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Dealing with Slip-Ups.

February 29, 2024 by Dietflex

For anyone who has ever been trying to eat healthier, or follow a specific diet, the slip-ups are a part of the journey.
Very few people are perfect in any area of life, and weight loss can be especially difficult due to the emotions involved with eating. Simply accepting that slip-ups are normal and a temporary set-back, rather than viewing them as ‘the end’, can be beneficial in helping you to get back on track quickly!

Many people regard dieting as a test of willpower. This approach is unlikely to work, because every time you have a slip-up, it reinforces in your mind that you ‘have no willpower’. Rather than being reliant on willpower, why not look at skill power? Your weight loss journey is an opportunity to develop skills which will last a lifetime.

Think about learning any new skill: In the beginning you’re bound to make mistakes, but the lessons you learn from these mistakes get you closer to mastering the skill. Over time, you are able to think about it less as the skills are learnt, but still the occasional mistake is made. Ultimately the skill is learnt, and it becomes part of natural behavior, where you are able to complete the skill whilst focusing on other things.

Imagine if, in the process of learning to drive a car, you stalled the car and so gave up learning to drive. You would never have given yourself the opportunity to learn and would still be catching the bus wherever you needed to go. Most people are able to pick themselves up after a minor slip-up and simply try again. Learning how to adopt a new eating pattern and lose weight should be no different.

Remember that old habits and behaviors will take some time to change, and you may have done really well for weeks or even months, only to have something happen in your life and those old habits reappear. This is normal! Accept the slip-up, re-focus on your goals and get back onto your eating plan, and the slipup will become nothing more than a memory from which you were able to learn. Give yourself a pat on the back for recognizing it as such.

The key is to realise that the slip-up itself is unimportant. What is important is how you deal with
it; and whether you blow it out of proportion. When blown out of proportion, the slip-up becomes a major set-back which you take to reflect on you personally. The risk is negative self-talk, such as “I’m hopeless. I’ll never lose weight. I may as well not even try.” This self-doubt and lack of confidence is often enough to make you stop even trying to lose weight. A small slip-up can in this way lead to a major slide.

So, imagine telling a friend about your slip-up. What would they say? Almost certainly they would speak with positive language, and not tell you that you are hopeless; they would be able to see the slip-up in its true perspective. After a slip-up, try having the discussion in your mind that you might have with a friend. It could go something like this:
You: “I did the wrong thing. I’m hopeless.”
Friend: “It was just a small piece of cake. Forget it and get back on your plan.”
You: “But I’ve blown it. I can never stick to a plan. I always fail.”
Friend: “It was one mistake, and it’s done. Now you can focus on all the things you did well today rather than the one thing where you slipped-up. Learn from it. What will you do differently next time?”

When you recognize that you are starting to place too much importance on a slip-up, it’s time to distract yourself. Go for a walk, paint your fingernails, phone a friend – anything to help you to stop thinking about this one small event.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, don’t take it all too seriously. Your weight loss journey is but a part of your life, not the only thing. A slip-up is a minor event in your life, your week, and even your day, so don’t over-emphasize its importance. Say to yourself: “Hey, I made a mistake. Big deal! I’m not perfect. Now I can get back on track and lose some more weight”.

The 5 steps to achieving your best weight

October 22, 2021 by Dietflex

Do you have the belief that starting a weight loss program might be a struggle?

If you do, it may be based upon your past experiences. There may be many years of attempted starts, never being at or getting to a weight that you feel comfortable with and remarks like “You’ve just got big bones.” are simply not true or helpful.

To be at your best weight and health is an outcome that is achievable for everyone, even you – regardless of where you are coming from.

It does require work, dedication, focus, change, adjustment and much more, however we’d like to add that we have worked with so many people over the years who have embarked on this journey and achieved success.

Their outcomes are inspirational and personal. The one thing they say to us when asked what they would say to other people who may be thinking of starting the Dietflex program,

“Just get started, you won’t regret it.”

