Be honest with yourself, does your new year's resolution (or if you follow a yearly theme like me), focus on you sticking to a diet or weight loss plan this year?
Well, if you are new here let me tell you something. Diets don’t work! Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.
Sure, they may give you a temporary result but its highly unlikely that this is something that you can maintain for the rest of your life. And even if you have been following a diet for some time now and later down the line you start to gain the weight back (and even some more)… did it really work?
Here are just 4 (of a long long list) reasons why you don’t want to diet, this year or any year!
Your weight is not the only determinate of your health
So much of our healthcare system focuses on your BMI and weight, and body size. Do they play a role, yes. There have been studies that can link certain chronic health issues to weight. But is it the determining factor of your overall health? Absolutely not! There is so much more to your health than body size and weight.
INSTEAD —> Focus on your overall happiness, stress levels, and enjoyment. Instead of obsessing about food/calories/the number on a scale, focus more on what feels good and brings your joy.
1. Restricting foods makes you want them more
When you were a kid remember when you were told not to pull your friend’s hair? Didn’t it make you want to do it even more? Same goes for food — at any age! The more you tell yourself you can’t have something or shouldn’t have something, your brain becomes fixated. Even when you distract yourself with something that can substitute or swap in its place, it might work for a bit but eventually you find yourself binging on the food you have placed up on a pedestal.
INSTEAD —> Give yourself permission to eat all foods! Yes, all of them. And eat them without any guilt. You eventually will tire of having them all the time and start to notice what else your body craves.
2. Sustainability over quick results
Diets like “lose 10 pounds before the holidays” or “drop that unwanted weight before the summer” can sound really enticing. But a lot of what those diets are focused on is restriction, deprivation, and fear. When you restrict what you are eating or cut out food groups, yes your body will drop some weight. But that doesn’t mean you are healthier or that your body is thriving! It goes into survival mode. The second you start to incorporate those foods back in, you often gain the weight back if not more than before.
Instead —> Focus on changes that you can see yourself making in the long term. Small, realistic changes instead of ginormous changes that feel looming or impossible. Change might not happen overnight but the results that come with time last longer!
3. Messing with your metabolism
Diets are not supportive of your metabolism. Despite what you might think about losing weight and seeing changes in your body, they actually have a negative impact on your metabolism. Restricting calories and energy for the body slows down your metabolism impacting more than just your weight but your hormones and how your body operates. It's like a log on a fire. The less firewood you put on, the slower the fire is going to burn.
INSTEAD —> Eating enough food to feel full & satisfied! And this can vary from day to day! But instead of comparing what you eat to a pre-made meal plan, eat based on what brings you energy, what leaves you satisfied, and what feels good!
Ready to get off the diet train & jump into a year of freedom? I can help! Book a free mini session with me and let's get started!
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