Part 1 : Why I don't believe in diets

I have stated in previous blogs that I do not believe in diets unless they are doctor prescribed and monitored, however, I didn’t take the opportunity to elaborate on that. This time around I am going to elaborate so much, I am going to have to split this up into segments! I am not licensed in nutrition in any way, however, I have spent the grater part of the last five years educating myself about nutrition, wellness and health and from these books, studies and personal accounts, I have come to the conclusion that diets do not work.

I know there are countless people out there that can say, “No, insert name of popular diet or trend here, has helped me to loose weight”. How long did that weight stay off? Did you continue to adhere to that diet for the rest of your life to maintain that weight? Did you feel satisfied, well rested and full of energy while on said diet? Did you ever feel deprived or that you were missing out on something? Did you find counting calories to be too much work? I can go on and on to pick apart why one diet over another doesn’t work but let’s really focus on some of these issues that arise with diets.

I can answer all of those questions with a little back history on my own diets. I was raised in a home with a mother who cooked every night and at each meal we received a protein, a vegetable and a starch. My mother was your basic government food pyramid cook and it served us well for dinner. Breakfast was another story. We always had sugar laden cereal with skim milk or a pop tart (no frosting) and in later years, someone invented the toaster strudel which really was just molten lava sugar. Lunch was a sandwich but I do not recall what would have accompanied that, most likely an apple juice and a small bag of chips.

I grew up like your average 1980’s kid with rotten teeth from breakfast cereal and a thirst for sodas. Oddly enough, the same woman who wouldn't let me get a frosted pop tart would let me drink my weight in soda. I carried those eating habits with me as I grew older, except, I fell in love with fast food. Growing up with a mom that cooked meant I rarely got fast food and at 18, with a full time job and going to college at night, not only was I poor, I was busy. This lead to a love affair for bacon bacon cheeseburgers (yes, double bacon), a large fry and a Dr. Pepper.

I ate that way for years, until I accepted that I needed to be responsible for my health and my waistline. So I gave up sodas, then I gave up fast food, I joined a gym, then many years later I quit smoking and then I decided to go Vegan. I didn’t go Vegan gradually, I woke up one day and said “Lets do this” and bless his heart, my husband went along with me. We were Vegan for two years and in that time we reduced our processed food intake, refrained from anything with high fructose corn syrup, dairy and or meat.

In those two years, I gained 30 pounds, became increasingly sluggish, depressed and so tired I couldn't even motivate myself to go to the gym. I once cried because I wanted a potato, egg and bacon breakfast taco so bad and I couldn't stop thinking about it. At our own wedding, the only piece of cake I had was the bite Chris fed me (the vegan cakes were too darn expensive). I learned a lot about eating a restrictive diet and I also learned that being Vegan wasn’t going to work for us although it did wonders for my cholesterol!

I know there are plenty of life long Vegans living happily and humbly in their tofu worlds but the majority of diets on the market are destine to fail due to drastic eliminations of major food groups, processed foods and/or sugars. Your body needs carbohydrates, protein and fat to function, these are your macronutrients. These nutrients are what fuel your body and when they are consumed in a natural source and in a healthy manner, you will find that they are all you need to maintain, loose or gain weight (bulking), no magic diet needed.

PT 1

Photo is one shelf of my bookcase

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