Why We Don’t Need to Diet
If you’re reading this column, I’d imagine you have had some sort of battle with a diet somewhere along the line.
There are so many diets around at the moment. Each as confusing as the last. But why do we put ourselves through this? Why do we deprive ourselves of certain foods in order to ‘lose weight’?
Firstly, losing weight should never be the main focus. Losing body fat should be the primary focus. But that’s another article for another day.
Back to dieting.
So, as I was saying above, there are numerous diets around at the moment. The Atkins. Cambridge and Keto just to name a few. They all promote cutting out a large macronutrient from your nutritional day.
But what if I told you that wasn’t necessary? What if I said they are basically promoting the same thing? A calorie deficit. That’s right.
The great thing about a calorie deficit is that you can still find time for the foods you love, as long as you stick within your calorie requirements.
So, you don’t deprive yourself of anything really. Deprivation has been proven to be a cause for binge eating at some point. Which in turn is extremely counterproductive to your fat loss goals.
So, with no deprivation of some of the foods you love, we will need to be a little bit savvier with your daily food intake.
As long as you get a well-rounded amount of nutrients, vitamins and minerals, and are below your daily calorie intake for that day, you can allow yourself a few pieces of chocolate. If you’re more active, then you will be in even more of a calorie deficit, allowing you to eat more of the foods you love within the calorie limits, if you want to. As long as you are in a deficit, and are fairly active, you WILL burn body fat. The quality of calories can also come into it, but as long as you’re not just eating 6 doughnuts per day, and are fairly sensible with your nutrition, you’ll be fine.
You can even ‘bank up’ your calories throughout the week. If you are in a 400-calorie deficit each day, for 6 days of the week, that means you have saved an extra 2400 calories for the 7thday, on top of your current calorie requirements. Allowing you to eat a bit more if you chose to do so. It’s like saving your money to spend at the weekend, but its calories.
So that the beauty of not ‘dieting’. You don’t need to deprive yourself of certain foods. You just have to have a level head and be a bit more sensible with your food choices in between.
Say NO to diets, and just consume a healthier diet (and be more active).
