Diet, a four letter word! No wonder all the brand name diets are saying ‘diet’s don’t work’. My opinion: A rose by any other name is still the same. And a diet by any other name is still a diet. A weight loss, or even weight gain, diet consists of more than what you eat. It also encompasses your exercise level, your self-image, your self-talk, and your attitude.
How many times have you heard: it’s not how much you eat, but what you eat. Boy is that true! Some foods are loaded with calories, fats, and sugars. One bite of them can take up the quota for one meal. I have even seen treats that give you the whole days quota of fats in one ’serving’.
And that brings up servings. I look at one bag of chips and it says it is 100 calories per serving. Great! But the small bag contains 5 servings! So it is really 500 calories. Then you look at the fats, sugars, and carbs. What appears to be a healthy choice by the wrappings turns out to be just as bad by the servings.
Portion control is an elusive concept to me. Not as a concept, but in putting it into practice. It includes total calories, balance nutrients, and timing of your eating. One type of person can fix the foods, and measure the portions to make their own ‘frozen dinners.’ I am not that type. I would binge while preparing the various dishes and put a little more in each portion. That’s how I became overweight.
Then there is the exercising. One way is to used a pedometer to count your steps. That is good if you want to ensure that you walk your healthy 10,000 steps a day. To be quite honest, that doesn’t count as exercise. The walk you talk for exercise, the time on the bike, or in the gym is exercise. If you count every step you take during the day, you are including your normal activities. Exercise doesn’t count unless it is extra – that is, you do your normal activities plus exercise.
Then there is the way you see yourself and you talk to yourself. If you are continuously downgrading yourself or calling yourself names, you have no chance of success. You need to realize that you – that every individual – deserves to be a healthy weight. Give yourself a break. Instead of being down on yourself for over eating, figure out why you are overeating.
I don’t know how others lose weight, but I have to D I E T.
D – dinner and all other meals and snacks by portion control
I – my self-image and self-talk – how I see and treat myself
E – exercise above and beyond normal daily activites
T – timing of my meals and snacks to be every 3 hours using portion control.
Do you DIET? Leave a comment.
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