Mentality, in simplest terms, is a way of thought. Thoughts are like seeds, feed them, and they grow. Every time you try a diet, you train your fat cells on how to store fat efficiently. Your body perceives dieting as a period of famine. On the flip side, the more you eat slowly and stop when you’re satisfied (not 100% full), you improve your body’s awareness and connection. You will also make your life easier by learning skills that will enhance your quality of life. Let’s explore the diet and lifestyle mentality.
Diet Mentality
Dieting is a mentality people adopt due to the lack of body awareness and education. There is a built-in protective mechanism that ensures your survival. When you diet, your body’s survival mechanism is threatened and triggered to store fat. There are two types of fat cells: lipolytic enzymes and lipogenic enzymes. Lipolytic are fat-releasing, while lipogenic are fat-storing. Men and women have about the same amount of fat cells. Still, women have more lipogenic enzymes, and men have more lipolytic enzymes.
Simply put, women store fat rapidly and efficiently. Men release fat quickly and efficiently. (Figure 1)
The fitness industry thrives off people with a diet mentality. “An estimated 45 million Americans go on a diet each year, and Americans spend $33 billion each year on weight-loss products.” Yet, the percent of adults aged 20 and older with overweight, including obesity, is 71.6 percent. Overweight and obesity are the most serious public health problems in the United States. Unless you have a severe health condition, dieting is not the solution to your fat or weight loss goals.
The paradox of dieting is that it alienates you from your own body. But it is advertised as a solution to problems that stem from irrational beliefs about food and wanting instant change. Dieting also decreases lean body mass, basal-metabolic rate, and increases the size of fat cells. Dieting doesn’t work. Instead, relax, be patient, pace yourself. You’re not making instant coffee here; your body is not recyclable. Below is a list of feelings people with the diet mentality experience daily:
⁃ Frustration
⁃ Anxiety
⁃ Depression
⁃ Fear
⁃ Regret
⁃ Panic
⁃ Worthlessness
⁃ Envy
⁃ Embarrassment
⁃ Shame
⁃ Hurt
⁃ Sadness
⁃ Disconnection
⁃ Powerlessness
Lifestyle Mentality
According to the dictionary by Merriam Webster, lifestyle is the typical way of life of an individual, group, or culture. It’s not about being better than others, or perfect. It’s quite the opposite. People who practice the lifestyle mentality understand and accept that “slip-ups” are the norm because we are all human. Did you miss a workout? Did you eat pizza? Didn’t accomplish the five-pound goal for the month? Re-evaluate your situation and move forward.
The key to the lifestyle mentality is finding what behaviors are sustainable for you and your life, not your trainers’, parents’, doctors’, or significant others’. One thing about the lifestyle mentality is that it doesn’t involve any feelings of shame, guilt, or fear. Your choices, attitudes, and behaviors are your life, but you must take responsibility. Blaming others or a situation is unusual for people with this mentality. Instead, you will develop the ability to tolerate discomfort and trust yourself.
Self-trust is the ultimate advantage you will gain from the lifestyle mentality. It is a power we all hold, but unfortunately, fail to fulfill. Trust comes from delivering on your responsibilities, consistently. Caring for yourself and body is a lifelong responsibility we all have. No matter how important a person is in your life, trust can’t be learned by listening to what others tell you; it comes from knowing you can depend on yourself. Below is a list of feelings people with the lifestyle mentality experience daily:
⁃ Love
⁃ Freedom
⁃ Connection
⁃ Worthiness
⁃ Achievement
⁃ Success
⁃ Happiness
⁃ Contentment
⁃ Satisfaction
⁃ Comfort
⁃ Hope
⁃ Pleasure
⁃ Strong
⁃ Energetic
⁃ Affection
Dieter or Lifer?
It all boils down to caring for yourself. I don’t fault or judge people for their choices because they are doing the best they can with the education and resources available to them. Even when people’s behaviors aren’t dream-affirmative, remember, we are all motivated by the same need- to sustain or improve the quality of our lives. With that said, doing the best you can in no way implies that you cannot, will not or should not ever do better. It just means, given your history and who you are at this point, a mediocre job might be the best you can do right now.
Caring for yourself does not make you self-centered and self-indulgent. Often you hear about people claiming it’s better to take care of others than to take care of themselves. I love guiding and taking care of people; that’s why I made it my lifelong dream to have a career in the fitness industry. But, if you aren’t caring for yourself, how effectively can you care for others?
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