If you believe that diets help you lose weight, you really need to reconsider that opinion. Although more people today are on diets than ever before, most areas of this world have higher levels of obesity than ever before. How can that be if diets actually work? The answer is: They don’t.
Here are three reasons you should nix the word “diet” from your vocabulary and never consider it as a weight loss option again:
- It is based on restriction and deprivation. The basis of dieting is giving up some foods and limiting others. However, this is often counterproductive as you wind up increasing your cravings the minute you’re told you can’t or shouldn’t have something. Plus, it makes you feel guilty when you give yourself a treat. You end up feeling like you can’t enjoy life.
- It lowers your metabolism. When you regularly consume less than 1,200 calories a day as most diet plans recommend, you’ll decrease your metabolic rate and make it harder for your body to burn your excess fat. Instead, it wants to hold onto it as it thinks that it is starving and wants to make sure you have enough energy to get you through until you can get more food in your body.
- It is a temporary fix. Most diets are created to be temporary. They are designed to get you at your goal quickly, but are no way to live the rest of your life. And, temporary changes equal temporary results. You normally wind up regaining all of the weight you lost – and more.
If you’re looking to lose weight, remove diets as an option and focus on changing your lifestyle. Add more veggies to your menu, drink more water, and get more active. Eat to fuel your body, not satisfy your mind.
Take it slow. You didn’t gain your weight overnight and, unfortunately, you’re not going to lose it overnight either. While it’s understandable that quick fix options are very appealing, just remember that they’re also temporary solutions.
It’s time to let go of the diet mentality. Once you do, you may just start to see your weight melt off. How’s that for a reason to not diet?
