Tired of diets
If I think back to my childhood which was in the ’80s and ’90s, I can’t remember anyone in my family that has dieted. Most of my extended family members were well build, in other words, they were thin. They did not have any weight problems. Some of them had physical jobs which were hard on their bodies and that meant they burned a lot of calories while the others had desk jobs. Neither one of them in either spectrum of work had weight problems. They ate everything, drank what they wanted, and enjoyed life. So what is different from then to now?
Technology
In those years television was new. There wasn’t too much to watch and people often spend their time with friends and family. They had family outings where they went fishing for the day and others spend the time with their children by playing outside with them. I remember how we used to have table tennis. The family would come over and those who didn’t play, sat outside and they spend time together. They laughed, they played table tennis, and they played Ring or Rosey with the kids. That’s a running game. These days spaces got smaller in which we live due to the high living cost. Most people live high in the sky in their flats and have no yard of their own. Sometimes they feel unsafe to move to local parks to spend time there with their children and thus we all stay inside, park in front of the television or electronic device to make time pass. We have become sedentary due to living conditions and technology.
Not everyone likes to exercise
If we take into consideration the fact that living conditions became cramped, with no space for going outside, the other thing left doing is exercising. Exercising either in your home by doing body weight exercises, getting a spinning bike, treadmill or joining your nearest sports club to practice the sport you’re interested in. The other option is to go walking at a trail which most cities now have just a few miles outside the city but then some say they don’t have the time due to work constraints and family responsibilities.
Priorities
We all have the same amount of time, 24 hours. Yes, many work 12 hour shifts, and after a run like that, who is in the mood to exercise. But many who do work shifts, have days off. Why not exercise in those days? (Many won’t like me after reading this opinion-based article.)
Diets
There are many diets out there. The 28-day diet, intermittent fasting, the military diet, detox diet, banting diet ….. the list goes on. I know many “diets” work for many people due to health conditions they have but I am fed up with “diets.” I lost more than 70 pounds without dieting. How?
I used to eat a lot of processed, fatty foods. In other words, things like chocolate slabs, pizza, pies, fat cakes, and more than one serving per meal. Till one day I chose to change. I ate everything in it’s natural form and made sure I kept an eye on my fat intake. For 6 days and 2 meals on a Sunday, I ate foods in their natural form and one meal a week was one where I ate something like a small pizza, pie and had my pudding.
Food in their natural form means wraps filled with a protein source, vegetables, avo, hummus. 2 slices of bread topped with cottage cheese, and a boiled egg with mayonnaise. Oats pancakes included oats, bran, baking powder, egg, sugar (the real thing), and water. Mixed and make pancakes. Some even make waffles with this mixture but I find it’s too heavy and breaks when you open up your waffle pan.
I don’t eliminate meals, food groups, or starve myself. I eat my three meals per day, have my tea and coffee with sugar (not sweetener) and when I am in the mood for something, I am going to have it in a small amount.
I know there are people out there who have IBS (irritable bowl syndrome) and health conditions where they need to eliminate certain foods from their diet so that they don’t live in pain but if you are overall healthy with no health conditions, why diet? Why not just practice portion control? Why not have your three meals a day? Why diet? Why starve yourself? Why feel fatigue every day?
If you are unsure of how you should eat, consult a dietitian. Or do your own research. A lot of what I have learned is research. Years and years of research.
Stop dieting, practice portion (self) control, eat three meals per day, stop starving yourself and start loving yourself. Eat for energy, not live to eat. And if it is psychological, get help. There are people who can help you and help you win this over. And don’t forget Jesus Christ, He can help you as well. Start praying and calling out to Him.
