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Is dieting a waste of time?
The ultimate proverbial question most of us who have gone through a diet would have asked at least once.
The answer… yes… and no.
Conflicting? Confusing? Yes but distinguishable.
When is a diet not a waste of time?
Let us count the ways.
1. When It Enforces Good Eating Habits
I would bet my last dollar than a large percentage of us out there don’t really think twice about what we put into out mouth or on our plate.
We would have some idea of what’s healthy or not but the amount of oil that’s dripping off form the sides or from the mountainous serving of whip cream.
When I first really took into consideration what I was eating, it astounded me. How could I have been so ignorant over the years.
I began keeping a food log of whatever I ate and how much of it I ate. I then used a calorie app like myfitness pal to keep track of my daily intake.
What most of us would think twice consuming foods like bagel, white bread, Starbucks Frapps. However, such food stuff are just laden with unnecessary calories.
Even the occasional bite of chocolate throughout the day bumped up my total calorie intake by 10-20%.
What you need to do is first determine how many calories you need to consume on a daily basis to lose weight then start a food log.
You’ll be amazed.
2. When It Stops You From Being A Couch Potato
There’s a wise saying which goes “There’s no smoke without fire”.
And I say “There’s no successful diet without exercising”.
It’s a known fact that you lose weight by eating less than required.
It’s also a known fact that you are leaving ‘money on the table’ by not exercising during your diet.
Exercising isn’t only good for your health by keeping dangerous ailments in check but it also raises your metabolic rate a notch which helps you burn more calories at rest.
More calories burnt without having to starve yourself means lesser time on a diet.
When is dieting a waste of time?
1. You Are A Quitter
The lack of self discipline will kill off even the most effective of diets.
I don’t care how motivated you are but there will be days that will just seem a lot tougher than yesterday.
Even worst, you lose control and pigged out on six slices of pizza in the fridge.
What will you do then? Quit?
Self discipline is like a muscle. When you fail, you pick yourself up and start again.
When you don’t feel like working out, you still put on your gym clothes, gran your gym bag and head out the door.
Take control of that inner voice and the world is your oyster.
2. When There’s No End Goal
Dieting just for the sake for dieting is a recipe for disaster.
Before you embark on a diet, you will need to ask yourself “Why?”
Do you want to drop 10 pounds? Get washboard abs? Have a waistline of 30 inches?
Once you have a goal in mind you can work backwards on how to achieve it.
This will give you a better idea of your calorie intake, food planning, etc.
Have a final vision in your mind and work towards it.
Conclusion
As you can see, there’s no clear-cut reason as to whether going on a diet is a waste of time.
On some levels, it can build character but it can also enforce bad habits.
Ultimately, it just boils down to one person.
The person you see when you look into the mirror.
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Source by Alan Watts
