Dieting is engaging in a specific type of eating behavior. Most people look at dieting as….”a means to an end”. What does that mean?

The term “means to an end” refers to :
any action (the means)  ... that the sole purpose ofis to achieve something else (an end).

It often refers to an activity ……………(such as an undesirable job)
that is not as important as the goal you hope to achieve …………….(monetary gains for example).

When we say something is “a means to an end”, the term “end” is defined as our “results”, but the common use of the word “end” means the cessation or termination of a course of action, pursuit or activity …..i.e. to Stop.

So, if Dieting is the means, what is the end?
Ordinarily, people think of the “end” as a desired weight-loss result……such as achieving leanness or a normal weight,

However, achieving weight-loss, is only part of the challenge, and Maintenance of that weight-loss is merely an extension of that process. Therefore the “end”….meaning “result”…. isn’t the end (cessation) at all.

It is common to think in terms of “beginning” and “end”, so this misunderstanding runs deep within us.

A common saying is:
“Let’s get this weight off, once and for all.”

To “delay gratification”…. implies we get something “later”,
and “later” is when?

Usually we think of “later” as
..…after we become lean, ……after we lose the weight.

But if we engage in “dieting” behavior to become lean, and we stop that behavior, we will become fat again. This is what happens to more than 95% of all people who lose weight, and is what experts mean when they say that “Diets don’t work”.

However, whether we call it a diet, or call it a lifestyle. It still means we can’t eat as much of everything we want whenever we want to.

To remain lean, after weight-loss, one must remain on some type of continual diet,and guess what… Losing weight, doesn’t magically turn a body’s tendency toward fat into a tendency toward leanness.

The survival instincts of a reduced-weight body will work against the continuation of the type of eating behavior that is necessary to keep that lost weight off. This is a physical problem.

Yet, many experts imply that this is merely a mental or emotional problem, and that once we’ve learned the “proper” behaviors, over time eating less will become natural for us, and we won’t need to consciously “diet”.

This has not proven to be true for me.
I still have to consciously diet. This is a physical problem.
My body wants to eat more than it uses. My choice is to diet and be normal weight,or to “intuitively” eat and be morbidly obese.

I didn’t choose my body’s genetics. However, I get to choose my mental state.
I choose Acceptance. I choose to embrace the devil that is food and dieting,
and to make it an enjoyable part of my life.

I’m looking forward to an opportunity to “talk” about all of the aspects of diets and dieting that are of interest to me, without censorship by others.

Here, there will only be self-censorship, based on my own personal values and needs, rather than the values or needs of others. After a lifetime spent working to fit into the worlds of others, I find this to be a rather unique opportunity.

As I share my viewpoint about Dieting as a Hobby, some of the subjects I plan to cover here, although not in that order, nor in any particularly organized manner, are…

Weight-loss and maintenance of that weight-loss.
Individual Diets.
Dieting tools.
Dieting organizations.
Differences between Diets.
Food and its allure.
Exercise, or physical activity, as involved with dieting.
Therapy.
The concept of Eating Disorders, and those individual behaviors which are so labeled,
................................              including Anexoria, bulimia, binge disorder, chew and spit.

Writing has always been part of my life, even another one of my Hobbies.
Many years ago, I studied creative writing. I even wrote a couple of romantic novels,
which went unpublished, and a small collection of rejection letters to go with them.
I put that Hobby aside after careful consideration of a Thought that was threaded
through my many ‘how to write fiction’ books. That Thought was that the only reason
to Write was because one had something one needed to say.

After an inner search, I realized that there really wasn’t anything I needed to say.
So I stopped writing as a hobby, and basically limited myself to work-related writing.
Although, I must admit that as a family law attorney, some of my client Declarations
that were filed with the Court were rather fine examples of creative writing.

Now, at this time in my life, I do find that I have something to say.
I Plan to say it here. 

There are many advantages to having Online Friends.
The basic requirement is access to a personal computer.
Location is not a barrier, nor are time-differences.

