Last updated on January 12, 2019 by Liza Hawkins
Low-fat isn’t always good for you—this is only one of the three reasons why I don’t diet. Keep reading to learn more!
I. Don’t. Diet. I know many chronic dieters, however.
The ones who find some sort of new trend to follow every year: pills, cleanses, all protein, no fat, Paleo, and gluten-free (yes, for some going gluten-free is a necessity and for others it’s the latest and greatest diet thing since sliced rice bread), and so many others.
Some adopt a new diet program for health reasons, and others in a desperate (and hopefully easy) attempt to lose weight.
In our house we thought my husband might have to adopt a new diet since being diagnosed with diabetes in late 2012. Turns out, after some research and reading on my part, our diet didn’t have to change much at all.
Sure, when he drinks a soda it’s a diet (although I believe he could have one made with real sugar and probably be okay).
But all the changes we were preparing to make… Removing sugar? Limiting carbs? We haven’t had to do any of it.
We eat sensibly here in our house.
And, by “sensibly” I certainly don’t mean we never have sweets. Or that we’re all organic all the time. Or even that we always eat brown rice and whole wheat pasta.
Hey, remember? I’m a foodie with a cooking blog.
You guys see what we eat for dinner and dessert a lot, especially if you’re following me on Instagram or Facebook.
There’s no special trick to being healthy, or to staying at a happy weight. We just watch our portions, and try to eat well-balanced, colorful, unprocessed, from-scratch meals as much as possible.
Point is, when people use the word “diet” they aren’t typically talking about a lifestyle change.
Most diets aren’t setting you up for a long term way of eating that will work towards your body’s advantage, both in fat burning and metabolism.
Plus? Exercise is important!
You don’t have to run marathons, but you do have to get your heart pumpin’ every now and again.
Here are the three reasons I don’t diet:
1. Diets aren’t usually about a lifestyle change.
They’re often an attempt at a quick fix, and usually makes them unsustainable. How can you expect to lose weight, get healthy and/or feel good if it’s short-lived?
2. Diets are not practical.
I’m a foodie.
I like to eat what I want, when I want. I’m not talking about gorging, but there’s nothing more frustrating than going out to eat with someone who’s on a voluntary diet (i.e., not related to food allergies) and won’t join in on the yumminess.
3. Diets are often not really helping the weight-loss cause, nor are they very healthy.
Your body was made to absorb vitamins from food. But, that only works if you’re eating a wide variety of fruits, veggies, fats and protein.
And, those “low calorie” drinks, snacks and frozen meals? Well, they can actually make you more hungry, and make it more difficult to lose weight.
Marketers and lobbyists are smart and they’re good at their jobs. Many people believe chemical-laden processed “low calorie” foods are actually better for them than the real deal and a healthier option. (Um, no. Google obesogens.).
Eat the real stuff, people. Whole food does a body good.
Love this! We just had a chat like this at my gym this morning. A few people are trying Whole 30 with one of the owners helping them. A few of us were like we could never do that, restrictions and the like would be our downfall. And the owner told us, she would only recommend this type of eating style to a few people. A lot of the time focusing on one goal (like eating more veggies) and having a great overall eating style is the best plan for most people. Great to see other like minded people 🙂
I’m glad you agree! I’m about practical and sustainable, and diets are just the opposite!
I agree. I think there are people who like to say that they are on a diet. I swapped our refined white flour for whole wheat and whole grains. Now I’m in the process of swapping to whole wheat pasta.
That’s true. We’ve replaced some of our white flour with wheat, but I still have both in the pantry (same with pasta). I’ve been focused more on swapping out our non-organic for organic.
I couldn’t agree more. Down with diets! Of course, it would me most unusual for a foodie such as yourself to deny herself the wonderful creations you come up with.
Well, it’s obvious that as a food blogger I do love my food. 🙂 But the idea of “dieting” has never sat well with me. I didn’t grow up with parents who dieted, or talked (like, ever!) about losing weight, etc. I’m sure that helped shape my views as an adult!
Interesting take on dieting. Thanks for sharing. I’ve done whole 30 and Paleo but never thought of either as diets. We did them at our gym as a reset button. It was a way to see how your body reacts as you add dairy and grains back in. Balance is always a good thing!
I could see there being an advantage to finding out which foods either agree, or disagree, with your system in terms of figuring out a healthy, well-rounded plan to a lifestyle change!