Sometimes the emotion I feel is “frustration”,
and this includes a bit of anger
when I’ve been working hard toward my goals
but it just isn’t working.

All of us have times when we seem to be stuck,
and no matter how hard we try,
we don’t seem be be able to get anywhere.
Just spinning our wheels in the mud
can cause us to feel pure frustration.

Even though it feels like nothing is working,
when I look closely,  
I usually find at least something is going right.
This takes me out of the negative mindset of “it’s hopeless”
and gets me back to focusing on the positive.

Sometimes we can get so wrapped up in a problem
and in trying to solve it that we forget
what we were originally trying to accomplish.
This is true for me regarding my current seeming inability to lose more weight,
after all, my goal is maintenance of my large weight-loss,
and I’m doing quite well at that.

 We always have options.

When we are really frustrated with a problem,
we tend not to want to work on it anymore.
It’s hard, it’s frustrating, and we’re not getting anywhere.
So we would rather just avoid it.
But, like Thomas Edison said,
“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize
how close they were to success when they gave up.”

When we get stuck on focusing on what we don’t want to happen,
or afraid of the absolute worst thing that could happen,
it’s good to copy those atheletes who imagine themselves
competing flawlessly over and over again.
We can choose to see ourselves achieving what we want.
Visualize it and really feel it to inspire ourselves to keep moving forwards.

 Often things aren’t as bad as they look at first.
Sometimes they seem much worse just because we’re tired or mentally drained.
Taking a break and remembering to keep a sense of humor can help.
The time of frustration will pass, and a positive mind
is far more open to solutions and answers than a negative one
that keeps thinking that it’s “hopeless” and “what’s the use?”
A closed mind won’t be able to see the possible solutions
when they do come along, so it’s important to stay positive.

With weight problems, just like with all other problems,
the solution is to figure out what your options are;
decide on a plan; focus; and then take action.

  Will my body lose back down to my lowest point in maintenance?
I don’t know, but I do know that while trying to do that,
I’ve not gained additional weight,
and that is a total plus.

The definition of Discipline involves how someone
is trained by others to do what is expected of them.

Self-discipline involves training oneself for improvement.

Most people don’t have a discipline problem;
most people have a self-discipline problem.

One of the most critical components of reaching one’s goals
is to be able to manage time, thought, and physical action
on a daily basis. The ability to do this depends on
how well a person puts self-discipline into practice.

People responding to discipline do what is expected
because of an outside authority or society’s dictates.

Self-discipline is the power that comes
from doing what is right by one’s own choice
instead of being under the threat of discipline from another.

It takes self-discipline to consistently perform actions
that require sacrifice and work.

People with self-discipline
deliver what is expected of them, and beyond,
even when no one is looking.

Try to comprehend a person
who picks up a piece of litter from the street
because they see it,
not because they are told to do so,
or to impress others.

 Now, apply this concept to Dieting.

Discipline is an outside Expert or Diet Guru
taking control of our food choices, and
determining specifically how-what-when we must eat-or-not-eat
in order to lose weight or maintain weight-loss.

Self-discipline involves consistently following through
in making the kind of day-to-day individual personal food choices
which will result in weight-loss and maintenance of that weight-loss.

Even.....

…..when no one is looking
…..when we don’t feel like it,
…..when the scale doesn’t show our desired results,

                           
Sometimes the things we want are mutually-exclusive.
Here is a common statement made by dieters:

“I am excited about dropping my extra fat,
and I want to stop dieting and obsessing over every bite.
I think about food and weight loss all the time.
I want to just be free of that and eat normally.”

The….draw….of many diets is the desire for two distinctly separate things,

* to lose and maintain weight.
* to be able to eat “normally” without having to think about it.

 These are two separate goals,
and for almost every obese or reduced obese person,
these goals are Mutually-Exclusive.
Meaning that if you have the one, you can’t have the other.
You can’t have them both at the same time.

These conflicting desires are exploited by modern marketing
which promises us that we can have both of these things together,
but it’s a false promise,
an insidious lie that raises unreasonable expectations
and tends to doom us to failure.

Many people spend their lives
trying to force that square peg into a round hole,
refusing to ACCEPT that universal truth.

