The word “diet” has become synonymous with weight loss or weight management but it’s much more basic than that. The dictionary defines diet as “the sum of food consumed by a person”. In fact we are all on a diet no matter what we do or do not eat. More often than not “diet” means some sort of a restrictive diet, the kind that focuses on the things we cannot have. I think that there is a much more useful term we can use to describe the food we eat, an eating pattern. Why do I think that? Well the term “diet” focuses on HOW MUCH we eat (the sum, the total of our consumption), while an eating pattern describes WHAT we eat. We used to think that calories in and calories out was all that mattered. As long as you maintained a normal weight by using the same amount of energy as you consumed you were golden, it did not matter what you ate. But our knowledge has been changing and now we know that food is not so simple. WHAT you eat can matter more to your health and wellness than HOW MUCH you eat.
Restrictive diets
We have also become smarter about ourselves and our bodies and discovered that we are not fans of change. We resist change and rebel against restriction which is why restrictive diets have such a poor success rate. Restriction of any kind, whether how much or what we eat, may lead to short term weight loss results but long term fails for 60 to 75% of people. The truth is our bodies and brains like status quo and spot any drastic changes. Once spotted they get busy trying to undo them, even if the change is beneficial. The bread we had occasionally is the thing we want the most when gluten is off the table. It matters not that eating it may cause serious discomfort or have medical consequences. We want what we cannot have. Any restriction, regardless of benefit, is like a spotlight on what we are missing. So let’s stop talking about restrictive diets and start talking all the things we can enjoy.
What not How Much
The variety of eating patterns is incredible, from major ones like Mediterranean, American, DASH, Kosher, Halal, gluten-free, plant based, Atkins, and Paleo just to name a few. Some are regional, cultural, religious or medically necessary to maintain health (celiac disease, renal disease, food allergies to name a few). Many focus on weight loss or improving health conditions. While others are prescriptive clearly defining what to eat, how to prepare and eat certain foods. Others loosely define what should be included and what should not. We all follow some sort of an eating pattern and each one of our patterns is unique. What we eat may fit into one of these categories above but our personal choices make it different from others. Eating patterns are infinitely customizable. It’s possible to eat a healthy diet and enjoy it to.
Path to success
Ok that’s great, now what? It’s time to get creative and start exploring the wonderful world of infinite eating possibilities. Exploration is key to finding the eating pattern that works for your life and your health goals. It is possible to lose weight and improve your health by making small changes. Remember those 75% of people who fail to maintain weight loss on restrictive diets? Ever wonder how the remaining 25% were successful? Here is the secret (it was not will power) they made lifestyle changes and found an EATING PATTERN that was COMPATIBLE with their bodies and THEIR LIFE. In the end they did not find a restrictive diet, they found an eating pattern to satisfy their life and needs. Many experimented before they created a unique food and lifestyle solution that works for them.
Draw some inspiration from the seasonal changes around to find out a little more about some healthful eating patterns, try new recipes or look for new fresh seasonal ingredients to try out. If you have been thinking about starting a new “diet”, do some research, find out the details and then be honest with yourself about just how much some “forbidden” foods mean to you before you invest your money, energy and time. And if the phrase “it’s just for a little while until I lose the weight” crops up during your evaluation you may be better served with a different option if temporary results are not your goal.
If you have questions about finding the best eating pattern for you I would love to hear from you. Contact me at [email protected] . I also encourage you to check out the Programs page for the latest in online and local in-person offerings (CT, MA)