Don’t Diet!!
EVER!
I am anti-diet 100%.
Why?
Because its highly unlikely a diet was written for YOU!
Sure, following it might work. For a while. But diets force you out of your habit, trying to make you learn a new habit, and from what I’ve seen, they usually fail.
Now I’m no nutritionist or dietician. I’m just telling you my life experiences.
We still eat chocolate.
Yep. My husband, an ex type 1 diabetic, basically ex type 2 now, and we eat chocolate as part of our diet.
Why?
Well, we like it!
You can improve your health WHILE enjoying nearly everything you like.
All it takes is basic education on quantities. You have to understand what is healthy to do and what isn’t.
Some people can’t take tempation. Then I understand giving up cold turkey. But I still think that learning moderation is better than setting yourself up for a possible big fail.
Would you rather have two squares of chocolate, or nothing?
The other thing that diets do is force it on you all at once. When we first thought Ben was a type 1, it took me about four months to adapt my diet to the way we were eating – after all, sugar free drinks have that weird chemical taste. But you know what? That time re-trained my taste buds to the point that I didn’t need willpower to give up the things I previously liked. I just didn’t want them anymore.
Re-educate your stomach – you will get used to smaller portions. But learn the time of day you are hungry & use energy. I once tried following the guidelines a nutritionist set for me and I was starving and cranky. They didn’t work for me. Instead I ate the bigger meal when I knew I needed it, and swapped the smaller meal for another time of day. Some professionals know squat. But hey, you get what you pay for with a free consult.
Forcing you to use willpower. As with everything, I am a strong believer in doing what works for you. Just because I don’t like diets and I don’t belive that they work, doesn’t mean they can’t work for you. But make sure you are actually educated on what it is you are doing and how it will work for you – will you want to eat a carrot for dinner after a hard day or would you prefer a small glass of wine and a square of chocolate?
How do you approach diets? Are you anti-fad diet?
Yes, yes, yes. Agree 100% with everything here. The #1 thing Weight Watchers taught me was that their plan wasn’t even actually about counting points – it was about learning what foods are healthy and filling, how to substitute for better alternatives to high-fat high-salt high-carb ingredients, and how much is actually enough for a serving. Education about what foods I was putting in my body was – and still is -worth every penny. You learn what is best for YOU. What works for YOU.
I see the girls at work doing 12WBT and just feel like crying for them and their steamed chicken breast with green beans.
I still eat chocolate every night too! Two squares 🙂