Diet fads…or diet "SADS"??

My new years resolutions is……wait for it…. to go on a DIET!!  Again??!! Ahhh… yes it is a vicious revolving circle of always telling ourselves we are going on, are on one, or need to be going on a diet. My husband and I both have been the victims of diet fads or diet "sads" as I call them.  I think they are sad and IT is sad because it seems that the minute our lives go back to normal we gain the weight back. No one can continue to take pills, eat a minimal amount of calories continuously, exercise every day, or even have prepared meals at every sitting. It can last for a while but then once the motivation wears off and results are finally seen, our lives go back to "normal". Well, this is misleading. Losing weight or being healthy is not a diet but a lifestyle. 

So I have thrown the words " to diet" out of the dictionary.  I think that it's important to have a healthy lifestyle.  There are any ways to lose weight and if they are all added to together intermittently over time will cause people to maintain healthy weights and lifestyles.

To start, here is a list of "DON'TS" for a healthy lifestyle…

•   DON'T remove all bad foods from your diet to start (If you do you will crave them even more!!)

•   DON'T take pills that say they'll help you to lose weight, not put further weight on, or decrease your appetite. You can only take these for a period of time and then eventually you'll be back at square one. Also they CAN BE harmful to your heart and body!

•   DON'T eat less than 1200 calories no matter what! We are meant to get fuel from eating.

•   DON’T think that you will keep weight off if you do not exercise

•   DON’T skip breakfast or eat after dinner

•   DON’T eat a lot of processed foods and breads and sugars

•   DON’T replace water with alcohol, pop, or other sugary drinks

A list of DO’S…

• DO eat 5-6 times a day…smaller meals
• DO watch your calories but don’t count everyone!!
• DO exercise and be physically active. Yes it is possible to still move around in many different ways.
• DO breathing exercises...trust me, as a singer, they help in weight lose!
• DO drink a lot of water!
• DO add muscle tone…muscle weighs more than fat and burns faster than fat!
• DO indulge at times…allow yourself to have a cheat meal here and there! (It will actually increase your metabolism)
• DO take your vitamins and minerals!

I use to have an eating disorder and can tell you first hand that it’s not worth it to worry about what you can’t eat all the time, but more so what you can eat. I can eat chocolate cake every now and then because by doing so I won’t crave it as bad. My suggestion though is to replace the really caloric “dangerous” items with substitutes. My husband enjoys 200 calories of plain yogurt with a bit of stevia in it and a couple blackberries and chocolate chips, just as much as he did a 600 calorie piece of cake that caused him to be hungry again an hour later.

So remember, diets “fads” are diet “sads”. They will ultimately make you sad later on when you regain the weight. Also, many people diet for their health, not only the weight. Learn to live a healthy lifestyle with smaller meals, more frequent meals, Dash substitutes for salt, more veggies, less sweets, and lots of exercise and you too can still eat without taking pills and you will lose the weight!!

One last note: I do believe in mixing in a protein supplement as a snack. I give my husband the Lean vanilla protein from Xyngular mixed in a shake with Chia seeds, berries, juice and ice. This is an awesome drink that has amino acids and proteins to help you with your metabolism. However again, the key is to maintain a lifestyle that you can do for the rest of your life with no quick fixes!  

P.S We did eat our whole wedding cake as a treat…but boy did we pay for it!!