Diets Make You Fat

Just the word diet gives you an overall unpleasant feeling doesn't it? What's the main reason people go on a diet? A few that come to mind are: health reasons, to improve self-confidence, peer pressure, maybe it's a job requirement or maybe you have a special occasion coming up. Diets may provide quick weight loss, but they aren't a realistic means to a permanent solution. Here are four key points why diets make you fat.

Diets Wreak Havoc Your Metabolism

Most diets are very calorie restricted. That makes your metabolism think that you're starving. So, instead of using food as fuel, it stores the food and it uses the energy from your lean muscle. That in turn, causes muscle loss, which lowers your metabolic rate so your body needs fewer calories to function. Make sure you check with your Doctor on the amount of calories you should be consuming. Don't ever go below that number. You are on a diet because you want to lose weight, but you shouldn't detriment your health in the process.

Diets Forbid You To Have The Foods You Enjoy

You're on a diet, which means you're already in a crummy mood. Your friend asks you to come over for dinner. After going back and forth, you finally agree to go. You're thinking I would love to have a glass of wine or ooh that chocolate cake looks delicious. GASP! You've come back to reality and remember, you're on a diet. Now you're even more grumpy and you're wondering why you accepted the invitation in the first place. Remember, it's OK to have a little treat every now and again. By doing so, you're more likely to stick to a healthier lifestyle.

You Have To Eat Foods You Don't Like

What food comes to mind when you think of dieting? Vegetables, fish, chicken. You know when I mention vegetables; I'm not talking corn on the cob and loaded baked potatoes. I'm talking spinach, salad, broccoli, green beans, etc. Fish? You expect me to eat fish? (Tip - if fish smells fishy then it's stale so don't eat it. Fish shouldn't smell much like anything). A lot of people say they don't know how to cook fish. While there are many ways you can prepare fish, I say KISS. Keep it simple. Add a little lemon juice and some herbs and spices that you like. Either broil it in the oven, in a frying pan with a tiny bit of olive oil or grill it. It's very easy and quite delicious. Most diets recommend having boiled chicken (there goes the flavor). I prefer grilling it instead. What doesn't taste great when it's grilled? Many of you probably already scrunched your nose up just reading this. Lol How can you stick to a diet if you really don't like these foods?

Diets Make You Feel There's No Room For Failure

Let's go back to that dinner you had over your friend's house. Instead of passing on that glass of wine and/or chocolate cake, you actually enjoyed a little of each. Then what happens the next? You feel that you "blew" your diet, right? So now the guilt starts to pour on. In some instances you say what the heck, I blew my diet, so slap on another piece of cake on my plate. Some of you may actually beat yourself up emotionally and you may think you're weak. You may wake up the next morning and say the heck with it, I already blew it, so why bother. Again, there's a lot of negativity associated with dieting.

What Should You Do Instead Of Going On A Diet?

You should make lifestyle changes. When I buy a new article of clothing, I always get rid of an item of clothing. I don't like clutter and this really helps me keep my closets in order. Think of doing that with your food. I know most people will say get rid of every unhealthy item in your house. Well that may work for some people, but not others. There's always take out, right? So what I'm recommending you do is each week, replace one unhealthy food item with a healthy food item. Prepare that new, healthy food several ways to see what fancies your taste buds. You'd be amazed how delicious kale can taste. Do this every week until all the unhealthy food items have slowly been replaced with all healthy food items. Eventually, you'll be eating a healthy diet and have made it your lifestyle norm. There's no deprivation, and you're actually enjoying the way you eat. The slow change also didn't take a big chunk out of your wallet by having to replace all of your food at once.

Another thing to keep in mind is when you do have a true craving for one of your favorite foods; it's OK to have them. Everything is OK in moderation. I don't recommend keeping them in your house, because you'll have easy access and old habits resurrect quickly. However, if you want ice cream, have ice cream. Cakes, pizza, whatever your treat is, allow yourself to enjoy it. Enjoy it and you won't feel guilty. You won't feel guilty because you know it's a treat and no longer your lifestyle.

Here Are A Few Of My Favorite Foods

Vegetables; Broccoli, Kale, Spinach, Swiss Chard, Beets, Cabbage, Cucumber, Tomatoes, Romaine

Fruit: Apples, Avocado, Grapefruit, any kind of Berries - love 'em all

Legumes; Chic Peas, Black Beans, Cannellini, Lentils, Kidney

Herbs/Spices; Himalayan Sea Salt, Garlic, Onions, Ginger, Tumeric, Curry

Trust me, I didn't always like many of these but I learned to really love each and every one of them. There are so many ways you can prepare them.

Skip These "So Called" Healthy Foods

I found an interesting article that Cosmopolitan Magazine put together. It provided a list of foods that you may think is healthy, but they aren't.

Sushi Rolls (500 - 600 calories)

Dried Fruit (1c grapes is 60 calories, 1c raisins is 460 calories)

Granola (500 calories)

Bran Muffins (420 calories, 20 grams fat, 34 grams sugar)

Half-and-Half (a few cups of coffee can lead to 200 calories a day)

Wraps (300 calories - some of these wraps are huge)

Bottled Teas (200 calories)

Rice Cakes (YUCK - and basically no nutritional value)

Veggie Burgers (Depending on the brand 1000 calories)

Juice (16 oz OJ or Apple Juice has 55 grams of carbohydrates. That's equal to 12 teaspoons of sugar)

Diet Microwave Meals (SALT)

Salads (Stay away from cheese, croutons, creamy dressings, bacon, candied nuts, dried fruit - they all pack on the calories)

Tofu (If you order it in a restaurant, make sure it isn't deep fried)

I hope you found this helpful. Remember - no more diets OK? Work on making weekly changes to a healthier lifestyle. One added benefit? No more grumpiness, that alone is worth it. Now go buy yourself something colorful and tasty.


Lisa has lost over 80 pounds and kept it off for over 12 years. She knows what it is like to get made fun of when you're a child. She knows the pain of missing dances, the prom and dates through her teen years. Lisa struggled with yo-yo dieting most of her life. She's gone through drastic measures to lose weight, but now found the real truth in keeping the weight off. Lisa now helps others get on the fit track; mind, body, spiritual and financial. She's taught people measureable steps of what it takes to be successful. If you want to know how, or want Lisa to help you, go to http://www.born2befit.com and sign up to receive Lisa's news letters. She will inspire you and get you on the right path. So do it now, you won't be sorry.

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