Sage Meanderings: Healthy Eating Plan vs. Dieting-Which One Do You Like?

October 10, 2011

Healthy Eating Plan vs. Dieting-Which One Do You Like?

: Diets are Boring–Healthy Eating Plans Aren't

When it comes to losing weight and keeping it off, a healthy eating plan trumps dieting every time. Why? Because nutritious eating is a lifestyle change whereas dieting is short-lived. If you're torn between going on a diet and following a healthy eating plan, here are some reasons to choose the latter.

A Healthy Eating Plan Helps You Learn About Nutrition

Losing weight is not just about looking good in a pair of jeans; it's also about improving your overall health. Diets that suggest you drink only liquids or eliminate carbohydrates or fats are hogwash. Our bodies are fueled by the nutrients in the foods we eat. Any diet that requires you to eliminate some of the most important foods will ruin your health.

Poor nutritional health contributes to diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis, cancer and other life altering health conditions. Most of the foods marketed by manufacturers as "healthy" aren't healthy at all. Nope. Not even a little bit.

If you don't know what to look for, it's easy to believe that frozen dinners, nutritional shakes, snack bars and other processed foods are alright to eat. When you opt for a healthy eating plan instead of a "diet," you learn to make every calorie count by choosing foods that give you the best nutritional bang for your efforts.

Diets are Restrictive, Time Consuming and Confusing

Measuring food, counting calories and reading labels are time-sucks you can do without. Healthy foods are low in calories so there's no reason to measure (although you still need to eat sensibly), use charts or count calories. Seriously, who has time to do this stuff? I certainly don't, and I'm guessing you don't either.

This diet tells you to sip shakes all day. That diet tells you to do away with all fats. Another diet advises you to kick carbs to the curb. And finally, you're roped into believing that eating frozen diet meals for the rest of your life is A-O-kay. Confusing, right? Unlike a traditional diet, there is nothing restrictive or perplexing about a healthy eating plan.

When you learn which foods are actually good for you, you can use them to create healthier versions of the foods you love. Take for instance the blueberry pancake recipe I sent out in one of my newsletters. Instead of using white flour or pancake mix, the recipe creator used rolled oats and a few other healthy ingredients.

Once you learn how make nutritious meals with the foods that make you weak in the knees, you will never feel restricted in what you can eat.

A Healthy Diet Produces Long-term Results

Most diets are considered "fad diets" for a reason. They don't stick around because they are just not realistic for long-term use. I mean c'mon. How long do you think you'll be able to adhere to a juice only diet? Even if you do manage to shed a few pounds, more often than not, you'll gain the weight back.

We won't even discuss the nutritional deficiencies you may face when you follow diets that prohibit (or severely limit) carbohydrates, fats, and other essential foods. Your health is your most precious asset. Protect it at all costs. Following a healthy eating plan is the best way to enjoy permanent weight loss results without sacrificing your health.

Let the Diet Solution Program teach you how to drown out the fad diet noise so you can feel confident in your ability to lose weight for good. A healthy eating plan doesn't consist of a diet that tells you not to eat fruits and vegetables, find out why!