A Diet isn't something we go on and off of.
About 95% of dieters regain the weight they lose.
And, in many cases, the dieter will yo-yo to a heavier weight
than what they were when they started the diet.

For a diet to be effective,
it has to involve a lifestyle change
– a way to eat and live that we can stick with.

A diet is not something we go on,
then go off after we've dropped a few pounds.
The definition of diet is simply ....
........“the usual food and drink of a person or animal.”
So to lose weight and keep it off we need to
consume food and drink that promotes health, not deprivation.

Pick a lifestyle you can see yourself still following
and enjoying when you are 80.

It's All About the Calories
The list of diets goes on and on.
But recent studies have proved
that it really doesn't matter what type of diet we follow.
Pick the one that appeals most to you – the one you can stick with for life –
because the bottom line is all about reducing calories
and burning more calories than consumed!

The simple secret to effective weight loss:
Eating fewer calories than one burns.

An effective weight maintenance plan then is
eating the same number of calories that one burns
through normal body functions and exercise.

Slips are Going to Happen
Trying to remain perfect while following a diet
is setting ourselves up for failure.
We didn't gain our extra weight overnight
and we aren't going to lose it quickly either.
There will be slips on our way to a healthier weight.
Don't ever quit!

Rather than quit when a binge happens,
we need to pick ourselves up, dust off the crumbs
and climb back on the dieting wagon.

We're in this for the long haul.
Being “good” and following a healthy lifestyle
the majority of the time should be our goal.

There will always be temptation,
so we must learn to give ourselves a few guilt-free passes
for those occasions when we eat more than we should.

  About loving Today....
I do love "Today" in general,
but this does not necesarily apply...specifically...to the activities of any one day.

It's my job to focus on the positive in every situation.
For example, ....this day, today, .... I have 2 painters in my master bedroom
repainting the walls and ceiling due to the necessary repairs that I've shared with you before.
My cat, Boodie, and I are holed up, with doors closed and locked, in my living room
to avoid the chaos in the rest of the house.  We will be sleeping here on the couch tonight.

The kitchen is nearby, so food...as always... is at ready access. 

The video I posted today is of one of the stained glass windows I built.
I find it almost impossible to get the correct light in the window and at the same time
geth the correct light needed to shoot me in a video, so I used the greenscreen process
to get us both together. I'm very pleased about that, and will probably do it again.

You may wonder what this all has to do with dieting and weight-loss.
This website, DietHobby, is a lifestyle guide for weight-loss and maintenance,
and managing to eat within one's calorie allowance... or close to it...even in situations
that we may find emotionally uncomfortable, is the biggest part of that Lifestyle.

I've posted another cooking video, Oopsie Rolls
which is located at DietHobby, under RECIPES, Mini-meals.
This is a low-calorie, and low-carb recipe.

 
Life contains many unwelcome Truths.
Not all Truths are pleasant.
Many of them are quite uncomfortable.
Without going into specifics, when thinking of this issue,
many of these unwelcome Truths come to mind.

However, Accepting a fact as true
doesn't mean that I have to think negatively about it.
That Truth can mean whatever I choose it to mean.
This is what is called....Positive Thinking.

Another way to describe that positive - negative thinking concept
is the half-empty glass vs. the half-full glass perception.
I have the ability to direct my thoughts, and
to train myself to think in a positive way.

Thinking in a negative way brings on uncomfortable emotions,
like sadness, anger, resentment, and hatred.
However, thinking in a negative way brings on comfortable emotions,
like acceptance, peace, serenity, happiness and love.

Positive thinking makes us feel better,
which gives us a happier life,
and better equips us to handle life's difficulties. ..
including the struggle involved in the issues of weight-loss and maintenance.

In order to help train one's mind to think positively,
it is helpful to fill it with positive concepts.
This is the primary purpose of my "Words of Wisdom" videos.
These videos consist of a person dressed attractively,
placed in an attractive background,
quoting positive truths and sayings.

The "Words of Wisdom" videos are meant to be watched again and again,
in order to direct one's mind away from the negative and toward the positive.
You can find a Playlist here at DietHobby, under RESOURCES.

That Words of Wisdom Playlist is programmed
to enable you to run these 20 second videos back-to-back automatically,
so that these short videos can play in the background while you complete other tasks.
This can be a positive and helpful tool, if a person does it for 5 or 10 minutes every day.

Each video also has a link in the upper right and left hand corners
labeled "Previous" and "Next" to help with manual navigation thru the video series. 

Even if you are not following my “Ask Grandma” video series
you'll want to watch this video  because it is very relevant to this website.
Click : “Teddy Bear Tea Party" to see the video,
which is located in DietHobby under RESOURCES, Videos, Ask Grandma

             
Weight-loss and Maintenance of that weight-loss is hard work. This is a Truth that needs to be faced in order to achieve long-term success.  Everywhere we turn we see advertising statements about how quick and easy weight-loss is... IF you just buy and use that One Specific Product.

That product could be a food, a supplement, a diet plan, exercise equipment, clothing, a book, a video, or an idea. It could be just about anything that can be sold for money.

Those marketing lies are common, but seldom do we see in bold black-and-white the truth that no matter what product we might use,
weight-loss is slow and hard, and maintenance of that weight-loss is seldom achieved.

There are now quite a few "reality" TV shows concerning weight-loss. These consist primarily of a trim and muscled, naturally thin, person, setting forth difficult physical tasks for very fat people, then berating and encouraging those people in order to "help" them "start to live their lives".

I find this prejudiced-against-fat people statement particularly offensive, because fat people have lives that are just as productive and enjoyable as thin people.The quality of one's life depends on that person's attitudes and thoughts,
not on their physical size, or even their physical condition.

I didn't start "living my life" only when I was a normal weight,
I've lived my life for all my life, whether fat or thin.

Sometimes it seemed good, sometimes it seemed bad, but it is the only Life that I have here on earth (as far as I know), and it's been continuous since I was born.  It didn't only "start" after weight-loss.

The action shown in these television shows mostly involves physical tasks, including exercise.  Because, otherwise, for long periods of time, we would just be looking at people NOT EATING the amounts or kinds of higher-calorie foods that are currently considered socially acceptable and desirable in our culture.This would be about as entertaining as watching paint dry.

Everywhere you hear people being told to "change their lifestyle". Like THAT is a different process than dieting forever. But, it isn't.

Our lifetime eating habits are culturally and emotionally based, and are extremely difficult to change long-term. To make it even harder, habit and emotion are only part of the equation, because physical elements are also involved. 

The bodies of the "reduced obese" do everything possible to return that person to their previously obese condition. There are quite a few articles already here at DietHobby addressing this issue,and this will continue to be an ongoing topic here.

Accepting the rather unpleasant Truths about weight-loss and maintenance has helped me become successful in that area, and personally, I don't see how it is possible for an obese person to achieve long-term weight-loss success without coming to terms with those Truths.