Diet vs. Dieting

By definition, diet is simply the food you eat. But you may subscribe to an unwritten definition that our society has adopted: diet has come to mean a weight-loss technique, often involving deprivation of certain foods, nutrition, and satisfaction. There are healthy ways to use your diet to maximize its effects on your body and improve overall health. The first step to including a healthy diet in your life is to understand the facts behind eating, dieting, and health.

Knowing Your Body

To understand how diet (in both senses of the term) affects you, you must understand your body and its relationship to food. There are several important things to find out about your body before starting a diet:

• What is your Body Mass Index (BMI)? This is based on height and weight and can give you a better picture of health risks.
• Are there any health issues that can be contributing to your weight? Factors such as thyroid issues, insulin resistance, diabetes, pre-diabetes, and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) in women can affect weight and overall health.
• What is your activity level? Are you getting some activity for at least 30 minutes most days of the week?
• Are you sleeping seven to nine hours per night and feeling rested in the morning?

Any or all of these can affect your weight and health. Certain health issues cause our bodies to store fat, and all the diet manipulation probably isn't going to result in very much weight loss.

What You Can Do

To maximize the nutrition and effects of food intake, there are certain steps you can take. Remember, diet and weight are just two parts of a complete approach to overall health. They cannot be dealt with effectively in isolation.

• See your primary care provider and ask questions about health conditions (like those listed above). Can any of them be affecting your weight?
• If you are dealing with any of the above (or other) health issues, they will need to be considered when planning your diet or weight-loss strategy.
• Use the Diet Tracker or your online journal to keep track of everything you eat and the amount that you eat. Knowing what goes in our bodies daily makes eating a conscious act and we tend to give more thought to our diet.
• Keep in mind that fad diets and popular-press diet books are not going to take your individual health status into consideration. No one plan is right for everyone.
• See a registered dietitian for help to make a realistic nutrition and exercise plan for you.
• Find support and follow up on your diet so you keep momentum and get new helpful strategies.

Begin the Change

The hardest part of a healthy diet and lifestyle is getting started. Creating a plan and finding ways to follow it lead to success, a healthy body, and a positive self-image. You can improve your life and feel great about yourself. Let MyExpertSolution help you create a program just for you. You can get the results you want. Join us and let us help you begin the change.