Dieting versus Healthy Eating – They Couldn’t be more Different
To me, dieting is:
Boring.
It’s following a similar meal plan day in and day out, adding little variety or flavour to what you’re eating. I’m sure we’ve all heard of the ‘Cabbage Soup’ diet.
Limiting. 
It limits our social lives because we’re often not able to eat at restaurants, and heaven forbid we consume calories through a glass of wine!
A chore.
A diet is another item on your never-ending ‘to-do’ list that you often aren’t able to fully tackle, and something that you can’t wait to either quit or cross off the list.
Short-term.
Dieting isn’t often seen as sustainable, as something we’ll keep up for the rest of our lives. Because of it’s often limiting in nature, who would want to stick to a diet forever? Unfortunately, when we do quit we’re back where we started – back to eating processed foods and lots of sugar, gaining weight and feeling frustrated and disappointed in ourselves again.
To me, healthy eating is:
Fullness!
You actually feel full most of the time. You don’t sit and dream about your next meal because your stomach isn’t growling all day long. Whole foods including vegetables, fruit, meat and beans are making you feel full because they’re filled with nutrients and fibre, not chemicals.
Energy!
No, you don’t feel those short lived energy highs you get after a big cup of coffee or a chocolate bar. You feel real, long term energy all day long. You feel that both physically, and mentally you can work through the day and still have energy for loved ones at home. You feel like you want to actually live your life rather than watching TV each night!
Guilt-free!
It’s all about the 80/20 rule – 80% of the time stick to your healthy eating habits, but the other 20% of time go enjoy your life! Have that piece of double chocolate cake on your birthday, enjoy that poutine at the annual Raptors game you make it to. That’s living! Just make sure it doesn’t happen all the time; that it only happens a maximum of 20% of the time. Savor and enjoy the treats and then go back to eating mostly fresh, whole foods as per usual.
A change in palette.
When you’re a real healthy eater, you naturally gravitate toward whole foods. You pick the salmon or chicken breast over the hot dog without even thinking about it. You start really craving fresh salads. You have a fridge full of veggies that you not only eat because of the health benefits, but because you actually enjoy them! You realize and appreciate not only the taste of whole foods, but the way they make you feel.
A road map.
You have a plan that you can stick to daily. Prepping portions of your weekly meals in advance and keeping healthy snacks on hand is a regular part of your routine. You visualize potential challenges that may come up and develop strategies for staying on track, a head of time. “Healthy eating stops being ‘A Thing’ and just starts being your daily life.”*
Doesn’t healthy eating sound a lot more enjoyable than dieting? Please reach out if you would like to learn more about the importance of healthy eating versus dieting.
Sources:
*http://www.precisionnutrition.com/ways-to-know-if-your-nutrition-plan-is-working