When I first heard this, I loved the idea of being free of the weighing and measuring and counting, and worrying.  I had butterflies over the thought of what it might be like to never diet again.  But I realized rather quickly, there’s a fine line between the butterflies of excitement and the butterflies of panic – and I was panicked.

If I wasn’t on a diet, I would eat everything in sight.  I would be out of control.  There would be no stopping me!  I could never NOT be on a diet….or could I?

We already know, diets don’t work, and many times, diets make us fatter.  If you’ve dieted once, you’ve probably dieted more than once.  I’d also guess that it’s not because you enjoyed dieting so much you wanted to do it again.  More than likely, you found something that stuck for a while and then life changed, you got busy, or burnt out, or there was that vacation, or your family taught you to clean your plate.  Whatever the reason, it didn’t stick and many of us gain more weight than we did before we started dieting in the first place.

The problem with dieting is that it only address the fact that we consume more food than our bodies need for fuel.  Diets don’t address the reasons WHY WE OVEREAT IN THE FIRST PLACE.  This issue of why we overeat never gets addressed.  If we don’t know why we’re overeating, how do we stop?

If you’re ready to end the battle, you must call a truce, and get you and your body back on the same side.  Here are 3 Keys for Ending the Battle and Finding Peace:

1. Hold your fire! Stop beating yourself up for being whatever weight you are right now.  There is a darn good reason that you overeat.  Maybe it’s because it’s comfort, or entertainment, or a way to relax.  Whatever the reason, be curious about it.  Seek out your reasons without judgment.
2. Start the Peace Talks.  Make a deal with your body that you’re going to start to pay attention to it.  We’re all born with a natural mechanism telling us when we’re hungry and when we’re full.  Start listening, and respond accordingly.
3. Change the Objective.  It’s near impossible to accomplish any goal that doesn’t give you an enthusiastic “yippee!” when you think about it.  So if the words “I want to lose 50 pounds” don’t make you jump for joy, it’s time to change the goal to something a bit more compelling.  By changing the goal to something that feels good when you say it, like “I want to treat myself in an exceptional way today” can make all the difference deciding whether or not to order the chili cheese fries for lunch.

Depriving, restricting and beating myself up never got the long term results that I wanted.  However, when I began to fill myself up with joys in my life rather than filling myself up with food, it not only changed my weight, but it changed my life.  It’s the kind of change that leaves you better, stronger, and by far, much happier than any diet ever will. Today, saying I’ll never diet again gives me freedom from the obsession and worry; restriction and deprivation; and from the excess weight.  That peace, that lightness – it’s exciting.  It’s those butterflies again – but this time – rather than panic – they actually tickle.

Karen Frechou is a Certified Life and Weight Loss Coach.  She works with men & women across the country helping them get the body they want while creating a life they love.

This piece was originally published in the August 2010 issue of Health and Fitness Magazine – Sacramento

I’m on this thing about feeling “uncomfortable”.  I love it.  I’m telling everyone to do it.  “GET UNCOMFORTABLE”.  It seems logical, the old “get out of your comfort zone” thing, but I actually think that for some, getting used to “getting uncomfortable” can be this huge step in changing your body and changing your life to reflect who you really really really want to be.  Of course exercise hurts, of course NOT eating that whole serving of Kobe steak and letting the waiter throw it away is a totally radical concept, of course telling your children “I can’t do that with you today because I need to go workout, cook myself healthy fuel food for the week, etc…” feels foreign.  But really, examine what’s so bad about making the decision that brings up more discomfort for you in these scenarios?