Ditch dieting if you want big changes

Ditch the idea of dieting

Ditch dieting if you want to achieve long-term health goals

‘Suppress your appetite, eat less’ 

Struggling to lose weight, you might have come by this one piece of advice every now and then. There is no surprise if, at any point, you began to cut down carbs and other essential nutrients out of your diet in order to shed some weight. But the truth is, the weight you lose with a diet almost always comes back, if not more. Yes, you read it right! In fact, unless you adopt a healthy lifestyle by learning some healthy habits, you will keep failing at losing weight.

Diet vs lifestyle change

Before I tell you which way takes the lead in reducing weight effectively, let's dissect the core differences between both strategies. While many people believe that having strict control on diet helps deplete some extra pounds, it is evident that the weight loss with diet is temporary. Healthy lifestyle changes, on the other hand, are long-lived and bring about lasting effects if appropriate healthy habits are incorporated. 

Dieting is a bad idea, why?

Apparently, an easier and much quicker way to get a sleek body is starving yourself. It's no joke that more than half of the world's overweight population seeks perfect body shape through dieting alone. This is the reason why we keep seeing new diet plans making waves over the internet every other day. Atkins, keto, paleo, and DASH diets are some of the most popular diet plans you will hear the name of. However, each one of these comes with serious health issues since you are missing out on one or the other significant nutrient while consuming them. 

Another reason why dieting should be the last thing to rescue you from obesity is the psychological trauma it puts you through. Chronic dieters experience anxiety, self-blame, irritability, and a sense of guilt more often than other healthy individuals since they are always busy keeping control over their food choices; their calm is lost as soon as they make any bad food choices. 

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Lifestyle change goes the long way

When we talk about lifestyle changes, we include dietary changes as well. Healthy habits help not just to reduce existing weight but to keep those extra pounds away from getting onto your body ever again. A healthy lifestyle comprises a nutrition-rich diet, well-balanced physical exercise on a regular basis, focusing on moderation, not restriction, followed by a healthy weight loss of 1-2 lbs./week.

As time-consuming as it appears to be, it is the most durable way to achieve a wholesome, fit body, both mentally and physically. The ultimate goal of adopting a healthy lifestyle is to remain fit without depriving yourself of essential nutrients and compromising your body’s effective functionality. 

When I say lifestyle changes go a long way, I mean the changes are permanent if consistency is practiced. Healthy lifestyle modification is not just an apt way to maintain good body weight, but it keeps multiple life-threatening terminal illnesses away from a person. A healthy lifestyle means you're also ripping out hypertension and diabetes from your life. 

Healthy Lifestyle Changes: Pro-tip

Working your way through making healthy lifestyle changes, consider the easy and actionable steps below to embark on a journey to a healthy body.

  1. Include whole grains, fresh fruits, and vegetables in your diet and cut back on the sugary diet. 
  2. Do any physical exercise for at least 30-45 minutes per day.
  3. Practice meditation.
  4. Keep your environment stress-free
  5. Dump the temporary quick fixers and adopt practices that you can carry for life.
  6. Be consistent
  7. Do not, I repeat, do not get influenced by anyone persuading you into dieting to get rapid results.
  8. Find a support system, a community, or a buddy to keep you motivated through the journey.
  9. Consult a nutrition coach to help with an exclusive lifestyle change plan catering to your individual needs.

Final thoughts

Dreaming of a perfectly shaped body with a healthy mind is your right, but falling prey to yo-yo dieting is a big NO. Dieting would not only bounce back harder but also produce a negative impact on your mental health. Lifestyle changes, on the contrary, would result in permanently transforming your life from being exposed to multiple health hazards to leading a balanced life.

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Take the Dear Healthier Me Challenge, you will learn how to track your daily activity to create a healthy lifestyle habits.

About the author 

Vilmos

I started Wellness Next Step in 2016 as a way to help others commit to a healthier lifestyle through self-development, including health, fitness, mindset, passive income, and starting an online business.