Dieting for an extended period of time is a NO-NO! Another NO-NO is eating badly one day and then starving yourself the next to play catch-up. Many studies have found that at least 90 percent of dieters fail at their attempt to keep weight off. So stop committing this uncomfortable, miserable, health-jeopardizing act. Dieting can bring on numerous physical and psychological problems.
Physically, your body needs calories and nutrition to run properly. If you are experiencing fatigue, weakness, cardiac problems, gallstones, hypertension, reduced bone mass, irritability or extreme hunger, chances are you are not fueling your engine properly. Weight-loss methods due to restricting vital nutrients can result in some sort of weight gain at some point and cause your body to be carb, fat, sodium and calorie sensitive. This yo-yo effect contributes to the development of high blood pressure, damaged blood vessels, and most importantly heart disease. Chronic dieting can also lead to calcium deficiency, which will contribute to the long-term damage of your bones and most importantly your spine. If your body does not get what it needs, it will shut down and you will be back where you started in no time.
A “dieting mind” can mentally take over and make your day-to-day life miserable and obsessive. If you are restricting what your body needs, your hunger and cravings will not be satisfied, which leads to obsession about food and intake. You are constantly thinking about what you are eating next, how many calories it has and how it will affect your weight loss. Since at least 90 percent of dieters gain their weight back, many develop a sense of failure, which leads to low self-esteem, depression, and low self-empowerment. Some dieters then get confused and this causes weight obsession, poor self-image, non-beneficial eating patterns, exercise obsession, eating disorders, and the feeling of not fitting in with society.
Helpful Tips:
- Take a deep breath, forget about society’s standards, and focus on you!
- Come to grips with who you are and what goals are REALISTIC for you.
- Give yourself credit for your assets!
- Actively clean out bad thoughts and train your brain to be positive. Make good decisions that are going to affect your overall health in a POSITIVE way.
- Look at your lifestyle and find positive and ENJOYABLE things that you can do to change your life.
- As for your diet, research and find healthy meals that you will enjoy. Prepare them and have them ready before you are hungry. Make sure to eat something healthy with protein every three to four hours so you keep your blood sugar regulated. This helps with binging and will boost your metabolism.
- Eat to live; don’t live to eat
- Exercise! Stay active with things you ENJOY! There is no right or wrong way to stay active. If you hate your daily workout routine, you will not stay loyal to it. Just make sure you are making progress and changing things up. Our muscles are smart and will go to autopilot mode, which leads to a standstill in our advancements.
