Dieting Tips:

In a nutrition class I had back in college, my teacher went on a rant about diets and asked us what the first 3 letters in the word "diet" were. It's DIE. And it is very fitting for diets. Why? Because they don't last. What a diet means is that it will eventually have an end. And I believe that mindset plays a huge role when it comes to losing weight. If you have a mindset that you are making a huge sacrifice in your diet and that you can't wait to be able to eat that "forbidden" high fat, high calorie food, even if you lose weight over the span of that diet, you will almost inevitably gain it back.

To me all diets are in essence, one and the same. They all have this great new concept. They all have this new "amazing breakthrough in research." And in the end, they're all the same. They all fail.

Before I go into detail about how I think losing weight should happen, I just want to talk about a general topic that relates to this specific topic. It's the desire to work hard to earn something. I have a very good friend that wants all these results but doesn't want to change his lifestyle. He'll do anything that does not require any kind of hard work. And he's not unique. It's the reason weight loss pills and diets are so popular. It's the reason that people buy shirts to compress their belly so they don't appear as fat or buy an abdominal belt so that they can watch TV while working their abs. For me personally, if I received results without actually working for it, I'd feel guilty. And for the record, no one likes working out. No one likes going to the gym night in and night out. People love the feeling of accomplishing something. I personally would much rather sit at home and watch TV or play video games then going to the gym. But I love the feeling of leaving the gym knowing that I accomplished something. I love the feeling knowing that I worked hard instead of taking the easy way out. It also gives me a sense of purpose. Instead of going to drink and do drugs, I am being healthy and doing something productive. I think having a purpose in anything is essential to a happy life. I feel like often times too many people skip the process to get to the end result when really the process is the best part. There's a reason that, without technology, skipping the process is impossible. It's unnatural and this is a very relative term, but unhealthy. The process is the part that warrants someone the satisfaction of earning something. And I think that those who live healthy, active lifestyles have a much better quality of life then those who are sedentary and unhealthy.

Okay so I've pretty much said what not to do, but haven't really said what to do. So here's what to do (and this is strictly from a diet's perspective, not from exercise. That's in a different article). Listed below are many dieting tips that will help you to lose weight, feel better, and be happier.

Dieting Tips:

Dieting Tip #1:

Everything in moderation. For example, let's say someone loves eating donuts. So instead of eating 3 donuts every day, maybe have a donut once a week. If you only have one donut every 2 weeks, try to only eat a donut every 3 weeks. I don't think anyone should ever cut something out of their diet completely. If you like something, eat it. But not in huge quantities. Even cheesecake. If you like cheesecake, have a piece every week or 2 or 3. But not every day. Cutting something out of your diet that you truly enjoy is a huge sacrifice. In order for a "diet" to be successful, there cannot be huge sacrifices. This is personally one of my favorite dieting tips.

Dieting Tip#2:

Eat nutrient dense foods, not calorie dense foods: By this, I mean foods with a lot of vitamins and minerals and good nutrients over foods with little to no nutritional value with high calories. An example of nutrient dense foods include fruits and vegetables, nuts, legumes, whole grains, and lean meats. These foods for the most part are lower in calories as well while being more filling. Nature was designed in such a way that the foods found in nature are really healthy for our bodies. Foods found in nature not only contain more vitamins and minerals, but are generally lower in calories than processed foods.

Dieting Tip #3:

Drink water: So many people could lose so much weight if they drank nothing but water. If sodas and high calorie, sugary drinks are eliminated from someone's diet and replaced with water, people would be amazed at the amount of weight they could lose. Many people don't realize just how many calories their beverages have.

Dieting Tip #4:

This number is more informational then a way to lose weight. The way to lose weight is calorie deficit. Your body has a metabolic rate. So lets say my metabolic rate is 1800 calories. This means that when I do literally nothing I'm burning 1800 calories. So add on exercise or just tasks of daily activities and let's say that adds up to 700 calories. So my total daily caloric expenditure is 2500 calories. So if I eat more than 2500 calories, I'll gain weight and if I eat less than 2500 calories I'll lose weight. In order to lose one pound of body weight, there has to be a 3500 caloric deficit. So if I eat 500 calories less than I expend every day, every week I should lose about a pound of body fat. And a calorie is a calorie is a calorie. So whether the calorie is from a cheesecake or from an apple, it's still a calorie. Technically, I could lose weight off eating solely cheesecakes. I read this article on a teacher a little while ago, who, to prove a point to his class, lost a significant amount of weight on a twinkie diet. Needless to say, I recommend no one to try this diet as it's a diet if sustained, would have probably killed him because of how terrible that is for his body. But he showed that no matter what the food that you're eating is, as long as you expend more calories than you consume, you will lose weight.

Diet Tip #5:

Eat all day. You're probably thinking that is a joke but I'm being serious. Eat something small but eat a lot. Never go longer than 2 or 3 hours without something to eat. This will prevent you from binge eating. And when I say eat, I don't mean full out meals all day, but have some carrots, or maybe an apple, or maybe some kind of bar, or some nuts, etc. This will prevent you from being hungry and if you can control your hunger, you will find it easier to consume less calories.

Dieting Tip #6:

I can go on and on about different things to do but I'm just going to end the reasons with this one. Make it a lifestyle change. Don't consider it as something that will end. Don't consider it as a sacrifice. Consider it the new you and the new lifestyle. Learn to love it. You'll feel better. You'll feel healthier. You'll have more energy. I know there are many other factors involved, but your quality of life will be better. A healthier you = a happier you.