Many of us have tried diet groups, very low-calorie diets, shakes, bars, low carb, low fat, low sugar, you name it; I have done it to try to lose weight.
Everywhere we look on social media, we see adverts for “fast weight loss” or “lose weight for good.” These draw in thousands of people who, like me, are desperate to lose weight. There are success stories for each of these, but what is the long-term damage to our health?
Diet mentality sneaks up on us, and we find ourselves saying, “I can’t eat this”, or “I can only eat between this time and that time”, or even “I can eat as much of this pasta as I want as it is a good food, but I cannot eat blended fruit as that will use my points”. We become confused about what we should and should not eat with each diet.
Naturally, when we deny ourselves a particular food or food group, we crave that food. Eventually, we will give in and eat more of that food than we usually would, and then we will feel guilty about it.
I have lost weight on most diets I have tried. The problem is that I get to a point where I am tired of restricting food, bingeing, and falling off the diet wagon. This happens sometimes for days, weeks, and even months/years. The weight starts piling back on, and I get to a point where I feel fed up with being overweight and create a new diet.
This yo-yo dieting has been associated with coronary artery disease, fatty liver and high blood pressure, not to mention the psychological damage it is also doing.
The truth is no food is forbidden when eaten in moderation, and the key to weight loss is as simple as reducing calories and increasing activity to burn calories. Exercise alone will not help weight loss if you are overconsuming calories. Try and move away from good and bad foods. Yes, some foods contain more calories, so we should eat less of those, and some contain fewer calories and will keep us fuller for longer, so we should eat more of those; if you want chocolate, you can still have chocolate.
If you are struggling with diet mentality and negative connotations around what food you should and should not eat, why not book an appointment with our nutritionist, who can talk through things with you, give you advice, and even look at meal plans?