DOWN WITH DIETS

there's one thing you should know about me: I HATE DIETS!! you too? awesome! we'll get along just swell. :)

Source: Uploaded by user via Whitney on Pinterest

just like in life, i hate people telling me what to do. likewise with eating, i hate people telling me what i should eat and when i should eat it and how i should eat it. now wanna hear some really great news?? your body hates diets, too!! they're not effective and actually many times are harmful and can make you GAIN weight. this is because if you're restricting your caloric intake and not getting enough nutrients, your body will go into starvation mode and hold on to any calories it can grab, storing them as fat. not exactly the goal you had in mind, right?? so the way i see it, why be miserable and starving if you're just going to end up with the exact opposite of your desired effect?? so you can have your cake and eat it, too!!!

now let me clarify. when i'm talking about diets, i'm talking restrictive eating and obsessive calorie counting. what about that sounds fun?? (disclaimer: of course, there are certain medical conditions and circumstances where a strict diet is necessary, but unless it's doctor mandated, put down the food scale and step away from the calorie tracker!!). now, that doesn't mean load up on the junk and get all hopped up on sugar. but that also doesn't mean that in order to be healthy you have to swear off all sweets forevermore. the secret?? it's simple, actually. and you once had it down pat when you were little. all you have to do is listen to your body and let it guide your dietary decisions. it's called intuitive eating. i'll blog more about it in future posts, but for now a great resource is:

Source: amazon.com via Whitney on Pinterest

remember when you were five and it was easy for you to push away a half-finished plate of yumminess once you'd hit your limit? it was simple: you wanted a treat, so you indulged, but when you were full, you stopped eating. somehow in the time from then until now we've lost touch with our intuition. guess what?? you can get it back!!! it'll take a little time to get the hang of it again, but once you re-establish that connection, it's like magic. you give your body what it wants, and it'll give you what you want!!! like a rockin' bod!!! deal?!!

some takeaway tips:

1. don't deprive yourself!!!

instead of trying to satisfy that chocolate craving with chocolate-flavored rice cakes, just have that brownie in the first place!!! studies have shown that you actually consume many more calories in your attempt to satisfy a craving with alternatives than you would have if you would've had the dang brownie in the first place!

which brings me to my next point:

2. don't make certain foods off-limits.

you know how it is: the minute you tell yourself you can't have something, what happens?? all you can think about is that thing, right?? and when you finally do 'allow' yourself to have just a teensy tiny taste, that teensy tiny taste turns into 35 teensy tiny tastes. so save yourself the trouble. plus, it's not any fun to be restricted, is it?? no, it's not. and life should be fun.

3. food is not good or bad. food is just food.

i promise the food police won't issue a citation for that bag of potato chips you had at lunch. so munch away! (we'll get to making healthy choices later, and you'll likely get to the point where your body will start to crave whole foods. but baby steps!!)

4. let your body be your guide.

some days you're going to be Starvin' Marvin. some days you're going have the appetite of a bird. your body fluctuates, so why shouldn't your caloric intake?? how much sense does it make to stick to a set amount of calories day in and day out?? as they've shown with studies, if you eat intuitively, it all evens out in the end. plus, it's actually better for your body and metabolism to change up the calories. keeps it guessing, which keeps you lookin' flyyyy. :)