Age differences between adults; issues of personal appearance;
and differences in health or even grooming habits
tend to be smoothed away.

What remains is the core of the human being.
It is the very essence of a person that gets shared online.

That sense of anonymity that comes with online sharing,
gives even timid people more courage to speak their minds.
And access to a search engine will lead us to others who share common interests.

We can make friends easily and quickly online,
because we aren’t hindered by the daily conventions of society.
We can talk only about the things that interest us,
with people we like, whenever we choose to do so,
and we can totally ignore conversations that aren’t of personal interest.

Online friendships take as much or as little time as one prefers.
Which is usually not the case with in-person friendships.
“Real” life friendships must be nurtured
by meetings, dinners, parties, and get-togethers.
All of these events take time and effort,

For example, if I have people over for dinner,
I have to have a clean house, buy special food, prepare it,
present it in an attractive way, and clean up after.
I have to dress appropriately, and be present all during the event
during which I must spend time visiting with everyone invited,
and the conversation will include subjects in which I’m not interested,
and perhaps would even rather avoid.

For example, if I attend a birthday party,
I have to select, buy and wrap an appropriate gift.
I then dress up, drive there, and spend a specific amount of time being
sociable with the other guests, some of whom I might not know or like,
including the friends and family members of my host/hostess,
involving myself in discussions about things that are of little interest to me.

Then…of course….as someone who continually diets,
the entire food issue is to be considered.
What will they serve? What will I choose to eat?
Can I satisfy the individual rules of my diet and still please my hostess?
Online friendships simply skip the whole process.

I love the convenience of Online Friends

There are many different kinds of Hobbies.

Some people collect stamps, coins, watches or guns.Some people use their recreational time to garden, cook, read, sew, knit, build things, play video games, watch TV, engage in sporting activities etc.
 
There are numerous choices available as to how to use one’s recreational time.
I choose to Diet; I’ve found a way to make Dieting an enjoyable pastime.

My DietHobby has become a valuable use of my time.
I read about it; learn about it; talk about it; and think about it at will. It has become an enjoyable part of my life.

My choice to consider Dieting in a new light, and make it into a pleasant and absorbing Hobby, benefits me both physically and emotionally.

Many Experts and Authorities say that “Diets don’t work”, that we have to adopt a new “Lifestyle”. Proponents of this or that diet claim it’s not really a Diet, it’s a Way of Life.

Whether it’s called a Diet, a Plan, a Way of Eating, or a “Lifestyle change”, the bottom line is every one of these requires you to avoid eating everything you want, whenever you want. In some way, all of them….in some manner… restricts eating.

So it’s still a Diet.

At the same time that we Diet, most of us are made to believe that the reason we have to diet is because our greedy and lazy behavior has made us fat,. …that our deprivation is only what we deserve…because we lack the Strength of Character to eat like “normal” people.

Then, if and when our bodies do manage to reach normal weight, …..our lives can begin…. and we are expected to treat food just like those “normal” people do.

In addition, a “stiff upper lip” is required, and we have to “suck it up.” We are made to feel guilty if our diets affect our families and friends, or inconvenience them in any way. Many of whom, by attitude if not in words,  show their belief that our need to Diet makes us defective and inadequate.

Therefore, ..we are led to believe that  while we need to make “eating healthy” a number one priority at the same time we must put our diet in the background of our lives,  and spend as little time focusing on that diet as is possible.

First, my life didn’t Stop because I was fat.
I’ve been living my life all during my life, and it didn’t Start because I became normal weight, it just continues on while I engage in my behaviors of choice.

Next, my 5 years of maintaining a large weight-loss, have taught me that unless I want to regain my lost fat,  my dieting must go on forever. I chose to Accept that difficult truth, and I decided to have fun with the ongoing process of Dieting

I choose to Embrace Dieting and all that goes with it.
DietHobby demonstrates how I make Dieting into an Enjoyable Hobby.