5 reasons you shouldn't diet

Can you believe that it's already June? Summer is basically here. That means no longer being able to hide under your big sweatshirts or winter coats and wearing shorts, short dresses, and (of course) swimsuits! Are you ready? If you feel that you still have a few pounds to lose, you may have considered going on a diet, but diets will not provide the long term results that you are after. Here are 5 reasons you shouldn't diet:

1. Losing weight should be a lifestyle change. If you are serious about wanting to lose weight, most likely you are going to want to lose it and keep it off. People don't ever WANT to gain it back, but very often they do. That is because people will go on a diet, lose the weight, and then go back to their old eating and lifestyle habits that weren't serving them anymore, and then the weight slowly starts to creep back on, and, before they know it, they are right back where they started, or, even worse, weigh more than they did when they started! For real lasting weight loss, you are going to have to permanently change your eating habits and hopefully develop some sort of exercise routine.

2. Diets often have you counting calories, grams of fat, or points. This is no fun. I used to count my calories, and, when I did Weight Watchers, I counted my points too. Doing this day after day can make you obsessive about what you are eating and no longer makes eating fun. I've seen people become so preoccupied with how many calories are in something that they eat the same boring boiled chicken and plain broccoli every day. I've also seen the opposite - someone is JUST counting calories/points, so they think that as long as they stay within their calorie or point limit, they can eat whatever they want. You can eat 1500 calories of junk if you want, but it will not be doing anything good for your body.

3. Each person is different, so just because someone you know got really good results from following a certain diet, does not mean that you will get the same results. I learned the concept of bio-individuality when I was in school, which means that there's no one diet that works for everyone all of the time. The foods that will and won’t nourish us is based on our individual anatomy, metabolism, composition of bodily fluids and cell structures, blood type, and our personal tastes and preferences.

4. Diets don't address food cravings. I have gone on plenty of diets, but had food cravings the entire time. I have also seen people plan to eat whatever they're craving (which is most likely something they shouldn't be eating) as soon as their diet is over. Having the tools and being able to reach for healthier alternatives will help eliminate those cravings. Also, when you feel deprived, you are more likely to have food cravings.

5. Going on diets can turn you into a yo-yo dieter. I've seen it before...someone starts a diet, isn't getting the results they are looking for, so halfway through the diet, stops and starts a different diet that someone they know got really good results with. This goes on and on, and the person will never get the results that they are looking for. This, again, goes back to the fact that losing weight should be a lifestyle change. Once you figure out which foods are right for your body and make the commitment to eat the foods that are right for your body, the weight will just fall off.

If you are struggling to lose weight, and want to jump start your weight loss for the summer, check out my FREE 3 Day Weight Loss Jump Start by clicking here. Also, if you feel that you are ready to finally get off that weight loss roller coaster and want to get clarity in what may be holding you back, sign up for a FREE 45 minute Your Dream Body Discovery session with me by clicking here!