Joji (my boyfriend) and I have been having a discussion about dieting since I started and came up with a couple misconceptions and excuses people make about dieting.
Here they are:
1. I won't be able to enjoy food anymore, and I can't eat what I want.
For many this is the biggest misconception/excuse out of all of them. This is BULLSHIT/FALSE. You can eat whatever you like and drink whatever you want. As long as you don't eat a GALLON of Ben and Jerry's, you can still have a small portion/container of it. I hear this every time I try to help people who have major food addictions who are overweight. If you want to diet, you must give up the entire PINT of Ben & Jerry's and limit and control yourself to obtain your desired weight. I didn't GIVE UP sweets entirely, I just have to eat FAR less than I used to and I'm already losing the weight from over-indulging in the foods you like.
2. I'm too poor to afford health food/diet.
FALSE. Fresh fruits and vegetables do NOT cost a lot. Neither do the canned varieties. My meal today was 820 calories, and I used portion control to limit my calories...want to know how much it cost altogether? It averages out to about 5 dollars a person for that meal. And our meal served two people for about 10 dollars altogether. A walk around the block listening to the music on that MP3 player of your's cost you nothing but the price you paid long ago for said MP3 player.
3. If I diet, I'll be border-lining being a vegetarian, and I LOVE consuming meat.
FALSE. You do NOT have to eat fresh fruits or vegetables 99.9% of the time. Some people choose to eat all fresh things, and for some people that is not a choice. Especially if you can't eat separate meals due to eating altogether with a family. Also, if it is NOT your choice to be vegetarian/vegan, you don't have to be. Nobody is forcing you to, but know that eating a meat portion in every single meal in your day will up your calories and make it harder to lose your weight. Eat whatever you want, but portion control it if it makes you feel "safer" to be an omnivore.
4. I'll have to drink water all the time, and I hate water.
FALSE. This is almost the same as the one above, because drinking 0 calorie water instead of calorie consuming with every beverage is a better option for some. Drink juice, or drink low-calorie soda, but don't say that you HAVE TO. Nobody is making you drink ANYTHING you don't want to. Just know that water is healthier for you, your body needs it, and that whilst there ARE 0 calorie sodas out there, the stomach lining and tooth enamel is still susceptible to damage from acids in soda. (And this, aside from the heavy calories and sugar, is enough of a reason for me to quit drinking soda!
Just thought I'd share the information on what I find to be the more common excuses/misconceptions. Do you guys have anymore? Comment with them if you like! Hope you enjoyed!
I agree that it's important to stop eating like a horse :) Bento helped me a lot with it since I only had portions that fitted my bento box.I even made bento on a day off just to have a right portion. After a month I get used to a much smaller portions and felt no discomfort. when you have dinner and know that there is still some tasty chicken in the pot it's sometimes hart to resist. Especially when you have a day of and can be lazy and pamper yourself :D And when I make bento I make just enough to fit my box. No second portions :D
ReplyDelete@Audronasha Indeed! :D I notice that in the past few years America makes it easier to eat smaller proportions. (i.e. in the grocery store you can find smaller cans of corn that are made for people trying to make sure they don't eat seconds or thirds for that matter...) Bento is a GREAT way to win with the battle against the bulge. It's proportion control helps a lot of us who have a harder time with proportions, and it seems being brought up in America seems to have influenced my proportions. I am trying to learn all over again things I feel like I should've learned at a young age. And that extra piece of chicken on your day off won't hurt! :D Sounds like you are doing well with proportion control! Have two extra pieces of chicken! <3
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