Get 'Locked In' To Diet That's Right For You

I had an interesting e-mail discussion with one of my regular readers today about the idea of finding the diet plan that will work for you to not only help you shed the pounds, but also keep your weight under control forever.

As you know, I lost my weight using the Atkins diet because it is the only program I have been on that I was successful at taking the weight off with as well as maintaining that weight loss. Or, as I like to say, I'm livin' la vida low-carb!

But I am well aware that the Atkins diet will NOT necessarily work for everyone who tries it and there are many other excellent low-carb plans that can help you lose weight, too. From South Beach to The Zone to Protein Power and Sugar Busters, the variety of low-carb diets that exist out there is incredible. For an excellent overview of all the low-carb programs out there for you to try, check out Jonny Bowden's "Living the Low-Carb Life."

Of course, if you are not convinced that the low-carb lifestyle is the way you should go, then you also have several variations of the low-fat diet, low-calorie diet, vegetarian or vegan diet, and any other diet you think might work for you. The bottom line is to hone in on a weight loss plan that will work for you and then DO IT! That was the secret to my success and I believe it is the way to find the results you are looking for when you have an honest passion and desire to lose weight.

Having said that, the discussion with my reader talked about how people need to get "locked in" to the diet that is right for them. He shared openly with the epiphany that happened for him recently when he started a different program to help him lose weight.

Here's what he wrote:

I must confess that I have been seduced by the Zone diet at this time and have now been on it for a week. It don't find it all that dissimilar from Atkins, though from a health standpoint, I like the idea of specifically adding olive oil at meal times. I have already been supplementing with high-grade fish oil for a month and can tell you that I feel better for it.

But I find it most interesting that I feel the same way on the Zone as I used to on Atkins –- that is, I can tell that I'm very mildly ketotic, even though I'm eating relatively large amounts of vegetable carbs, including some fruit! This is great because when I feel like this, I know I'm losing fat. In fact the scale already shows a 5-pound loss in a week.

I haven't been able to get motivated in a very long time. Sometimes you need a new diet to get started. Looks like this modest switch from Atkins to Zone is going to work for me. But you know, the Zone is really a low-carb diet anyway!

As you can imagine, I am very happy for my reader that he was able to find what works best for him.

Here was my response:

I tell people all the time to find a plan that works for YOU and then do it for the rest of your life. It looks like the Zone diet is custom-made just for you. CONGRATULATIONS! I KNOW you will keep at it and reap the rewards of that commitment. I'm proud of you for making it happen for yourself. You should be proud, too, when you see this thing to the end. THANKS for writing and for reading my blog. I really appreciate it!

This really is a GREAT place to be in for someone who has struggled their entire life trying to find something that will help them lose weight. It can seem like a hopeless task at times, but I earnestly believe EVERYONE has the ability to lose and maintain their weight with some kind of eating plan that will work well for them.

My reader wrote me back again and said some very interesting thoughts I'd like to share with you:

Jimmy, I am amazed that after months and months of false starts, I just slipped into this one and feel comfortably "locked in." I don't know where this "locked in" mode of being comes from, but once I'm there, I feel little desire to eat excluded items. This phenomenon ought to be studied by physiologists and psychologists alike!

Nonetheless I will continue to read your blog for encouragement –- and information. The information in your blog is incredibly useful for the Zone as well as other low-carb diets. Thanks again!

THANK YOU for you kind comments and CONGRATULATIONS once again on your success!

I think my reader hits on something that I think would make for a great study by some curious researchers out there (HINT, HINT!) looking for a way to pick the brains of the people who find lasting success at weight loss. This idea of feeling "locked in" and not relinquishing control of what I they eat anymore. Where the heck does that come from?

The more I have thought about this concept, I realize that is EXACTLY what happened for me when I started livin' la vida low-carb. One day I'm eating away at anything and everything that I want to stuff my face with, but then I start low-carb and WHAMMO BAMMO a light comes on in my head that makes me become super-conscious of EVERYTHING I put in my mouth. How did that happen?

Heck if I know, but I'm thankful that it did. I no longer have a craving for sugar, or potatoes, or regular pasta like I used to. Those feelings have gone away. An intriguing study that came out last year sheds a little bit of insight on this phenomenon, but further studies should take a look at exactly how and why the brain gets "locked in" and never loses its grip on a weight loss plan that finally works. I'm sure a lot of people would be interested in unlocking this mystery!

It's a neat feeling when you are able to find that diet that is right for you and it is my earnest prayer that everyone who reads this will keep searching for that plan that will work for you. NEVER GIVE UP! That's my theme for anyone desiring weight loss. DON'T EVER GIVE UP! There's light at the end of the tunnel and all you have to do is keeping moving forward to get there.

You don't have to settle for being overweight or obese for the rest of your life. Get "locked in" to what works for you and never let go. Resolve today that NOTHING will stand in the way of your ultimate success. Find that diet plan you can stick with forever and then never stop doing it for as long as you live.

YOU CAN DO THIS! It's time to make weight and health problems a thing of the past for yourself. Get started RIGHT NOW!