You might be thinking, “What’s the D word?” In my opinion, it’s one of the most dangerous words and outlooks people can have in their effort to lose weight / get fit / maintain health, etc. – DIET!

I’m not sure how widespread this commercial is, but it’s horrendous (and the inspiration behind this post) – the Slimband program. It’s marketed as a weight loss method that’s different from others due to its effectiveness and the ability for you to still enjoy all your favourite foods and never feel deprived. Sounds miraculous right? All you need is this surgical procedure to have a “built-in portion control device” inserted – gastric-bypass at a price tag of approximately $16,000! I’ll let you look up more of the ridiculous details (and malpractice lawsuits) because that’s not the point.

The point is their sales pitch : “because life is too short to be on a diet”. What?? It goes on to say that you go on a diet and do well for a couple of weeks, until a baby shower, family function, life comes up and you gain your weight back. So, basically the message is to stop trying to be healthy and just have your stomach surgically altered. Awesome. Now you can continue to binge on junk food until you vomit! Which will likely happen sooner than you think with your newly shrunken stomach.

Maybe I’m crazy, but this seems… well, crazy. I truly believe the whole “diet” mentality is a recipe for disaster – you put all these restrictions on yourself, limiting foods you love and cutting calories too low for a set length of time. This inevitably drives you to give in to temptation and eat “bad foods” and you throw in the towel because of it. Often, the timeline isn’t realistic either, so when results aren’t reached fast enough, the goal is abandoned.

Here’s an option – create a positive food environment by finding a lifestyle solution. Don’t cut foods out of your life, just eat them less and in smaller quantities. Don’t pick an arbitrary number of calories that seems appropriate, research it and find out what you need to sustain your body’s functions and activity levels. Don’t put yourself on a diet, change your lifestyle to meet your goals.

By looking at it as a new lifestyle, you aren’t limiting yourself to a timeline. Focus on the health benefits you’re achieving over time. Yes, it’s a long process, but slow progress is still progress!

Life is not too short to be healthy! Drop the D word from your vocabulary and take on a more positive outlook of how you can get what you want. Find what makes you feel your healthiest and be proud of what you accomplish. Finally, don’t get your stomach stapled. Just don’t do it. Prove these Slimband people wrong and develop some will-power and motivation – added bonus is that it’s free!