OK you are ready to start losing weight. To ensure that you achieve success these 5 steps will give you some ideas of what to expect and include in your planning. The 5 steps can relate to any goal you have set yourself, but this article relates to losing weight.

1. Choose a weight loss program that actually works.

It may surprise you that we NEVER say “Just eat less and exercise more.” The right plan will be personalised for your body and offer a level of support that goes beyond you hitting your goal weight. It should help you lose weight without experiencing hunger.

If you choose the wrong program and apply the next 4 steps, you’ll come away even more frustrated.

2. Commitment – People fail through lack of commitment, not lack of desire.

Unless you are fully committed you will not achieve your goal.

Let’s say that your goal is to lose 5 kilos by 1 September. To implement and execute requires finding a process that works for you. This process requires planning what foods and drinks you will allow yourself and what exercise you will do and when. Other considerations may include sleep habits, shopping and cooking, and meal prepping.

You also need to put yourself FIRST and then let go of the need to feel like you must like it – just get on with it. If you think that telling people will help you stay committed then do it, but if that’s not you, don’t tell anyone.

When it’s time to get started, don’t forget to add small rewards for yourself along the way. Our program sets 5 goal posts at every 20% of your weight loss goal.

3. Courage – especially emotional courage is often hard to find.

Many people suffer from a lack of faith in themselves. When doubt sets it, remind yourself why you started on this journey.

If you get up each day and show up fully, this will give you the courage and hope to focus on your goal, and never give up. Sure, you will have slip-ups along the way, but make it only one step back before you’re moving forward again.

If you suffer from perfectionism you may need to learn to go with the flow. Waiting for the perfect time is NEVER going to happen and leads to procrastination. Reducing choices may help as it declutters your mind and allows clarity. We’ll definitely suggest that you declutter your pantry, getting rid of all foods not on your plan, and fill your fridge with everything that is on your plan.

Sharing your goal with a friend or family member, working out in a safe environment, or practicing some meditation or mindfulness may take the edges off going it alone – which may help with your resilience. Having small wins to celebrate along the journey will also add to your courage.

4. Capacity – you may already have a busy schedule and not a lot of time available but losing weight should not require a lot of time.

Many of our members we see once or twice a week. By learning new skills like pre-planning shopping, meal prep and cooking, will give you a sense of control and may even save you time. Exercise should not take more than 30 mins a session, mix it up with cardio, resistance and activity or movement, and have it scheduled in your default weekly diary.

Having a coach or buddy to keep you accountable and help with creating new successful habits will increase your capacity to take on more challenges. Focus on small victories and you’ll be surprised at how much you can increase your capacity to learn new skills.

Keeping it simple is a great way to increase your capacity. Many people don’t feel confident to cook but learning some basic cooking skills, like making an omelette or scrambled eggs, bolognaise sauce (no pasta) or cooking a piece of meat and making a salad, is a great start.

Finding a program where you don’t have to count calories or points is a bonus.

5. Confidence – comes from making the commitment, having the courage to then take action and implement to your capacity. Small changes make BIG results.

With confidence comes a sense of control. Knowing what you need to do, knowing how your body reacts when you eat different foods, how it responds to different types of activity, how journaling gives you focus and helps you stick to your goal. You’ll also learn that it is much easier to say No.

Confidence also gives you the capacity to want to learn more. It could be increasing your cooking and meal prep skills, meeting, and socialising with like-minded people, or experimenting with different exercise options.

Feeling empowered. Feeling in control. Enjoying who you are. Enjoying the choice of taking on a challenge – and perhaps even feeling a little uncomfortable!!!!

You may have a history of trying numerous programs and never achieving the results you were after, so perhaps now it’s time to get off this treadmill!!

Thanks for reading.

To sign up for a free consultation with us please follow this link

How to avoid 13 common weight loss mistakes

October 8, 2021 by Dietflex

We’ve seen all sorts of factors, but there are 13 common mistakes that people make that we would like to share with you.

Doing “your version” of a plan.

Commit to a proven program and stick to it. Making changes, even if they seem minor, can mess up the nutrient balance of the program and may affect your body’s ability to release stored fat.

