The thing about dieting is it would actually be better if you didn't have to do it. I would recommend, if at all possible, not to get fat in the first place. If I hadn't eaten my way through two American states I wouldn't have found myself three kilos heavier! I did thoroughly enjoy sampling new culinary delights (especially peanut butter inspired sweets) but you can enjoy yourself and then some and it's always the then some that gets you into trouble.
Failing not putting on weight in the first place (and that's probably the case if you're reading this) if you find yourself in a situation where you do need to diet, then the other thing about dieting is, you actually have to do it! You actually have to say no to delightful cookies that people offer you or glasses of Spanish wine. It's not really that fun. And if you take too many days off then the diet just seems to go on forever. Trust me, I have been doing a thirty-day diet and writing it on facebook. I think I started on around March 30th, it's now May 24th. So by the time I'm actually finished my 30 days of dieting it will have taken me pretty much two months instead of one. FOREVER.
On the other hand...it's actually made it a lot more bearable doing it this way and I will be fine to continue once my thirty days are up until I reach my goal weight. You can expect to lose about half a kilo a week on a diet. Give or take, depending on how big you are and how much you've got to lose. That's basically what I've done but it's taken eight weeks instead of four because I have been giving myself too many diet holidays! So you need to find a balance between keeping motivated to stick to your eating plan whilst retaining sanity and some kind of a social life.
One more thing about dieting - the scales lie! I mean it. Don't believe them. As a female in particular I can easily go up and down a kilo or two without doing anything different. For this diet, I have hardly lost any weight according to the scales but I've lost 6 cm off my waist according to the measuring tape! (Am I proud of it - hell yeah). So you need to do some measurements or pull out an old pair of jeans you want to get back into and follow your progress that way. If you constantly look at the scales you might just get disappointed and then want to give up. You can still check them sometimes but try to make it once a week at most.
The other things about dieting I noticed on my thirty days was... if I was too extreme on what I cut out then I was also too extreme on my days off and tended to binge on things that I wouldn't normally eat, so I think being reasonable about what you are going to avoid works best. The last thing is, eat breakfast. Eat a good breakfast. I noticed that on the days that I ate a proper breakfast (not toast) I was much more successful throughout the rest of the day.
The thing about dieting is, it is actually worth developing a healthy relationship with food and learning to enjoy food that is fresh and full of nutrients. And if you keep aiming for that then your body will thank you!
Great reflections Lyns – thought I’d add a couple of my own.
ReplyDeleteDiets can be a positive thing in that they do make you aware (some would say TOO aware!) of what you are eating. It is a good excuse to look at the total calories you are taking in a day and see where you can make some simple but effective changes (eg swapping juice or soft drinks for water). It’s also a good chance to have a proper look at the fat and sugar content of everyday foods, which can be surprisingly high (breakfast cereal, I’m looking at you!). It can also be helpful in resetting the clock a little on treats – putting them back in the ‘sometimes’ category if they have snuck into your everyday diet (which they have a nasty habit of doing!).
That said, I agree 100% that the more extreme you are when ON the diet, the more extreme you will be when off it. I have certainly been guilty of this in the past (and even during this diet, on my ‘days off’) – bingeing on everything I wasn’t allowed while on the diet. In some cases, I would be eating things I didn’t even particularly WANT, just because I could! Moreover, I’ve found myself getting into the habit of bingeing before the diet starts, with the mentality of ‘oh, I’d better eat it all now, before the diet starts’. This is definitely not a healthy mindset.
So, be realistic about what you are cutting out, but also be realistic about how long it will take. An extreme crash diet will probably work in the short term (provided you stick to it!), but that weight is almost certain to come back on once you are off the diet, and probably with a bit of interest! While a more moderate diet (with some days off) will be slower going, it is more likely to make a real and lasting change to your weight.
In the end, the thing about dieting really is that it would be better not to do it at all. And the best way to achieve this is to develop the healthy relationship to food that Lyns recommends.
Easier said than done, I know! But here’s my two cents on the best way to get this done:
- Make sensible choices when you can (let yourself have the dessert when you’re out to dinner, but don’t have the chicken burger for lunch as well!)
- Do your best to prepare your own fresh food as much as possible. And sticking to lean protein, fresh vegetables and wholegrains as much as you can means you can save your calories for those big things that are really worth it (like dessert!).
- Try not to let the treats sneak their way into your everyday diet
- Don’t get too down on yourself if you have a bad day and finally….
- Eat breakfast. A good one. Every day.
Good luck!