This is something that I really do struggle with. I know the ultimate goal is to change my eating habits so I will permanently make good food choices. But why does it always feel like I’m dieting. I guess in my head I’m still thinking that when I see that magic number on the scale – it’s over. I’m done.
I also know that if I do that – I’ll be back to “dieting” and as they say – DIETS DON’T WORK!
Is it just a matter of time and repetition until eating healthy becomes a way of life? No just a time to get through.
I do believe that I will always struggle with food – it’s part of who I am. But I’m looking forward to the day – if or when it comes – to want to eat foods that are good for me, instead of just good!
Posted on September 30th, 2008 by lizzie
Filed under: Life in General, Weight Loss Ramblings
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Dieting often means replacing good products with fat-free products but rich in chemicals. I often avoid any light version of products in stores.
I often come across this issue, but I find fat-free products actually mean chemically rich.
For me dieting means skipping lunch and just taking milk in the breakfast(lol) i am trying to focus on my diet…will take fat-free products.
Well I can’t judge Diet any more; sometimes it works with people and sometimes it don’t with others, so I think the best way is to keep on eating health food + doing some exercises that you can follow up with not what they promote in media only.
It also depends upon your organism. For example, I can eat anything I want at any time and I won’t gain weight anyhow! This is my organism’s principle))
I try to eat as healthy as I can but sometimes I give into temptation. One thing that I have noticed that helps more than anything is to cut down on the meal size and atleast get a little bit of exercise in, whether it be a walk or a bike ride just getting out and doing something has definitely helped.
-Todd Anders
There are some people who tried dieting and it works well on them. So I guess it depends on the person it diet will work on them.
you are exactly right. It is matter of time and repetition. If you do something day in and day out it eventually becomes habit. Also, many people son’t know, that what you feed your body on a regular basis is what it will crave. If you have muesli and yoghurt for breakfast every morning, every morning when you wake up you will want to have muesli and yoghurt for breakfast. A lot of people don’t believe it at first but it is true. Right now I have bread rolls and cottage cheese for breakfast every day, I would like to change it to porridge and yoghurt for expense reasons, but every day I wake up and this is what I crave! Keep it up, if you keep working you will be able to change your habits…no doubt.
I agree with you when you say that food is part of who we are, that’s why is so difficult to change eating habits and avoid temptations…
I have struggled with same issue. No — diets don’t work. If you want to lose the weight and keep it off, you have to truly change your eating habits — for good!
I guess it has more to do with the time that you have. I’ve found that when I’m busy, it doesn’t matter what I eat. But when I’m free, I need tasty food.
I try to eat as healthy as I can but sometimes I give into temptation. One thing that I have noticed that helps more than anything is to cut down on the meal size and atleast get a little bit of exercise in, whether it be a walk or a bike ride just getting out and doing something has definitely helped.
Great post. Lizzie you did it again. I agree that Its is better to eat healthy stuff then you go on diet. If you take 5 health small meals per day then this will increase your metabolism rate. Along with this do 45 minutes of workout. By doing so no body needs dieting
Nice post. For me dieting means dont eat anything lol but eat some fruit
This may sound robotic, but food is fuel.
I’m a hobbyist nutritionist and i know several professional body builders. The simple truth is that it is not what you eat, or the amount. It is the calories at the end of the day. My girlfriend and eat 5 star meals (home cooked) with a daily net caloric intake of less than 2k.
We are always full. We spend ~40-50$ a week on food for BOTH of us. And we cannot tack on weight to save our lives.
Note that eating healthy does not mean eating stuff that tastes like ****. But eating good tasting healthy food does take a little work/experience.
But it can be done and the results are amazing. Friday is calzones, I will eat till i’m stuffed and have a net calorie intake from the dinner of ~600.
At the end of the day, 90% of this is about exercise. I eat generally quite healthily, but I like Pizzas and fries during the week, the carbs from which I burn at the gym and while doing sports. If I didn’t exercise and I just ate healthily I think I’d be in worse shape.
Great post again.Yes, a lot of people don’t believe it at first but it is true.But eating good tasting healthy food does take a little work/experience.
If I had someone that would cook for me it would be much easier!! I can usually think of yummy low-fat foods, but they tend to take more prep/cook time than grabbing a bag of chips or a pop-tart.
You really shouldn’t feel as if your dieting because you change you eating habits. Associate changing your eating habits to taking better care of your health.
In order to really lose weight you have eat better foods along with 3-4 days of exercise. Try eating a cereal with low or non fat milk for breakfast. That should provide you with enough nourishment and energy needed to get you through the day. As long as you eat breakfast you can skip lunch and eat a good dinner. If you get hungry throughout the day snack on grapes low fat cheese and crackers or yogurt.
