Working Smarter Instead of Harder at Dieting

It always makes me laugh when I turn down a donut or some other sweet and I get a dirty look and the usual smart remark ‘it is not like it is going to do anything to your little body.” From puberty to now I have been any where from a size eleven to a size four. I have been physically active since birth and I am walking proof of that nutrition is just as important as exercise. My senior year of high school when I was competing in both cross country and track, running any where from thirty to fifty miles a week I was a size eleven. During that time in my life I did think I could just eat anything I wanted and if I had continued that practice I would not be a size four like I am today.

I have tried just about every diet. I have done the Atkins diet, the low-fat diet, the ecology diet, the body type diet, the French diet, the skinny bitch diet and many more. You name it and I have tried it. The problem with dieting is that you are following someone else’s suggestions instead of really understanding how every choice you make has an effect on your body and your well being. Now one of my hobbies is nutrition. I find the science of food fascinating.

I have five years of information that guides me with my food choices. I take the bits and pieces of every book or article in read that I agree with and use them as part of my custom made diet and wellness plan. I do not expect myself to be perfect and I do not even eat five fruits and vegetables every day. I am still happy with my choices. You have to feel empowered when you eat. You cannot simply avoid your favorite foods or your favorite tastes. How you eat today should be how you want to eat for the next ten years from now. If you are on a diet that you are simply trying to survive through you are just setting yourself up for years of diets you are going to hate and years of guilt as you continue to fail at your wellness goals. My suggestion is to work smarter not harder. If you love sweets find the ones that are good for you too. Fruit bar freezer pops are sweet and full of vitamin C. I love Natural Choice Full of Fruit strawberry bars for my sweet cravings. If you love chocolate, ice cream sandwiches or chocolate protein bars have calcium as well as nutrients. I love so delcious minis and luna bars for my chocolate cravings. There is always something that tastes great and is still good for you. You have to choose to know what those foods are so your body and your mind get what they want.