Your diet describes the kinds of foods that you habitually eat.
Dieting describes that foods that you choose to restrict or regulate yourself of, typically for medical, ethical or weight loss reasons.
When embarking on a dietary change, the outcome should serve you well in all areas of your life. Rarely does this happen when dieting.
Keep these important reminders in mind when you consider a new/popular diet as a new way of eating:
- Diets are extreme and rapid. Too many changes occur at once, leaving you deprived and confused.
- Dieting affects your self-esteem. You don't fail at dieting, the diet fails you.
- Diets severly restrict your food choices. In return, you experience stronger cravings to for "off limit" foods.
- You blame willpower for not thriving on your new diet but body is likely not receiving the energy and nutrients it needs to function at its best.
- Dieting makes food the enemy. As a result, dieting can lead to an unhealthy relationship with food and unhealthy behaviors such as fasting, binging, excessive exercising, food obsession, social isolation and skipping meals.
- Many eating disorders start off as dieting and then disordered eating.
- It's difficult to love our body and diet at the same time. To respect and care for your body, you must nourish and fuel your body.
- Food does not need to be labeled "good or bad." Labeling food as bad suggests that if you eat a certain food, you are a "bad" person.
- Food doesn't fix feelings, life problems or emotions. When you feel anxious, bored, lonely, stressed or upset, food is not the answer or solution.
- Dieting doesn't allow you to get in touch wih your body's signs of hunger, fullness and satisfaction.
- Don't use exercise as a way to lose weight. Exercise because it feels good - mentally and physically - to be active.
- Eat for health, not weight loss. A sustainable diet is balanced, non-restrictive and is truly a lifestyle - a way of living.
When dieting, you have a lot of things working against you.
Starting a new style of eating (especially for health reasons) and restricting food groups or demonizing certain foods can lead to feelings of deprivation, guilt and shame - not to mention a risk for nutrient deficiencies or heightened cravings.
When adopting a different style of eating, start with the mindset “less is best.” Make small, gradual changes as you learn about nutritious replacements/alternatives for every food reduction. A slow gradual process is less extreme, it’s easier on your body and intuitively, it’s more gentle for your mind.