Be A Healthy Eater -- Not a Dieter

Be a Healthy Eater -- Not a Dieter
Be a Healthy Eater -- Not a Dieter

I swear, I've spent years trying to fix the damage I did to my body while dieting. That's right. Damage. I know you're thinking..."damage, wth is this chick talking about, she must be smoking something." Then again, there are those out there who can totally relate. I've finally gotten to a point where I can honestly say that I am a healthy eater, not a dieter and I'm still losing weight and feeling great!

Here's how it works. You spend years going on diets in an effort to mold your body in to what you think is your ideal body image. The diets you're using restrict you from eating various foods or entire food groups, may be too low in calories, cause you to alter your life around when and where you can eat, and ultimately you end up isolating yourself from your friends, family and social functions - all in the name of "dieting." It's just not healthy. No matter how you look at it. I've been there. I've looked at everyone's comments as nonsense and claimed that "I ate healthier than every one of them" because I was the one on a strict diet. In the end I see how unhealthy that lifestyle is.

Then there's the end result that drives you forward. The desire to be at a certain weight or certain shape and feeling like the only way to get there is with a strict dieting program. How good does it feel to be in shape? How good does it feel that your clothes are too big, or your abs are beginning to show? But what I didn't know, or failed to admit applied to me, was that dieting the unhealthy way would damage my metabolism - not just for a few months, but for years to come.

After years of contest dieting or strict dieting to get the weight off, I ended up gaining 30 lbs while still dieting and feeling like there was no way I was going to ever fix it. My metabolism was beat to death. It wasn't until I re-learned my own bodies natural feelings of satiation and fullness that my hunger cues came back. It's been almost 2 years since my last "diet" and I've finally gotten to a happy place. I've lost 7 lbs simply by adding more cardio to my weeks, not by altering my diet. And my outlook on my body is more positive now than it has been in almost 10 years.

Any diet that tells your brain you can't eat certain things is probably not the best idea. Some people are better off with a laid out diet plan, but in my experience, it's led to nothing but binge-eating and Orthorexia (an eating disorder where you obsess over dieting so much so that it in essence takes over your life). A friend of mine, Wendy, recently brought up a great point on this topic and related it to the Paleo diet. Unfortunately many of the people who read the story mistook it for a dig at the Paleo diet and caused some controversy, so Wendy took it down (she has a similar story about figure competitions here). I however, totally got it. Her point was that consciously putting yourself on a strict diet such as the Paleo diet, or any other diet turns in to a psychosocial issue that can lead you down a slippery slope of depression, binges and eating disorders, not to mention you could end up with a metabolism the speed of a snail. Not fun.

What I'm trying to say is that putting a label on the way you eat can psychologically mind-f*ck you in to a downward spiral of yo-yo dieting and depression. So whenever I'm asked at my CrossFit box if I'd like to participate in the 30-day Paleo challenge, my answer is always no. Just the word diet might set me off. The thought of depravation, timed meals and psychotically weighing every morsel of food that I put in my mouth is already making me want to stop at 7-11 for a pint of ice cream.

"It's not a diet, it's a healthy lifestyle."

I know much of this rant goes against an article I posted only a few days ago, but it really doesn't. In that article I made a suggestion that you take the guidelines I laid out and apply them to your life just as they are - guidelines. Use them as a tool to guide you through your daily meals and alter it to fit your life and preferences. There's no rule that says you have to measure everything precisely and stick with the plan to the T in order to get results. In fact, it can be quite the opposite. Giving yourself loose guidelines to follow will only help you transfer a conscious effort in to an unconscious effort - a lifestyle change.

Do yourself a favor and leave the OCD at the door. Pay attention to your body and eat naturally nutritious foods that are satisfying and good for you. Get an idea and an understanding of what goes in to a healthy eating plan for someone who is physically active and try to eat like that. Have protein with every meal, enjoy fruits and veggies, nuts, oils and other healthy fats, and a small amount of complex carbs. If you feel like having dessert at Sunday dinner, enjoy and don't worry about it. It's when you obsess and spend too much time thinking about the dessert that leads to a binge followed by guilt. Free your mind and your body will follow.


