Introduction To Dieting

Dieting is simple, right? Wrong. Conventional wisdom says simply eat less and exercise more. If you keep the food away from your mouth, then the pounds will drop off. And while you're keeping your mouth shut, find time to sweat like a sausage in a frying pan. There's even an old, although erroneous, saying that goes "Instead of doing push-ups to lose weight, just push yourself away from the table." Well, if you've ever dieted, you know that losing weight isn't that easy. If it were that easy, we'd all look like super-thin supermodels.

Most Diets Have it All Wrong

It's true. Most diets are about depriving yourself of your favorite foods. And that feels like punishment. Think about it. Most diets tell you to drop the potato chips, hamburgers, and dessert goodies immediately. Most diets encourage you to see food as the enemy. But food isn't your enemy - or at least it doesn't have to be. In fact, that mindset can really ruin your weight loss efforts.

Food is only your enemy when you don't know how to make it your friend. You wouldn't want to be friends with a person who hurt you all the time. The same is true for food. Just like in your relationships, you should choose foods that are healthy and nurturing.

When it comes to dieting, you can't rely on sheer willpower. Sure, that will work for awhile, but sooner or later your old cravings will return. Willpower is overrated when it comes to dieting. You can only resist that pepperoni pizza for so long before your mouth pops open. And then what happens? You beat yourself up over slipping off your diet. Enough of these incidences and you drop the diet altogether. Does this sound like a good way to lose weight, and keep it off? No, it sure doesn't.

What good is a diet if you return to your bad habits once the diet is over? That's why the world is full of yo-yo dieters. They try one diet after another, never being able to sustain their weight loss. Here's a secret the diet industry doesn't want you to know: It's much easier, and healthier, to commit to a lifetime of healthy eating and exercise, as opposed to a short-term diet that leaves you feeling deprived. Deprivation just doesn't work in the long-run.