I was at a bar (yes ironic for this particular post) but there I was and the conversation of dieting came up. The person I was talking to is a friend and someone who explained to me that she had dieted or yo yo dieted since she was 12.
This got me to thinking. How did we as a society come to this idea of dieting. The word diet itself has nothing to do with starving yourself, it isn't a decision to go and by weight loss pills, by microwavable entrees that are better for you. It refers to how we eat. What do you or I consume to make ourselves work. I find it ironic that we have a better understanding of how to take care of our cars, electronics, guns, etc. yet so many of us (me included) understand so little about how our bodies work and what it needs to run.
So here are my two cents. As a kid we are given what are parents feed us. We don't know any better. they put food on the table and we ate it (or they hoped we did). As we grow up some we start to make our own decisions in high school, college and into our young adult lives as to what we eat, how much, and where it comes from.
At this point we are now in a habit of what we eat. We eat what is convenient, what is accessible and what is easy. We know we shouldn't eat it but we do (I am one of the most guilty people I know regarding this). We have now become over weight or don't feel good about what we look like, we play video games, watch TV, drink beer, go out to eat, eat to much, etc. In steps dieting. we find our trigger and we move on to this new diet. That could be an all protein, meal replacements, fad diets, weigh in diets, etc. It is crazy the industry for this is huge!! Multiple billions of dollars every year to help us lose weight and feel better about ourselves. But ultimately things go back to the way they were. you end up the way you looked before or worse. We struggle with yo yo dieting getting ready for that next event we want to look good for. It is so easy to do and I have done it, lots of people do it and people are doing it now.
So how do you change? First and foremost for me it was a mental decision. I wanted to! I was sick of the way I looked. Until your mentally there you aren't ready and it isn't worth trying cause everything above will start over again. I started to learn about food, how much I was eating, what I was eating, and where I was getting it from. I made a conscience decision that dieting wasn't an answer. Do i take meal replacement shakes? Yes. Do I use supplements? Yes. I use them with food not to replace it. I learned that some foods i thought were healthy weren't. Sandwich meat for example. People think it isn't bad for you but you look at the packaging and the preservatives in that stuff is crazy! Understanding that food alone wasn't the only change I also learned about excercise. There has to be some physical activity you have to do as well. that doesn't mean you have to jump head first into triathlons, bike races, or p90x. but you can't just eat, not do anything and expect everything to change. but it also means that you need to sometimes get out of your comfort zone when you excercise. I felt embaressed as hell when i started running. Here was a 274lbs guy running down the street looking like he was an idiot and I felt like one until I had this thought. I was doing it and someone else wasn't. I was running and working out and there were a lot of people watching going I could never do that. So push yourself a little bit. Run, bike, do some push ups even if it is one or two. measure what you are doing and do more next time. CHANGE!!!! There will be a lot of people that will admire your commitment so set and example and show others it's possible. Learn how food fuels your body to allow you to do the things you want such as play with your kids, exercise, garden, etc.
I now go back to my original reason for the post Dieting vs. Change. you have to want to change your diet not start dieting. you have to want to learn what your body needs to run, how it works, and reacts to food based on the types of food you put in it. once you do that and take the time (it isn't a short period of time and it can be frustrating) it will pay off in great results and long term success. I am now one year in and I can go to a bar and have some beers, eat some ice cream, eat out every now and then. This change will allow you to do that more than dieting will. Your body will learn to process what you put into it.
When you go and drink and you drink to much you may wake up with a hangover. Putting processed food, junk food and to much food in your body on a regular basis is the same thing but the affects aren't as immediate as a hangover. you will feel tired, unmotivated, maybe even euphoric depending on the person but long term it does more harm.
Again try and Change what you eat, how you eat, and where you get your food from. Change what you are doing, change your lifestyle, change how you think about food and things will improve. It did for me. It is a ongoing learning process but I am happier than I have ever been in my life.
Thanks for reading this insanly long post.
-Joe
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