derailment behind as you travel down
  that road to lasting weight loss. So leave your liver -- and your
  lover -- at home and tune into this important lesson on the 50
  Deadliest Dieting Mistakes. The short but on-the-mark "mistakes" are
  a small part of the brand spanking new Pocket Encyclopedia of Dieting
  & Weight Loss.
  
  After I list the fearful 50, I will let you know how to get your copy
  of this info-packed publication... absolutely FREE!
  
  50 Deadliest Dieting Mistakes
  
  1. Having a negative defeatist attitude.
  
  2. Going on any diet that is NOT a manner of eating that you can
  adhere to for the rest of your life.
  
  3. Believing that you can eat cabbage soup -- or any other low-cal,
  but monotonous fare -- every day for the rest of your life.
  
  4. Obsessing over counting calories.
  
  5. Weighing in too frequently.
  
  6. Not drinking enough water.
  
  7. Drinking sugar-laden drinks.
  
  8. Eating more bread, pasta and potatoes than proteins, lean meats,
  fruits and vegetables.
  
  9. Consuming processed foods more often than fresh foods.
  
  10. Taking the benefits away from vegetables by overcooking them.
  
  11. Not having a plan.
  
  12. Blaming others for your shortcomings.
  
  13. Being quick to judge.
  
  14. Not being aware of the nutritional benefits or detriments of what
  you consume.
  
  15. Finishing every last bite of a meal, even after you are full.
  
  16. Going back for seconds at meals.
  
  17. Eating at "all-you-can-eat buffets" and consuming large
  amounts "to get your money's worth."
  
  18. Skipping breakfast.
  
  19. Starving all day.
  
  20. Bingeing after "falling off the wagon" and then waiting
  until "tomorrow" to get back on track.
  
  21. Thinking you are genetically destined to be fat.
  
  22. Not believing that you have the courage to change.
  
  23. Confusing "fat" as a personality trait.
  
  24. Thinking you are unattractive.
  
  25. Not living each day to the fullest... thinking that will come
  when you are thinner.
  
  26. Wasting time.
  
  27. Not finishing tasks you begin.
  
  28. Postponing tasks that need attention.
  
  29. Rationalizing.
  
  30. Thinking pills, powders or potions are more powerful than they
  really are in achieving weight loss.
  
  31. Thinking of exercise as a chore, instead of a way to improve your
  health and your life.
  
  32. Not scheduling exercise as a vital part of your day and week.
  
  33. Indulging excessively in alcohol.
  
  34. Watching sports rather than participating in sports.
  
  35. Watching too much television.
  
  36. Not giving enough time to personal hygiene and appearance.
  
  37. Refusing to read self-improvement materials on a regular basis.
  
  38. Giving up and resigning yourself to being "fat."
  
  39. Finishing the food off of your family's plates while you are
  doing the dishes.
  
  40. Tasting and nibbling on food while you are cooking it.
  
  41. Baking cookies, pies and cakes more often than for holidays or
  very special occasions.
  
  42. Always having candy in dishes, supposedly for guests, but eating
  more of it yourself.
  
  43. Buying unhealthy snack items "for the kids," but eating some
  yourself.
  
  44. Not having vegetables and/or fruit with each meal.
  
  45. Serving more carbohydrates than any other food group for meals.
  
  46. Thinking that "dieting" sprees -- and not total lifestyle change -
  - will garner lasting weight loss results.
  
  47. Not visualizing yourself actually living and enjoying a healthy
  lifestyle.
  
  48. Not taking vitamins and proper supplements.
  
  49. Consuming fast foods on a regular basis.
  
  50. Waiting for tomorrow to "get started" rather than RIGHT NOW!
  
  So there you have it. Bypass the hefty half a hundred mistakes and
  enjoy life the way you want it: slimmer and healthier!
  
  Like what you've read? To get your very own copy of the Pocket
  Encyclopedia of Dieting & Weight Loss, simply click here. Choose to
  sign up for the economical and effective eDiets plan and you'll even
  sidestep the $1.95 shipping and handling charge!
  
  Hungry for knowledge? Bon appetit!
  