Dawn
It can be tricky especially realising that for long term weight loss you need to keep those unhealthy treats down to a few times a week and eat lots of fruit, vegetables, wholegrains and fish. But if you can change your habits, step by step then eventually you will be able to eat healthily, keep your weight down and not even think about it – well that is my ideal dream anyway!
Eating less but more often seems to work. Instead of having 3 meals a day (Breakfast, lunch, dinner), break it down into smaller meals but eat more often. Your body uses energy (calories) to process your food, so you’re burning calories while you take them in.
Well it’s true that what is tasty is not so good for your health, and what is good for your health is not so tasty. So i think one has to balance things, because if one makes too much sacrifices, it could happen to start hating diet and fully go back to unhealthy habits.
many people thinks that a diet is leave your favourite food in the market, but I think that a fundamental part of a diet is eat! so you have to eat, but in a much more moderate way. People doesn’t know how many kilograms you can lose only controlling what you eat, even without change your actual diet but moderating it.
Talking about this topic, i have many many words to express, now i am 27 year old, but i am becoming more and more fat now, enough eating and drinking will generate much fat in your body, through reading many books about lose-weight, it seems that i know many methods to lose weight, such as running 1 hour a day, eating less vegetables, and having a good mood.
Well, there are many many different ways to lose weight and dieting might be one of them. I guess it is up to your own personal choice.
regular exercise and chemically rich food on time means good Diet program. I have personally experience and i has results…
Just try …
Eating healthy vs. dieting will always be a constant battle that someone has to go through when wants to lose weight.
It’s very important not to deprive yourself of food that you want to eat. Balance is the key here. When you read the book “French Women Don’t Get Fat”, the only secret the writer revealed is your attitude about eating. Most Americans think eating as guilty sin. This is not a healthy attitude. Enjoy what you’re eating. Take small chunks. Eat slowly.
Once I hit the fortys I found the middle age spread become more of a fact than something to look forward to, (and dread).
Eating fresh foods makes you healthy but dieting Is Bad For Your Health.
Very Very Good Blog. Eating healthy vs. dieting must always be maintained constant when one wants to lose weight. Enjoy what you’re eating. Take small chunks. Eat slowly. Eat healthy- Be healthy.
When you try to eat as healthy as you can your health greatly increases. It has worked for me and my friends!
Thanks. I hope i’ll loose some weight )
keep eating healthy is the problem that most of the people in the world are suffering from it. it’s the easiest decision to make and the hardest to accomplish.
I’m not sure that I can agree with “Scarpe Hogan” comment that “what is tasty is not so good for your health, and what is good for your health is not so tasty”, but then I love salads and raw vegetables!
Actually I believe you can crave pretty much anything. In my experience, after a while of eating healthily you crave more healthy food. But maybe that’s just me an maybe I’m just lucky!
i just cant seem to shift the pounds ! the will power is just not there
My main problem with healthy eating is making appetising meals, my bf does most of the cooking although it’s usually a little spicy he does a wonderful job (most of the time). I used to love putting cream in so many meals, moved to Crème fraîche but recently learned that still isn’t all that healthy :/ Oh well back to the carrot sticks!
I used to eat a lot of junk food and drink a lot of soda, but I managed to get away from that and now I really feel free. I do not even think of going to McDonalds, what proves that one can change his habbits.
Healthy eating is an opportunity to expand your range of choices by trying foods—especially vegetables, whole grains, or fruits—that you don’t normally eat.
For most people Dieting refers not to eat much, just cut foods. But it really worsens our health. We always need sufficient amount of food with sufficient amount of chemical and minerals our body requires. So we need to be careful while selecting our food.
I’m glad you put in all caps “DIETS DON’T WORK”. Couldn’t agree with you more. A healthy diet and a few walks a day work wonders!
my problem is that I exercise and eat well during the day. But when I get home (7:30 – 8:30) i love to veg out with the family in front of the TV, eat popcorn, cookies, whatever junk is around.
That’s my bad habit I have to break!
Healthy eating habits if formed in early childhood can stay with us for the rest of our lives. This is because children get influenced easily and habits built during this time can stay strong.
So we can try and teach our children the habits of healthy eating from the start itself. And then as adults we may try to lead by example – thus benefiting both the children and ourselves!
I agree with you @ above one. Eating habits are formed in childhood only. If you eat really very well you are not prone to any much decease and are healthy.
I have always felt that dieting and exercise work in tandem, but it has to be done in moderation.
