The Perfect Day to Start a Diet ...

"I HAVE to lose weight! But Memorial Day is coming ... burgers with the works, pasta salad with cubes of CHEESE, gooey brownies and chips, chips, chips! I'll start my diet AFTER the weekend parties!"

Well, maybe you haven't said these EXACT words, but I bet most people have had thoughts that rival them. There's no doubt about it: looking forward to upcoming events can put a damper on beginning any new weight loss program. So I headed to our family calendar hanging on the fridge to see if I could find when the PERFECT time to start a diet would be. Surely there must be a lull, some sort of break from food-focused festivities in a twelve month span. I started flipping through the already heavily penciled months of July and August.

Right after Memorial Day comes equally tempting 4th of July barbecues, followed by our annual family camping week. Skip s'mores? No way! Three weeks after that, a much anticipated trip to Disney. Diet? I don't think so! S-U-M-M-E-R! With its never-ending ice cream socials, carnivals and weekends at the beach. The whirlwind finally ends with the biggest picnic of all -- Labor Day.

Maybe fall? Everyone heads back to the gym when school buses roll around. But mixed with all the back-to-school supplies, retailers are also featuring bags of Halloween treats. Chocolate and twizzlers catch our eyes EVERYWHERE! No sooner are we done with Trick or Treat than we are bombarded with the makings of pies and pastries and everything for THE FEAST to end all feasts. Thanksgiving... the day synonymous with bounty -- gluttony -- and the kick off to the holidays. There's no doubt about it; December can be a trying time for anyone looking to eat less and cut back on high calorie foods.

But what about New Years? Resolutions abound as Americans flock to renew gym memberships and purchase diet supplements which boldly promise "Lose 10 pounds in 10 days!" The actual holiday itself is steeped in open house buffets and hors d'oeuvre orgies, but after that? No wait, I mean after the Superbowl? Retail shelves trade footballs for lacey red hearts and pink satin bows secretly covering pounds and pounds of decadent chocolate. This time of year also brings mid-winter vacations, hot chocolate in the ski lodge, cruise line specials and comfort foods. Outdoor activities are curbed for a time and motivation lags in the long nights and short, cold days as the world holds its breath in anticipation of ... Spring.

Although lent could be a great kickoff for a diet, there's no avoiding those marshmallow bunnies, chocolate eggs and cello bags of sweets. Easter is the number one confectioner's holiday and peeps can be awfully hard to pass up. Then there are the rounds of graduations, weddings and showers. It almost seems as though the parties will never die down when ... you got it, we're back to Memorial Day again!

A year and no decent window to diet! No wonder we still struggle with our weight! And I haven't even mentioned all the days in between that tempt us -- like boyfriend break ups and new relationships beginning and the stresses of moving, new jobs, NO jobs! Deaths. Tragedies. Health issues, being layed up or being layed off or being layed over (stuck in the airport). Care giving. Giving birth. Birthdays and anniversaries and all the millions of other occasions, joyous or sad, that drive us together or pull us apart, and, in the center of it all, there is food.

And then, as I let the pages of our family calendar fall back into place I saw it. There it was. The PERFECT day to start my new diet. It was TODAY.

Comments

[Kim Bensen - Huffpost Blogger]

My mom always said, "Kim, when you want it bad enough, you'll lose the weight. You can do it!" I SO love my mom and appreciate her attempt to encourage me, but nothing could be further from the truth. While I, of course, wanted to lose the weight desperately in my 40s -- I probably wanted it even more in my 20s and 30s. Who doesn't want to feel good inside and out? But, like you said Min421, it was finding a way to take action and make it stick that was the catalyst for me. How do we take that desire and put it into action in whatever we do? That's the key!

CynAnne -- Bravo! Way to go girl! My whole stance is, do what works for you (as long as it's healthy). I really admire people who can cut back on the intake and step up the activity and turn it into a new healthier lifestyle. Personally, I knew I needed something to follow. I was just so far entrenched in the whole food thing that, in the end, I never felt full. My mental hunger was out of control. I needed a plan to guide me. But whatever we choose to do - from Atkins, counting calories, Weight Watchers to simply "eating healthier" -- the important thing is to DO IT -- like YOU said "just do the best you can ever day ... and get moving!" Keep up the awesome work CynAnne! Kim :)

[Min421]

most people who want to lose weight are trying so many different way to acheive their goals. but how many of them success? maybe they lost some weight at the beginning, but then they go back the way they were. even though they want to lose weight, many people end up giving up because they cant keep remainding themselves to do it constantly. so the point is not if the ways are effetive. the problem is how to make up our mind and keep doing it. as you mentioned that, there are so many holidays in year, we always like to find some excuses to convince ourselves that we can do it later after the holiday. that's we struggle to lose weight anytime and never success. taking action right away is the key. what I want to point out is that this is not only truth on diet, but also on everything in our lives. such as aetting good education, look for a good career, and finding a spouse. there are so many things require us to make a desicion in our lives. once we know what we want, we should plan how to make it and take action immediatly so that we won't watse our time.

[CynAnne]

Funny post, Kim..you'v­e summed up a years worth of the "Dang it, what about _____ coming up?" reasons we don't quite manage to start that sensible diet we've planned for so long. I've decided not to diet, and to just do the best I can to make good choices (and to remember that splurging every day leads to the dreaded elastic-waist pants..no thank you). I've lost almost 10 pounds now (and intend to lose more) with this 'new' plan, in a safe, sensible manner - just do the best you can every day, and try to find an exercise you enjoy (half the battle is to get moving..lo­l) ..! =) ...