The word ‘diet’ has to be the most abused word in the world. People like to say it without even knowing what it means and how ‘diet’ works. You don’t think about diet and then ‘diet’. It does not work that way. But hey, you don’t have to be a nutritionist to be able to understand it!

Below are some of the things that people like to say about diet and surprisingly most of the time get away with it.

1. "I can’t eat anything for dinner! I’m on a diet"

Dieting is not fasting.

Dieting is when you eat smart, perhaps for health reasons or to lose weight. You don’t just decide to diet and then ‘diet’. You need to know your Daily Calorie Requirement (DCR). You can calculate your DCR by calculating several variables such as your physical attributes, daily activity level and medical status.  Of course it is always wise to obtain proper advice from a certified nutritionist or invest on good books that will help you from A to Z on how to kick start your diet program. Get a copy of ‘Lose 5 kilos in 5 weeks’ by Kevin Zahri to learn more about calories and how to calculate how much food you should eat per day.

2. You only talk about restricting this kind of food and that type of food

So you stop eating certain types of food (that you like).

Look, you don’t have to be a vegetarian or change the food that you love just to lead a healthy lifestyle!

If you really understand how diet works, you will be able to enjoy the food that you have been eating everyday. It’s just that the portion, amount or quality of the food may vary. So, instead of having 2 slices of white bread in the morning, you change it to whole meal bread instead. It’s all about moderation and eating smart.

3. "This week I’m on ‘X diet’. I’m going to try ‘Diet Y’ next week."

There are thousands of diet plans available on the Internet. How are you supposed to determine which one is the best?

You create your own! Have your own customized meal plan, according to your own individual daily needs. Every balanced meal plan will be able to achieve the same goal and effect; to make you healthier.

Forget those ‘banana diet’, ‘detox diet’, ‘no-carb diet’ etc. You should be getting your tangible results if you’re eating it right!

4. "Taking ‘X ‘pill will help me to lose weight in XX days."

Stop wasting your money on something that you don’t need.

If you think the reason why you are losing so much weight is because of those slimming pills you have been consuming everyday, you’re wrong.Weight loss occurs when you create a calorie deficit in your everyday diet. If you eat more, it will be stored as fat.

It is just simple as that.

Some pills sold may actually offer some kind of ‘fat burning’/thermo effect but in the end it is your own personal efforts going outside from your house and exercise that has made all the difference. Start giving yourself some credits today for your personal efforts. This will not only keep you motivated but feel better.

 

5. "I don’t have to exercise. I will just ‘diet’."

Seriously? I think it is difficult to rely solely on ‘diet’ and stick to their weight loss program regimes even though physiologically it is achievable. Can you diet without exercising for a week? A month? It is not sustainable!

Cardiovascular exercises like swimming and running will help increase your metabolism rate so that you will burn calories throughout the day. Strength training like lifting weights will burn fat up to 48 hours. Your diet will require higher amount of calorie intake as your daily lifestyle activity increases. This means you can eat more on that day. How cool is that?

It’s just painful and frightening at the same time hearing people bragging that they are on ‘diet’ but later goes on starving themselves! Don’t worry, just need to know the right way and does it smart.

Luckily, you’re in the right place. All the best!