Diet the Dirty Word - or is it?
julieworley376
Posts: 444 Member
I have been told at Weight Watchers that the word diet is not encouraged because a diet is something that you go on and come off again.
But actually I think diet simply refers to the way you eat. For me it doesn't have these negative connotations, it is simply my diet.
However, if I refuse something, maybe a piece of cake or a cookie and say, I am dieting, that to me has negative connotations. It is saying, I would have that cookie or piece of cake but I am dieting, when I am not dieting I will eat them. Whereas learning balance means having that piece of cake or cookie because you want it and can fit it into your calories for the day. So you simply want that cookie or you don't, which I think is a much healthier mental approach.
Thoughts? Comments?
But actually I think diet simply refers to the way you eat. For me it doesn't have these negative connotations, it is simply my diet.
However, if I refuse something, maybe a piece of cake or a cookie and say, I am dieting, that to me has negative connotations. It is saying, I would have that cookie or piece of cake but I am dieting, when I am not dieting I will eat them. Whereas learning balance means having that piece of cake or cookie because you want it and can fit it into your calories for the day. So you simply want that cookie or you don't, which I think is a much healthier mental approach.
Thoughts? Comments?
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Replies
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I agree with you 100%. My diet is the way I eat. I will eat this way as I lose weight, and once I reach goal to maintain it. I will tweak the total calories for the day when I get to maintenance, but what I eat will stay the same.
If someone offers me cake or something else, I either say I'm not hungry or watching what I eat. To me neither has a negative connotation. For example a while back I was at a gathering that had pizza. I hadn't planned for it, so I didn't have the calories for it in my day. I chose not to eat any. Everyone knows I've lost weight, so they just thought I was being 'good.' A couple of weeks later I was with many of the same people at another gathering, pizza was also served. But this time I planned for it, so I ate 1 1/2 slices. Most people were surprised to see me eat pizza on my 'diet.' I had folks ask me if it was a cheat day, etc. I just told them that today I felt like pizza and it fit in my food goals for the day.
I have found a combination of macros and food that keeps my blood sugar under control and keeps me from being hungry. Why would I want to change that? I feel a lot better eating this way than with my old patterns of eating. Why would I want to return to those?0 -
For me, I find it somewhat sad the mental game we seem to have to play with ourselves, but yes, I agree. Diet is the manner in which we eat, our overall eating habits, etc. This "fad diet" nonsense has given such a bad connotation to things. I am looking at getting healthy. Period. That means that there are certain foods I will never be able to eat again in large quantity. I can still have them, just less of them. Some choices aren't worth the consequences. What I find most people struggle with, and what I always struggled with in the past is that I always considered restrictions temporary and extreme, not considering that the overall goals should be moderation and balance... I'm not sure what clicked for me this time around, but I'm glad that whatever clicked did so.0
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FABULOUS AND VERY HEALTHY WAY OF THINKING !!!!!! CUDOS0
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I also agree. Finding room for your cake and enjoying these treats in moderation is to definition of "balance" for me. I used to think so negatively about eating and being overweight. It was all or nothing- No middle ground! I am trying to change the way I look at these things and I like the way it is working out. I may not have lost much weight yet, but I still feel good about it and satisfied. "Diets" always failed me because I always felt so deprived. By having a moderate amout of something "bad" actually keeps me from finishing off the whole cake later when I feel like a treat and can't stand it anymore. I have been trying to find my balance. Now I know that I can have a small piece of cake and should if I feel I need it, but make it part of my balanced diet and compensate in my other eats and activities. It is not as difficult as I thought it would be to plan my diet and exercise around what I really want.0
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HA! Get out of my head. I just posted something similar on another forum about how I HATE that diet has been turned into a 4-letter word! It's merely how you eat, it's not some fad. it could be a POOR diet or a Healthy diet, but if you aren't dieting, you're dead
And I really just don't get all these people I know that do every fad plan after fad plan and expect the changes to stick. you didn't CHANGE anything! you ate better for a few weeks/months and then went back to your crappy eating habits! Why on EARTH would the weight you luckily lost actually stay off? CHANGE, that is the ONLY way! if that means eating half as much of the same stuff, that's great, if that means cutting out things you formerly ate or cutting WAY back, only having them once a month instead of once a day, so be it! 0 -
Yes to everything!0
