The Glycemic Index Diet for Dummies (111 page)

Looking for the positives

Finding the positives in your situation is the first step to making long-term changes and a solid way to build support for your
goals. Putting your focus on all the benefits of your chosen lifestyle changehelps you stick to those changes because it's natural to want to do something that feels great.

The biggest problem with dietary changes is that most people don't inherently dislike the way they eat — they just hate that their chosen foods are causing them to gain weight or have health issues. When they realize that they have to change the foods they eat to see results, they tend to get caught up in negative thoughts such as "I can't eat pasta ever again" or "I'm going to have troubles eating out." Letting your mind go to these negative places is easy, but it's not helpful to your long-term goals.

To conquer negativity surrounding lifestyle changes, start thinking about all the benefits of your new plan. Doing so not only helps you feel better about your choices but also gives you the motivation you need to make real lifestyle changes you can live with for the long haul. The benefits work as long-term motivators that you can bring out when you need them the most.

Following a low-glycemic diet has many benefits for you to focus on. Here are just a few to get you started:

Weight loss:
You probably bought this book because you want to lose weight. Eating a low-glycemic diet can help you do that. It can also help you maintain weight loss long term so you can be free from the dieting roller coaster. If that's not a major motivator, I don't know what is.

Improved energy:
The low-glycemic plan I encourage throughout this book provides your body with more energy-boosting foods so you can feel great during the day rather than rundown.

Disease prevention:
A low-glycemic lifestyle helps decrease your risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer by incorporating more fruits, vegetables, and fiber into your diet.

Feeling better all around:
Okay, okay, this one's a little vague, but it really is true that when you eat healthy foods most of the time, you just feel better. I once had a 24-year-old male client who was doing great with his new diet changes. He then went on a small vacation with his buddies and ate hamburgers and burritos for one day. In just that one day he felt so bad (low energy, bogged down) that he simply thought "I just can't eat like this anymore." Like my client, feeling better overall can be a great motivator for long-term change.

Committing to a new approach

Although embracing your new dietary habits may be easy, giving up your old ones often isn't. That's what makes commitment such
an important part of the change process — it's another tool for building support for your chosen way of life. One of the biggest reasons I see people struggle with making lifestyle changes is that they try to follow both their new and old habits, and sometimes the two just don't mesh.

For example, one client of mine did ablutely great following her low-glycemic diet guidelines in a balanced way. In addition, her meal planning became habitual, and her exercise was consistent. However, she still gave in to her "vice" — eating cookies in front of the television with her husband. Having some cookies once in a while is no biggie and certainly works within a moderate nutrition plan, but my client and her husband shared a package of cookies five or more nights a week. This old habit interfered with my client's progress, and because she wasn't seeing the type of results she wanted, she wound up feeling frustrated.

Committing to a new way of life means really letting go of those things (foods, activities, and so on) that aren't serving you anymore, no matter how much you may enjoy them. Commitment also comes into play when you face life challenges that get in the way of your goals. When you're committed to a goal, you find solutions that work for you; when you aren't committed, you go back to your old habits.

I like to use a visual example of going for a walk to a waterfall. Imagine that along the way a tree falls into your path. You can either find a way around it to achieve your goal of seeing the waterfall, or you can turn around and go home. All obstacles and challenges work this way. You have a choice: Stay committed and conquer the obstacle in your path or just give up.

To help you stay committed to your lifestyle changes, try this exercise: Grab a pen and a sheet of paper. On one side of the paper, write down all the new changes you want to make; on the other side, write down the things you may need to let go of in order to really live your new lifestyle. Sometimes just being conscious of where you're going and what you have to give up along the way can solidify your commitment to your goals.

When my client and I spoke about her "cookie time," she was able to declare her commitment and find solutions to her issue. She and her husband came up with a list of better treats they could eat during television hours. This solution was a direct result of my client's commitment to her new, healthier lifestyle.

Dealing with setbacks

Changing your lifestyle is a process, and setbacks are a natural part of that process. Dietary habits are some of the hardest habits to
change, so don't get discouraged if you slip up now and again as you figure out how to really incorporate your chosen changes into your day-to-day life. (In other words, give yourself some much-needed space!) Reading up on your new low-glycemic diet and how to plan meals is just the first step. The next step is making your low-glycemic diet work in your life, a process that naturally requires some trial and error.

Instead of letting setbacks get you down, use them as an opportunity to discover how you're going to make this particular challenge work within your new lifestyle. Here are some steps to take when you're faced with setbacks: