Well it was brought to my attention that I had put up what doesn’t work, but no link to what DOES work for dieting. I was referring to Exteme Dieting and how it doesn’t work. But what does work?!
I have a lot of info and tips around here about what does work. Just hit the Eating Habits section for more info. But I’ll put some basics here in one post, especially since it’s the beginning of the year and on so many minds.
1. Be aware of what you eat! Keeping a journal is the best way to do this. Keep track of the times you eat and if you ate something you “shouldn’t” eat, write down what you were feeling at that time. What was going on? Did you argue, did you have a success? Check that emotional eating and be aware of it.
2. Balance carbs, protein, fat. It is truly about balance. Our bodies need all three to work properly. Did you know that every cell is made of fat? Did you know that your brain can only process carbs? There is no food group that is bad, it’s all about the portions. Now the portions will change and I’ve noticed a distinct difference in how we process these three main foods by sex. But the best place to start is with 40% carbs, 20% protein, and 20% fat. Generally we can get our 20% fat without trying, so don’t go thinking you need to load it in your diet. It’s the lower carbs and higher protein that most have issues with. Protein every meal and snack will help a lot with it. It’s much more than that, but goodness, I can’t hit it all in one short post. Read more of my tips around the horn or you just may need to pay for some specific stuff.
3. No Foods with No Nutrients! This one is a big help. Does it have vitamins or minerals? Then it’s probably not something you need to be eating while you are trying hard to lose weight. It’s a junk food for sure. Not to say it’s not awesome or within your calorie count, BUT if you are trying to lose weight, it’s just not in your ok zone.
There is a difference between needing to lose weight and eating healthy. If you are losing weight then you need to be very strict. You need to pay attention to what you are eating to a T. BUT, once you hit maintenance, you will get a lot of extra calories you can enjoy in the week as long as you keep exercising.
It’s a lot to push into your head I know. Believe me I do KNOW! I’ve been there over the years and my nutrition classes blew my mind when I was getting my degree. Info I ‘knew’ but didn’t know the behind the scenes of why. So please feel free to ask questions, I always LOVE questions. Again, there are quite a few differences between needing to lose weight and just needing to eat to be healthy.
A lot of questions dwindle in one’s mind as to the effectiveness of a diet plan/scheme or diet pills we are about to engage in. This article really helps in our decision making and it awakens us on the things we already know but we tend to forget.
Diet plans will work because a new dieter needs the regimen and someone laying out exactly what they need to do. But then once people get off the plan I find they are so lost. They really didn’t learn much while doing the diet so as we’ve all seen, they put the weight back on and more