Dieting Vs Lifestyle Change

I have always maintained that dieting doesn’t work, but also that you need to change the way you eat in order to lose weight. What’s the difference? One is a lifestyle change and the other is a temporary solution to weight loss. When I work directly with clients in Calgary, Canada, I focus on both a program of regular exercise and a healthy diet, which isn’t dieting. Making changes to your lifestyle is far better for a number of reasons.

You might get results from a diet, but they don’t last.

Diets always end, either in success or failure. Then you go back to old eating habits and regain the weight. Sometimes, you even gain more weight. Then you go back to the diet and the cycle begins again. If you’re tired of continually counting calories and that yoyo weight loss, you have to change your way of eating permanently and focus on healthier eating, rather than calorie counting.

When you eat healthier, you make smarter food choices.

There are many large and small changes you can make to improve your menu, eat healthier and lose weight. Eating more fresh fruits and vegetables or frozen ones is a start. Cutting out processed food and those high in sugar and white flour is another. Just switching from white rice to brown rice or wild rice will save calories and boost nutrition. When you diet, you follow a strict meal plan, never actually changing your habits or learning small and large changes that make a difference. Cooking food differently, like broiling, baking, grilling and steaming instead of frying is a huge change that makes a big difference.

Another lifestyle change that’s important and speeds the progress is a program of regular exercise.

Eating healthy can help you lose pounds, but adding a program of regular exercise speeds the progress and boosts the results. Exercise not only makes you healthier and gives the toned look everyone loves, it also builds muscles. The more muscle tissue you have, the more calories you burn 24/7. That’s because muscle tissue requires more calories to maintain than fat tissue does. That means you’ll be boosting your metabolism, making it easier to take weight off and prevent it from returning.

• Diets are all about eating special menus that are restrictive. When you learn to eat healthier and make smarter choices, you can eat anywhere. You can still have some of your favorite foods, but not as often and keeping portion control in mind.
• You’ll have more energy when you adopt a lifestyle that includes healthy, nutritious food and a program of regular exercise. The more energy you have, the more active you’ll be and the easier it will be to lose weight.
• Regular exercise burns off the hormones of stress. One of those hormones is cortisone. Cortisone is linked to the accumulation of belly fat. The most dangerous fat and the type most people want to lose.
• Even special treats can be made healthier. For instance, substituting unsweetened applesauce for some of the oil and sugar can cut calories and add nutrition.

For more information, contact us today at Jari Love