In our current modern society, difficult day-to-day food choices
which require thought and self-discipline,
will always be an ongoing part of one’s way-of-life
in order for an obese person to become normal weight,
and for a reduced obese person to remain normal weight.
 We will never be able to automatically eat like a "normal" person.

While we can develop positive habits that will help us in that task.
Developing habits takes a great deal of effort,
and although, after these habits are established, 
certain habits might help reduce a few of our conscious food choices,
it won't resolve the problem.
Specific eating Habits might make some eating choices easier,
but it won't eliminate the continual thinking and choosing process.

That dieting Truth doesn’t have to be a negative.
Make it a positive. 
 Dieting can become an enjoyable Hobby.

For those interested in following my Diet Recipe videos,
I recently posted a new one: "Crispy White Pizza",
which is located here at DietHobby under Recipes, Mini-Meals.

It’s Friday, and today is the start of Labor Day Weekend.
It is common for dieters to lose focus
around special events, like holidays and vacations.

Think about what happens to us at Thanksgiving,
Halloween, or Christmas when we tend to “forget”
to pay close attention to our food intake. 

Imagine you are a (good) parent shopping at the mall
with your two pre-school children.
You wouldn’t get so preoccupied that you forgot
that you brought your kids along.
Instead, you’d always know where your children were
and what they were doing.

Most parents have the mental ability to stay alert,
even after the kids are in bed. This built-in awareness,
or focus, helps them know when their children are at risk.
Sometimes we don’t set out to overeat or ignore our diets,
we simply lose our focus – the ability to stay aware
of our eating plan while we enjoy our food together with
conversation and special activities.

We can have fun and still Focus.
We need a way to hold continual awareness
in spite of what’s going on around us.
It’s tough, but it can be done.

Part of staying focused is:

Remember:  Frequently remind ourselves about our food-plan and goals.
Pull Focus back quickly:  When slipping into old patterns, intentionally renew focus.
Stay Alert: Mentally identify our individual emotions in the situation.

  It is important that we don’t “forget”
about our weight-loss or maintenance efforts,
so we need to develop a built-in awareness to help us
stay focused on what it takes to live with the weight we want.

There are many different food plans,and many ways to look at eating.
All of them work for someone, but none of them work for everyone.

The following quote is from a member of a forum I frequently visit.
The principle discussed is the matter of choice and responsibility for that choice,which actually fits into many different food-plans, however. in the present quote,
the principle is being applied to “S” days in the No S Diet.

“Something I want to mention is out of the books
Beating Overeating and Overcoming Overeating by Gillian Riley.
She says to give yourself Complete freedom (seriously)
and tell yourself you CAN do whatever you want.
Then ask yourself, I am I really Choosing??
This has really freed me in the past eating changes.

I ask myself, What do I really want,
do I want to go ahead and eat/overeat,
and then imagine the outcomes of both choices
the negative and positive, how I will feel, ect.
if I choose one or the other.

Then I can decide what I TRULY want to do,
whether its negative or positive,
and I also have to ACCEPT the consequences ect.
So in doing it this way I am taking responsibility for my choices.

Instead of just binging a whole bunch and beating myself up afterwards,
If I think it over and imagine how I'll feel later
and what might be the consequences of doing it,
I didn’t always want to overeat/binge!
In fact, a lot of times, I chose NOT to do the negative thing!

I can ask myself what I REALLY want (quality vs. quantity)
and then eat accordingly. If I REALLY want to binge, I can binge,
but then accept the consequences with no problems.
If I REALLY want to enjoy a few treats without going overboard,
then I could choose that too.

I think If I truly ask myself I could be more true to myself
and my true desires. It is a powerful tool,
with also allowing yourself complete freedom!”

This is a principle of mental control, and seems completely reasonable.

 The elephant in the room here though, is the possible chemical effects of highly altered foods on the body,
and their attraction and availability in our current world.

And ….if…. these modern (non) foods with combinations of salt/fat/sugars and man-made chemicals that help with flavor and shelf-life, actually affect an individual body the way alcohol affects an alcoholic… making it almost impossible for some bodies to establish ongoing mental control after any of that substance enters the body.

I don’t know. 
But when bingeing is a personal problem, it seems like this might be an issue to consider.