Eating Healthy vs Dieting

You can find information all over the place that will prove that diets work. It's been "scientifically proven". It's "Guaranteed to work".  There are "Diet pills that work without exercise".  But then there's the other side to it, the stories from real people "Weight itself is not unhealthy".  "Screw Dieting.  This is the easiest way to lose weight".  There's evidence on both sides to "prove" each point.  What do I think?  Do diets actually work?  I think they can work, for some people, to give you a bit of a boost at the beginning when you are trying to lose a lot of weight.  Do they work in the long run?  No.  Why?  1. Because everyone is different, every body is different and while one person on a certain diet may lose 10lbs, their best friend may gain 5lbs.  And 2. Diets don't work because people can't stick to them.  Everyone ends up "cheating" on a diet or just giving up and going back to their regular eating habits.  Or, maybe the diet did work and they lost those 40lbs.  Congrats!  Then they get off the diet and 6 months down the road, they notice their weight is starting to creep back up.

So what does work?  Changing your lifestyle.  Making a permanent decision to change the way you eat, what you eat and what you do.  That is the only way you will truly become healthy and lose and keep off  those extra pounds you were hoping to shed.  And even if you are exercising and eating healthy but those extra pounds you want to lose just wont come off, so be it.  You are healthy and fit.  They will either come off over time or they wont.  What's important is that you feel good because you are taking care of yourself.

The easiest way to make a lifestyle change is to do it slowly.  Slowly start eating fresh fruits and vegetables.  Start limiting how often you eat fast foods or precooked meals.  Make your own lasagna instead of buying a frozen one.  Eventually you wont want all those other foods anymore.  You'll crave your own homemade meals, fruits instead of candies, vegetables instead of potato chips.  Just remember, it wont happen all at once, so take your time incorporating new healthy foods into your diet and getting rid of bad foods.  Your body will thank you.