Why dieting, counting calories and points, is killing your success

Counting calories used to a way of life for me. Tot up your calories as you go about your day. Get to the end of a long day, sit on the couch, eat some biscuits, count the calories on the back of the packet, eat some more. Hate yourself, remorse, start it all again the next day.

The biggest problem I have with the weight loss industry is that they need your obsession to make lots of money. They need you to believe that there’s lots of complicated science behind the plan you’re following. That they’ve spent years developing this diet, so you can lose weight and keep it off for good. But the truth is so much more simple than that.

What the weight loss industry really makes you do is feel like a failure. It keeps you in an obsessive loop of weight gain and weight loss. Constantly thinking about food. Or worse, weighing it, counting it, counting up your points, counting up your syns, while all this time, your real life is whizzing by.

They need you to feel like an un-fixed failure, so you keep buying their product, you keep hooked on their latest recipe. You lose a bit, but boy was that tough to lose, it took over your whole life! You gain a bit, because you couldn’t keep it up. It wasn’t sustainable. INSANE.

What is the point in doing something if you can’t stick to it?  Jeez it’s just a waste of time, and on top of that, you’ve sacrificed your metabolism. It’s going to become harder and harder.

What they don’t want you to know is that you need to eat healthy and cut out crap, to lose weight. You may be over-eating or turning to wine or bad food because of an under-lying emotional reason you have, and that’s what really needs to be looked at. You may have a lack of confidence or you may feel really de-motivated, and that’s  the issue, and you need help, but you don’t need to diet. The underlying reason has got to be addressed, and then over time, you’ll be free.

Free of the weighing scales, free of your inner judgement, free of that nasty voice inside you telling you, you are fat. Free of counting calories, weighing food, free of what you think you should look like. Free of comparing yourself to others, free of caring of what society thinks looks great, you’ll be free. You’ll be confident in your own skin.

I can’t quite honestly believe that someone like me, is happy with how I look. Like behind closed doors, when no one is around, I’m honestly happy with myself.  I can look at myself in the mirror and be happy. That has taken years. I’ve come from a real genuine place of utter hatred for how I look. I love myself now and you can love yourself to. Eat well, train right, work on your mindset and get consistent.

Jessica X

About the author 

Jessica Cooke

I love drinking coffee, and my favourite thing in life (apart from my family) is to empower women to lead fitter, healthier and happier lives. (oh, and also I love playing with my two Miniature Schnauzers, Buster and Ozzy)

I’ve coached more than 6,140 women over 14 years to lead fitter, healthier and happier lives.

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