The word 'DIET' can have two meanings. It can refer to the sum of food that you consume. A vegetarian would say "My diet does not include meat." The other definition is referring to the deliberate selection of food to control body weight. "I can't have cake, I'm on a diet." or "I need to lose ten pounds so I'm dieting."
If you want to lose weight and feel great, STOP dieting!
Diets don't work. They are too hard, too extreme or too weird! Do you know anyone who lost weight on a diet and it still eating that way and maintaining their weight loss? Losing weight and living nutritious is all about creating healthy habits rather than restriction.
A nutritious diet can help you look and feel better and also help in weight control. The diet that helps to reduce weight in the short run needs to be the same diet that creates and maintains health in the long run.
At first, changing the way you eat may feel like a diet. You will be retraining your brain and your taste buds. Chances are, there will be times you feel deprived, angry, overwhelmed and frustrated. But those few, fleeting moments will all be worthwhile once you reach your goal weight and feel great!
Before you start making changes, take notice of how you feel and the role that food plays in your life. This list of questions is from a cute little book called Skinny Bitch:
- Do you wake up tired?
- Is coffee the only thing that gets you going in the morning?
- Are you cranky in the afternoon?
- Do you need snacks to bolster your mood?
- Do you have little or no energy?
- Do you rely on soda or sugar for a little boost?
- Do you have trouble falling asleep?
- Is a glass of wine the only thing that gets you drowsy?
- When you eat something unhealthy, how do you feel while you're eating it? Right after? An hour later? How does it affect your sleep that night? How do you feel the next day?
Pay attention to the negative effects that your current diet and lifestyle has on your body, moods and energy level. Being aware of these things will make you appreciate all of the results of a healthy lifestyle change, not just the weight loss.
