What do you call your daily eating plan, “a diet?” Does “diet” sound like a positive term to you, or does it signify something negative that you have to do? Do you think of your diet as a punishment rather than a healthy eating regimen? Is it a departure from your usual routine that you force yourself to comply with for a while -until you cheat?

Dictionary.com defines Diet as:

1. The usual food and drink of a person or animal

2. A regulated selection of foods, as for medical reasons or cosmetic weight loss.

3. Something used, enjoyed, or provided regularly: He subsisted on a diet of detective novels during his vacation.

None of these sound particularly negative to me. Which means, assuming you have chosen an eating plan that is healthy, nutritious and sustainable, we can use these definitions to change your internal programming about your particular dietary plan. One caveat, our bodies are smart and if you have chosen a diet that lacks sufficient calories or nutrients, then no amount of redefining is likely to override your common sense!

Start to think about your plan as something positive like:my eating plan, rather than my restriction-plan, my usual food and drink, rather than some temporary punishment. Focus on what you choose to eat, rather than what you can’t eat. So, what do you call your plan?