I came across an article recently called “The Five Mistaken Beliefs Business Leaders have about Innovation”. Pretty smart stuff, and guess what, the five headlines apply to dieting. Actually, I hate the word “dieting”. I prefer to call it “eating better”, and maybe losing weight.
Besides, I’ve spent a good ten years learning to eat better, but haven’t tried any of the trendy “diets”. So my approach to changing what we eat is different from someone trying to sell you a particular fast or fashionable diet. I have 5 mistaken beliefs for you about eating better. I admit, I stole the headlines from Forbes.com’s 5 Mistaken Business Leader’s Beliefs.
- Believe the Numbers
- Believe Success has been Attained
- Believe You Know the Competition
- Believe That Because Everybody has always Done it This Way, It is the Best Way of Doing Things
- Believe the Customer
Magically, we will now apply these 5 beliefs and their flaws to your own business of slimming down and improving you and your family's eating habits. Why is it a mistake to...
- Believe the Numbers?
According to Forbes, a lot of executives make the mistake of insisting on “seeing the numbers” too much too soon. This totally applies to your weight loss plan.
If you check the scale every day the first month, you are likely to be thrilled when you drop the first 7 pounds or so and then worried when you plateau. It surely has something to do with water-weight and metabolic adjustment (or a weekend bout of beer pong?). Whatever the cause, too much concentration on your scale will fill you with longing and guilt, elation and worry, and the urge to fast, or cop out with a chocolate cake binge. So, go easy on the numbers on your scale… check in once a week and try attaching value to the progress you see in two months, not two days.
2. Believe Success has been Attained?
Lets' say your weight loss plan is going very well and you’re getting used to the feeling of success. Forbes: “When an organization becomes very good at something, top of its industry, it starts to focus on the thing that made its success, crowding out other options…”
Then along comes a new baby in the family, and your before work trips to the gym are now just wishful thinking. Along comes holiday season and with it, tables full of fried food, cookies, and your favorite pies. So celebrate your successes, but have a “plan B” in place for dealing with the times when your rigid wellness plan won’t work. Maybe an 8 oz. glass of skim milk will help you pass up on holiday second-helpings. A little flexibiltiy goes a long way when building a "diet" you can live with.
3. Believe You Know the Competition?
What if you’re a parent and you’ve worked hard to get your preschooler interested in eating broccoli, carrots, nectarines, and brown rice. She’s a model eater, and regularly shuns sugary drinks, repeating your claims that they are “slow you down drinks”. Bravo Mom or Dad!
In the fall, off she goes to kindergarten, and comes home asking, no – begging, for brand name candy, chips, and sugary pseudo-juices the other kids saw on TV. And their moms gave in and served them at lunch. Your child says the kids make fun of her “green food” when you put cucmber slices in her lunch. You don’t know how fierce the competition for your child’s palate can be. Prepare for the onslaught!
In the fall, off she goes to kindergarten, and comes home asking, no – begging, for brand name candy, chips, and sugary pseudo-juices the other kids saw on TV. And their moms gave in and served them at lunch. Your child says the kids make fun of her “green food” when you put cucmber slices in her lunch. You don’t know how fierce the competition for your child’s palate can be. Prepare for the onslaught!
Next Post:
The hidden everybody does it this way syndrome.
You might be your own worst customer!
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