  READER FEEDBACK
  
  Last week's column -- The Simple Reason We're Fat -- seems to have
  hit a nerve. Here's a sampling of your letters:
  
  I have just read the "reason we're fat, get off the couch you lazy
  bum" article. I had logged on at first with the idea I would find the
  inspiration (even the slightest) to be "strong" today and remember
  how I really do have the power to make healthy choices for my diet
  and activity. I feel more like a teenager who's just been caught
  coming home after curfew or at some other offense, and has just sat
  through an unpleasant, shaming, scolding, demeaning lecture from my
  parents. I would have been better able to swallow this article if
  perhaps you had even hinted that step one for many overweight people,
  especially women, is to figure out WHY they choose the couch instead
  of the treadmill. And I don't mean those excuses listed, like
  laziness, time, whatever. I understand the excuses, and I'm not
  asking for another one, but it has become increasingly obvious to me
  how important it is for ME to examine my "addiction" on another
  level. I certainly believe your intentions are genuine, but just that
  you are missing part of the problem. Laziness is a label that does
  not motivate, it shames. It judges. I know you did not intend to
  belittle. I just think I probably represent a large number of those
  looking for some help with understanding and conquering the issue of
  why I am on the couch in the first place. Thank you for the valuable
  articles you publish. But this one hurt more than it helped.
  Marcia
  
  I just finished reading the article on the simple reason we're fat.
  Stewart Smith's answer was that people are fat because they are lazy,
  and I don't agree with that. I am significantly overweight, but I am
  far from lazy. I make sure and get some form of exercise every day,
  and try to be careful about what I eat. Still, I can't seem to lose
  enough weight. While I understand the reasons for the article, I
  think it unfortunately reinforces one of the cruelest stereotypes:
  fat people are lazy and are only fat because they choose to be. For
  some of us, that is not at all true, and the blaring headline on your
  article serves a sort of injustice to those of us who are at war with
  our bodies all the time but still can't seem to lose the weight. Just
  a thought.
  Stefanie M.
  
  I think it is very irresponsible, inappropriate and dangerous even to
  write articles using labels like "fat" and "lazy" to account for
  weight problems that most people who are overweight deal with.
  Especially with the preponderance of eating disorders proliferating
  our country's teenagers and young adults. So many men and women with
  weight issues have some kind of abuse history that leads to weight
  retention and is not directly related to lack of exercise. Overeating
  is an addiction, and a serious one, threatening sanity and lives. To
  blithely chalk up the complexity of overeating to "not getting off
  the couch" is not only not always accurate, it is cruel. As most men
  and women who suffer from weight problems can tell you, we are
  CONSTANTLY reproving ourselves for being lazy, constantly worrying
  that we are not doing enough, not enough, not losing fast enough,
  eating too much -- basically not accepting who we are as "enough"
  just because we are alive. There is so much emphasis on "if I had
  worked out then" or "if I hadn't eaten that" that we barely have time
  to get out of the shame cycle, feel overwhelmed and fall back into
  self-defeating behavior. ENOUGH already with "I'm lazy." Enough with
  regret over what we did or didn't do in the past. What about writing
  some positive, action-based solution oriented articles that
  acknowledge what we HAVE accomplished, do not shame us for being
  depressed, overwhelmed and unable to get off the couch and are
  motivating and life-affirming? There is far too little emotional
  support and understanding in this multi billion-dollar Diet Market in
  this country. And way too much shaming.
  Lisa H.
  
  I was just reading your article on how lazy people are and how we
  need a beer-drinking Navy Seal to tell us what to do and how to do
  it. I have been a physical therapist for 25 years and worked in
  sports medicine for the first 15 years (I was privileged to work the
  1984 Olympics). At the end of May, I turned 50. Since the end of
  February, I have lost 25 pounds. I am here to tell you that most
  people are not lazy and to demean and demoralize people into losing
  weight is totally ineffective. To be successful in weight loss and
  exercise, it has to fit into our lives. I use, and have many of my
  clients use, an exercise ball. I keep mine in the living room and one
  in my office. So when I watch TV, I sit on the ball or do my ab
  exercises on the ball or stretch on the ball. So, I get to stay home,
  watch TV and exercise. This works for most people. My experience is
  that if a person is not taking care of themselves, they are probably
  depressed. In this state, you have to carefully nurture a person's
  self-esteem and motivation. Telling people they are lazy just
  exacerbates their low self esteem.
  Ann G.
  
  Well, until next week, the fridge door is closed. But if you have any
  questions and/or comments -- or a tasteful joke to share -- feel free
  to write me, eDiets editor-in-chief John McGran, at john@ediets.com.
  
  Are you ready to sink your teeth into a healthy new lifestyle... one
  that will help you drop weight and improve your health? eDiets offers
  a choice of 15 different diets, including the Atkins Nutritional
  Approach, ZonePerfect and the Shape Up! Plan inspired by Dr. Phil
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