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It's only halfway through January and already I'm seeing the first casualties of the annual diet war. If you signed up for that miraculous new weight loss phenomenon or have been existing on milkshakes or specially formulated meal bars and you're still in the running then though in my heart I'd love to shower you with congratulations my head shakes a firm 'no'. It'll all end in tears.
If we openly acknowledge that a magic bullet doesn't exist then why do we continue to look for it? The imagined pain of a lifestyle overhaul is so great that we continue to experience that rush of excitement with every new launch of a miracle drug. "What if someone has really cracked it this time? If all my excess weight could just melt away as I chill in front of the soaps? No harm in giving it a try...if it doesn't work then nothing will have changed. I'll start off fat and I'll end up fat".
"Why can't I DO this?" wailed one of my neighbours. "I run a family, a successful business and juggle everything so well. Except my weight. I feel permanently pulled every which way I'm seriously out of control and there's nothing I can do about it". This lady is in complete overwhelm and is constantly reacting to circumstances rather than anticipating outcomes and planning ahead. Let her share with you a typical week: on Mondays she eats virtually nothing to make up for the weekend overindulgence and after a poor sleep that evening (so hungry) is inevitably low on motivation and resolve by Tuesday. By late afternoon the cracks begin to show. Ferrying her youngsters around various activities means hanging around for half an hour in a leisure centre cafeteria. "You would not believe what I can put away during that time" she admits "and I don't even like the food there". Wednesday is spent in blind panic attempting to regain some control and a single slip on that day would "be terrifying as my weight could just spiral. Who knows how big I could become?".
I hear stories like this all the time. This lovely, capable lady is in reality only a little overweight. But her life is a constant battle against her terror of obesity. This is just the sort of person who turns depairingly towards the 'diet gurus' who promise incredible results in a matter of weeks or even days. Can't stick to it? Then it's YOU that's at fault.
In the US Dr. Barry Simon, a psychiatrist who specialises in weight loss says "We see people, chronic dieters, who have not been successful," he says. "The last thing they need is another diet. What they need is to regain a sense of being empowered and strategies to build on efficacy and strength."
"If you want to go on a two-week diet, don't call us," says Dr Simon.
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