Having a treat or cheat day.

Some people can get away with having the occasional splurge, but most can’t. It’s much better to decide that you are developing a new eating pattern that you can continue for life, rather than thinking about deprivation and rewards. It works better for your body and your mind.

Snacks that have too little protein and too many calories.

This is especially true if you snack on nuts or fruit. While each of these is very different nutritionally, they all have the same problem in that they are low in protein and easy to overeat. If you snack on these foods, consider having them in very small amounts together with some protein.

Too many sweeteners.

Whether they’re natural or artificial, all sweeteners help you retain your desire for sweet foods. They also signal the brain to expect an influx of calories, which can result in hormonal responses that cause over-eating to cater to the brain’s expectation, or increased fat storage, or both.

Eating because “It’s time”.

Part of successful weight maintenance is the ability to understand the body’s true hunger signals. Often people eat when they’re not hungry: they might be bored, with others who are eating, lured by temptation, or the clock says it’s time to eat (habit). It’s far better to be responsive to the body’s cues rather than social cues, and it’s a skill that needs to be learned. Sometimes the cue to eat a meal or snack is triggered by some daily event (ie the news on TV or radio), not your body’s need for food.

Eating too little.

Many people think that minimising their food intake will lead to weight loss. It certainly can (as is obvious in the TV series Survivor), but for most people semi-starvation slows the metabolic rate which stops weight loss. Drastic quick weight loss can trigger loss of lean metabolically-active tissue, so these people end up “skinny fat”. Then as soon as you go back to normal eating you’ll gain weight and often more than you had lost.

You started with unrealistic expectations.

Your neighbour lost 20kg in 10 weeks, so surely you can do the same, right? Actually, not even close. Most people need to aim for healthy weight loss of about half a kilo per week, as long as they’re following their program fully. Some people can lose a lot in the first week and expect that to continue, but they don’t realise that the initial weight is usually the release of retained fluid and not stored fat. Understanding this can help in developing realistic expectations.

Lack of sleep.

Poor quality of insufficient sleep triggers hormones that slow weight loss. Chronic poor sleep can stop weight loss, so it’s important when losing weight to develop strategies to improve sleep.

High stress.

Like poor sleep, chronic stress causes the release of hormones like cortisol that stop weight loss. Learning how to deal with life’s stressful situations is essential, albeit difficult. Getting help from a professional can be worthwhile.

Processed foods.

The label might indicate that the food is suitable (organic, natural, no added sugar, gluten-free, vegan friendly etc) but this does not mean it suits your body. A lot of processed foods have low-quality ingredients, are low in quality protein and may not be nutritionally sound. Ditch the processed foods and choose fresh is best.

Alcohol.

It might be lovely to sit down and enjoy a glass of wine or your favourite drink, but it never does any favours for your weight loss progress. Alcohol can’t be stored in the body, so the time it takes your body to eliminate the alcohol is time that your body is not metabolising stored fat.

Drinking juice.

Where did the idea that we need to drink juice at breakfast come from? For many it has become ‘normal’ to drink juices and smoothies as a healthy snack or meal option. In reality, juice is just a drink of flavoured sugar with no fibre. Think of it this way: it takes perhaps three to four oranges to squeeze a glass of juice, which is very easy to drink along with your breakfast. Imagine instead eating those three or four oranges with your breakfast! They would contain the same calories, but with a whole lot more filling due to the fibre. The fibre helps slow the absorption of sugar into the blood stream, so you get full and stay full for much longer. Most of us would not even contemplate eating three or four oranges in one sitting!!

Cheating, and not being honest with yourself.

You may think you can get away with eating something you know is unwise, especially if nobody is there to see you do it. You just keep quiet about it, hide the evidence, and never say anything. While you might get away with it, your body knows.

If you’re getting frustrated with your progress, check if you’re making any of these mistakes.

Want to learn more about how the dietflex program can help you achieve your weight & health goals? Register for a free consultation HERE

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We’ve seen all sorts of factors, but there are 13 common mistakes that people make that we would like to share with you.

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