Dieting vs. Healthy Eating: There is a Difference!

Dieting is a restrictive and selective form of choosing the foods one consumes…and it’s enough to drive a person mad!

The major problem with diets is that they are only temporary. Most people find that the weight shed from dieting is too easily gained back after their diet has been ended. As stated in a Honoluluadvertiser.com article, “Diets can be boring and there's always a temptation to return to old habits. People who lose too much too soon don't learn to make the overall lifestyle changes — eating healthier foods and exercising regularly — that are necessary to keep their weight stable.”

Sure, there are so many successful diets out there, but what’s the point of dieting if all that hard work doesn’t pay off in the end?

Since a diet can’t last for the rest of your life, the only solution to losing weight, and keeping it off, is to change eating patterns by making healthy eating a lifestyle—not a phase. This sort of eating shouldn’t involve obsessive calorie counting or too restrictive a food selection. It should, however, involve good judgment. Judge when you are hungry or full, and judge how often you feel you should be eating junk. Ask yourself, should I really be eating this cookie even though I went out to ice cream with my friends last night?

Here are some tips for incorporating healthy eating for everyday from the IFIC website:

1) Begin each day with a nutritious breakfast: This will provide you with energy from the very start of your day.

2) Choose smart snacks: look for pretzels, fruit, and celery with peanut butter for a quick fixer-upper. On occasion it’s OK to grab a cookie or chips if other meals have been smart.

3) Balance your selection of food: You don’t have to completely give up junk food, just be smart about the quantity of intake. Make sure you are getting all the sources of vitamins and minerals you need, then look for enjoyment in deserts once in a while.

4) Eat nutritiously with friends and family: It’s much easier to make eating a healthy habit if people around you are doing it, especially people close to you.

5) Eat more grains, fruits, and vegetables: These foods are loaded with energy from carbs, vitamins, minerals, and fiber to help with promoting an active lifestyle.