TODAY THE WORDS are I WANT A DIET WHICH IS NO DIET

TODAY THE WORDS are I WANT A DIET WHICH IS NO DIET. In this, my second post about eating, I will gladly put it out there. I want moderation but not elimination. There has been diet after diet which preach elimination. Let’s look at some of them and see what they want me to live without and then I want to share what is working better for me. I am not a health expert and do not profess to be anything but an average person who loves different kinds of food. The food groups contain something in each one I like to eat. You might feel the same.

One thing to keep in mind: As quoted in Bitesized Challenge, Programs claiming weight loss of more than 2 lbs per week are simply unhealthy crash diets. Weight is gained back 99% of the time.

But yet, we go from one miracle diet to another. I am a witness and I can preach on this subject as I claim experience in most of them at one time or another. 

How many of these popular diets have you tried? I personally can say 5 and I am still overweight. If you do some diligent studying, you will find a common thread between most of them and it is deprivation of some foods. I asked yesterday, “Are you really NEVER going to eat a donut for the rest of your life?” 

Here is my tip for today and it may not work for everybody (especially for people with diseases or health conditions which mandate restriction) and here is the absolute truth….NO PLAN works for everybody. We have to begin to take charge of our individual bodies and not fall for the miracle plans but pay attention to what foods cause us to bloat or to gain weight. Some people can eat more carbs, some can eat more healthy fats, and yes, I have a sister who can eat sweets all of the time and she has never had as much problem maintaining a good weight but she has health issues. 

Here goes what I have found works better for me:

I do not deprive myself of any food group but I limit the quantity of any of the carbs, sugars, and yes, fats. I make the larger portion of protein, but keep my meats palm size (we have heard this before, right). What I can’t do; but if I do it, I pay for it is allowing my portions to become large. Supersize means we get supersize! This makes sense doesn’t it? If you are going to eat a burger, make it fresh and small size with moderate portions of condiments. Just cutting portions and eating healthier, fresh cooked with more organic and non processed foods will start you on the track to eating for health.

I made this true comment yesterday, “When I started to eat for my health and not to lose a pants size; I accomplished both.” 

With the holidays behind us, I am happy to report I didn’t gain a pound and kept my glucose in normal ranges for me. I used my 1 heaping Tablespoon of the NO-NOs theory. I used to feel I couldn’t even taste any dressing, any sweet potato crunch, any mac-n-cheese, etc. Now, I choose three of the NO-NOs and take 1 full Tablespoon, yes heaping, of each. The rest of my meal is devoted to palm sized protein, and a bigger portion of good carbs of veggies. Since I had dressing, I found it easy to leave off the bread. I had dessert but used the heaping T. of my delicious banana pudding (a good tip on this is to find a very small bowl and place the dessert in it (it will look like more LOL). I took very small bites to cherish each morsel and when I got up from the table, I had not eaten nearly as much as prior years and felt wonderful. I didn’t feel DEPRIVED and this is the key to maintaining eating correctly for longer periods. Maybe I am wrong, but feeling deprived is the biggest sabotage tool in the world. 

Until we eat again and read again…….Arline Miller

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