As far back as I can remember, I have had only love and hate relationship with food. Whenever I have gained weight it has been because of foods I love and I have always hated dieting - though I have been through numerous crazy diets in last two decades of my life!
One of my early diets consisted of coffee (w/ milk) for breakfast, raw (no dressing) salad with a toast for lunch & dinner and a fruit for snack. I have also done protein shake diets, variety of low carb diets, GM (7 day) diet, raw foods diet (fruits, nuts and milk), only one kind of food a day diet - you name it. In my quest to lose weight and get fit, I have left no stone unturned in my bid to find that perfect weight loss diet. And the findings?
There exists no such diet! Most diets that yield results, in short term, fail in long term because its not easy to give up any one element of food for life. And diets that take longer to show results...well most of us don't have patience to stick to them!
So what is the solution...considering while exercise is needed for fitness, it is not the main ingredient of a successful weight loss recipe? A good eating plan is extremely important for shedding pounds. Yes that's the key - a good eating plan - not a diet. Diet truly is a four-letter-word!
So whats the difference between the two? Many:
- First and foremost a good eating plan ensures that your love/ hate relationship with the food will give way to a healthy and balanced relationship.
- Two - a good eating plan allows you to make smarter food choices while allowing you to occasionally indulge in those sinfully delicious foods.
- Last but not the least a good eating plan is something that will stay with you rest of your life - you will never have to diet again!!!
I am sure now you are wondering when is she going to show us an eating plan? How will it look different from a diet. In my next post I would share details of how to move away from a diet to an eating plan based on your fitness goals.
