Dangers of dieting
Posted on | May 31, 2008 | 14 Comments
If you would like to lose weight the worst thing that you can do is to go on a diet.
You read me right.
Typical diet cycle:
- You go on a diet, deprive yourself
- Weight comes off
- You go off a diet, start eating again
- Weight comes back on and then some
A diet is typically associated with restriction. No sugar, no bread, no butter…as you deprive yourself of foods that you like, weight will come off. No doubt there. That however is only middle of the ‘diet cycle’.
As you go off a diet, the eating begins. Weight not only comes back on but the dieter is left with some extra pounds. Typical dieter gains weight from the diet! This called ‘yo-yo dieting’, and it is very common.
Read this story from a fellow blogger about her experience with diets.
In the long run, drastic dieting changes and food deprivation will leave worse off than prior to the diet. Diets are temporary, unpleasant and ineffective.
Only sustainable habits will bring permanent change.
Start small.
- Keep a food diary – be aware of what you are eating
- Listen to your body
- Eat slower – take at least 30 minutes for a meal
- Focus on your meal – turn off TV, don’t talk, close that book
- Drink more water
This seemingly little things will make a huge difference. By keeping a food diary and listening to your body you will naturally gravitate toward better foods.
You body is amazing! It knows exactly what is good or bad for it. All you have to do is tune in and listen.
Happy eating!
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14 Responses to “Dangers of dieting”
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May 31st, 2008 @ 7:06 pm
One of the main reasons to “go on a diet” is to have a meal plan, which in my opinion is a diet. Everyone has a diet, some more healthy than others. If we do not have a diet, we are not eating at all. “I have to change my diet” sounds very different than “I have to go on a diet.”
Sometimes diets can also give a person a better idea of what food allergies s/he might have because the spectrum of food is limited and controlled. For example, if you make home-made meals, you know if you used olive oil and how much.
May 31st, 2008 @ 7:45 pm
Osg, great point. If you are eating – you have a diet.
“Going on a diet” in my mind implies a drastic change in a meal plan that happens all at once.
It sounds great in theory, after all, it is healthy! Yet such 180 degree turns are often unsustainable in the long term.
The best that we can do is to gradually change our eating habits and our diet from unhealthy to healthy.
When we listen to our bodies and take it one step at a time, the change comes easier and becomes permanent.
May 31st, 2008 @ 11:33 pm
I think this is good advice for people who want to lose weight that don’t have medical conditions. I have diabetes, so I do have to limit or restrict certain foods. It really all depends on your situation.
For most people following your advice would be a great way to lose weight and get in shape. It really boils down to just doing it!
June 1st, 2008 @ 2:46 am
Nice post
Success For You
The Success
June 1st, 2008 @ 4:49 am
Angel – great point. Thank you for sharing it.
June 2nd, 2008 @ 12:20 am
I agree completely! Everytime I have gone on a diet I have gained the weight back but since creating a healthier living food plan I keep the weight off. I like the eat slow idea. thanks
June 2nd, 2008 @ 4:31 pm
Great post, and it highlights a great point of healthy eating.
I prefer to use the term “lifestyle” instead of “diet.” It implies more permanence, which is what healthy eating should be. Healthy eating is part of an overall healthy life.
June 2nd, 2008 @ 7:31 pm
This is so true – it has to be a lifestyle change to not only lose the weight, but keep it off for good.
June 25th, 2008 @ 9:25 pm
If you don’t change your eating habits to something that you can live with long term you are doomed from the start. And to really lose weight in the long run, you must exercise. Even if you can’t go to a gym or do heavy exercise, then walk a mile every day. Just move. You’d be surprised how much it can help. I moved from the suburbs to a city and walk everywhere I go instead of driving and lost 10 pounds almost immediately.
July 3rd, 2008 @ 5:05 pm
If you’re interested in the medical literature and trials of what works and what doesn’t work (from about 1850 to the present), pick up a copy of “Good Calories, Bad Calories” by Gary Taubes. The bibliography alone is ~70 pages referencing the trials, journals, and archives he quotes.
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