In the world of fitness, dieting is probably one of the most misunderstood things. People seem to have the hardest time getting their head around proper dieting practices and how to apply them to their lives. Actually, eating well isn’t that difficult and is one of the single most important things you can do for your body, whether you are trying to lose weight, build muscle or simply live a healthier life. Here are some of the most common and destructive dieting misconceptions along with their more appropriate and respectively helpful attitudes.
Misconceptions:
“Dieting means always feeling hungry.” (Dieting doesn’t mean starving yourself) While it’s true that the only way to really lose weight is to burn more calories than you consume (what professionals call ‘creating a calorie deficit’) this definitely does not mean overly restricting your food intake. The average person burns 2000 calories a day just by sustaining normal body functions. This means that for those wanting to lose weight, they should aim for consuming no less than 1500-1800 calories a day. Any less than this and you could be doing serious harm to your body. At the same time, you should also try to eat more filling foods. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats are all excellent examples of low calorie foods that keep you full. If you are always hungry then you should consider eating more low calorie items that are high in protein.
“I don’t want to give up enjoying food.” (Eating better actually tastes better) When I started to eat right I learned how delicious fresh fruit, grilled fish, and natural salads can really be. Never did I force myself to eat anything that I didn’t enjoy. In fact, I actually started enjoying food more. I was free to experiment with new menus and to try things I hadn’t considered before. What did I learn? Fresh avocados are amazing. There are some types of salad that I actually love. Tea and coffee genuinely taste better without all the added sugar. I feel like I’ve become more of a connoisseur of food now as opposed to mindlessly consuming fast food for every meal like I did in the past.
“I’m on a temporary diet.” (It should be a lifestyle) Unless otherwise instructed by a health care professional, diets shouldn’t be temporary. In fact, eating right should be a lifestyle. Eating healthy, low calorie foods for two to four weeks, may help you lose some weight, but if you don’t stick with it the pounds will come right back – guaranteed. What we all need is a sustainable pattern of healthy eating that lasts longer than a simple fad diet. Again, this should be a lifestyle.
“If I’m on a diet, then I don’t need to exercise.” (Everyone needs both diet AND exercise) This is such a common misunderstanding. Dieting is not a very effective weight loss solution in and of itself. Your body needs exercise to further stimulate your metabolism and to create a greater calorie deficit (i.e. burn more calories). In fact, I believe that exercise is actually more important that dieting could ever be on it’s own. A truly healthy lifestyle would take an approach of both dieting and exercise.
“Dieting is too confusing.” (Actually, it’s mostly common sense) Yes, there are some difficult things to understand when you really dive into the science of nutrition. However, for a practical approach to weight loss all you really need to know you probably learned in kindergarten. Eat more fruits and veggies and whole grain carbs. Avoid fast food, fried things, and cola. The most work you’ll need to do is to look at the nutritional info on food packaging and try not to exceed your daily quota of calories. If you can do simple addition, then you can stick to a healthy diet.
(photo by justonlysteve)