6 Ways to Stop Obsessing Over Your Diet

I know you're thinking, "that's not me, I don't obsess over my diet." But if you're reading this post I wouldn't be surprised if you are someone who pays more attention to your food than your personal life. It's more common than you think. For the extreme, it's got a name - Orthorexia, which is characterized by an obsession with dieting to the extent it interrupts your personal life, causes stress, and an unhealthy relationship with food.

Are you someone who has to stick to your diet to the T or else it's as if the world has ended? Do you feel guilt after a treat and immediately start planning how to burn off the calories? Do you find yourself binging alone on a Saturday night with everything you can find that looks tasty? If so, you've probably taken dieting a bit too far. I should know, this was me just 2 years ago. It began with dieting for a Figure competition and ended [about 2 years ago] with a realization that my inability to "feel full" after a normal size meal was just not normal. How do you fix this though. It's definitely not easy. Changing your mindset is the secret to changing anything in your life - and if you want something bad enough, you will find a way to have it no matter how long it takes. Even if you don't take your diet to the extreme, these tips can help you avoid taking it too far.

1. Stop dieting. That's right, I said it. Drop the word diet and the strict meal plan and you'd be surprised at the magic that happens. Set your mind free from restrictions and start eating healthy for the flavor, for the satisfaction, for the health of it. Once you let go of the idea that you have to eat a certain way to reach your goal or be a certain way, you'll find that your body will respond even faster. I'm not telling you to eat whatever you want, I'm suggesting that you quit telling yourself (and other people) that you're on a diet and allow yourself the freedom of eating for enjoyment. Trust me, it works. To this day, I can't fathom going back on any kind of diet - I feel like it's going to put me right back where I was miserable two years ago.

2. Eat foods you usually say no to. Cutting out entire food groups is not the answer to your dieting sorrows. In fact, it's a symptom of Orthorexia. For me, I was so adamant that I couldn't have fruit that I was missing out on nature's candy. Everyone knows that fruit is full of fiber, nutrients and flavor. But because I believed fruit had too many carbs for my strict diet, I wouldn't eat it - ever. Slowly I began putting fruit back in my diet by way of an apple here and there. Today fruit is a staple in my day. Maybe you eat fruits but you won't eat fats, or grains, or protein. Add those foods back in - they are packed with nutrients your body needs and will open your options to so many delicious foods.

3. Find a hobby that has nothing to do with food. Keeping yourself busy with something you enjoy doing will take the focus off your strict meal plan. If you're going to be out all day, bring a healthy lunch with plenty of snacks. Pack a variety of healthy foods you wouldn't normally have. Keep the focus on your experience not on what you're eating. And if you're still hungry after you eat, have a piece of fruit or glass of water.

4. Slow down. Instead of exercising endlessly to lose weight, find the fun in exercise and workout to get fit and healthy. Say yes to that date Friday night and don't obsess over missing the gym. You can always find time tomorrow to make up the workout you missed. Doing things to make you happy means finding time to socialize and have fun - in that case, the gym can wait.

5. Stop binging. Ok maybe you don't binge. But if you do, you've got to stop. It's just not healthy. The emotional roller coaster you're putting yourself on is an endless cycle. Restricting your diet leads to binging. Stop restricting and stop binging. If it becomes too difficult to tackle on your own, you may need to talk to a professional who can help you get better.

6. Stop Obsessing. Eating a cookie or two is not going to cause you to gain any weight. Eating cookies all the time will. Keep your diet in perspective and enjoy foods when you want them. Remember that you have the power to make the right choices and giving yourself the freedom to enjoy life and food will lead you to the body, mind and life that you want.

Have you ever been on a diet? What was your experience dieting and how did it affect you mentally and physically?