It’s better to be healthy than thin, so healthy eating is always the better option. That said, as far as mental health goes the psychological effect of losing weight can give people the impetus to make other positive changes in their life, such as exercising more etc. So as long as your diet is doing you no harm maybe the ends justify the means on some occasions.
Some habits die hard, I know this from experience. I hope you find your answer, and when you do… tell me what you found!
I think diet could be the solution in the begining – and then you must think about, what you are eating.
Virtually everything is good in moderation and virtually nothing is good in excess. In other words avoiding excess in all eating habits is the healthy eating.
I agree with you, when I am trying to eat healthy I also feel like I’m dieting. I think it just works out that way. I do tend to keep losing weight when I eat healthy though. Interesting article, I can relate to this.
True…eating habit can change people body shape. I think no matter we eat healthy food or not. Sometimes eat healthy food but eat too much also can make us fat. Maintain height and weight ratio.
Thanks for sharing this information about how to eat to lose weight I have
been trying to lose weight for as long as I can remember. I will be back soon to read some more.
Eating healthy vs Dieting both are hand in hand process according to me . having balanced diet is eating healthy foods. so take a balanced diet to avoid over weight
Something I try to remember is that small changes do count. It doesn’t have to be drastic, 100 calories a day is 3000 a month. Sometimes starting small is the best bet towards actually keeping the habit.
ya its very important to maintain a diet … I think drink more water is a vital part of a healthy diet.. Water helps flush our systems… We should avoid the bad fats and enjoy the good fats …..
Changing your diet doesn’t mean you have to lose taste. Their are tons of foods out there that are equally tasteful and nutritious. It’s just a matter of finding what you like. Just think of all the ice cream thats out there. Now I’m sure that the one you like now wasn’t always your favorite. You went through a couple flavors and brands before you found the one you liked…..that’s exactly what you have to go through to find the great tasting nutritious meals.
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Eating healthy vs Dieting both these are hand in hand process so I think taking balanced diet is good to avoid over weight. You can also use resveratrol supplement as weight loss antioxidant.
Dear Lizzie,
No one can maintain a strict dieting program unless he/she is a very determined person. If you want to lose weight then you should try to avoid junk foods and increase intake of some nutritious foods even if they dont taste yummy.
Thanks John
Never stop until you get what your aiming for. In this case if you want to be healthy and lose weight then practice what you preach. Take your time.
when I am trying to eat healthy I also feel like I’m dieting. diet with exercise this is good for perfect health.
I am really satisfied with my healthy eating. I love healthy eating. healthy eating saved my business.
You’re right to some extent. I never on diet or take as much exercisise as someone said, and I eat as much as possible, but I sitll keep thin shape.
For me Healthy eating and healthy diet can be the same. It is choosing the right type of food that improves your health and avoid the types of foods that raise your risk for such illnesses.
Expand your range of healthy choices to include a wide variety of delicious foods. Learn to use guidelines and tips for creating and maintaining a satisfying, healthy diet.
Another part of our health that we should focus on is the water we drink,drinking enough water should complement any dieting or eating program.Hoever this has to be clean and pure water.
I don’t know of anybody who doesn’t struggle with their diet to some degree. It may be their love for chocolate, bread or whatever that is too strong and therefore they eat it too often or too much of it.
The above applies to me personally too. It helps not to have too much of chocolate, bread and a few other items that I just can’t seem to get enough of around the house. I find that having other foods that I still like but eat them without too much passion and that are healthy makes me forget about the favorite stuff.
So called low fat products are indeed usually worse health-wise than the natural form. Chemicals. fillers, artificial sweeteners, flavor enhancers and so on more than make up for the badness of the fat that is taken out.
It’s very important not to deprive yourself of food that you want to eat. Balance is the key here. When you read the book “French Women Don’t Get Fatâ€, the only secret the writer revealed is your attitude about eating. Most Americans think eating as guilty sin. This is not a healthy attitude. Enjoy what you’re eating. Take small chunks. Eat slowly.
Thinking of eating healthy all of the time is hard to do, food is very addictive, especially stuff that is not good for you.
Ironically when you feel full, you won’t eat more. I think you can try to cook rice porridge, such as chicken rice porridge, fish rice porridge. You will feel full with less calories intake.
If you eat 4 times in a day then sure your diet problem will be solve. Moreover eat those food which have less calories and fat. If you’re eating fairly healthy but are too heavy, that means you’re eating too much. Add some exercise and you will speed up your weight loss.
No doubt that it is most common problem of old age women as I am now touch 48 year of my life, I too got same problem. I solve this problem by just two ways, firstly i start walking routinely secondly I start to take chemical rich & low fat diet.