Eat less, eat more, eat carbs, don’t eat carbs, eat protein etc…it has been changed and battled for just about forever.
So can you lose weight by simply changing your diet to better foods? Of course. There are a few things to consider when starting a journey to health. The key is to NOT keep doing the same failed thing, over and over. The key is to try and try until you get it right.
So changing starches to whole grains, juice to fresh fruit, and breaded to grilled are great changes to make and you will most likely see some pounds and/or inches drop from that. The simple fact is that even though changing your eating only, could definitely help lose a few pounds, it is most likely not going to help you trim a lot of pounds. If you have quite a bit of weight to lose, and you don’t want to change your eating AND you exercise regimen at the same time, then in my opinion, you may want to start with the exercise first.
To increase your metabolism you definitely need to change your eating, however to boost your metabolism even faster, then really exercise is going to make it increase faster then eating habits alone.
You know those people in your life that can eat pretty much anything and they look great? Well, now that I am in my 40’s those people are the ones that exercise every day. Once you hit a certain age, even eating right may not decrease the waist line. But exercise, well that could…
Some things that tend to happen when you start to exercise are:
- decrease in appetite for the “wrong” foods. This happens to me ALL the time when I am working out. Even if I am just walking every day and not doing strenuous exercise. I notice that my body craves healthier food. That is not so bad. So even though I may NOT be actively changing my diet, for me, the exercise curves that for me. Win, win, and I am not really thinking about both diet and exercise but rather listening to my body and it’s cravings.
- feeling full faster. If you are burning more calories then your body is running at “premium” instead of “regular.” This means that your body will run more efficiently and filling full faster on better food. With xercise you will decrease the body fat quicker. Again, you are not actively changing your eating, this is all part of what exercise can do for your body.
- you increase endorphins and feel more confident and less depressed. What do most of us do when we feel insecure and depressed…EAT?!! So if you feel better, then wouldn’t it be safe to say you will eat better?
- you can eat the “cheat” or “bad” foods more frequently. Hay if you are going to burn off more calories then when you do not eatso healthy, then you will burn more of those calories off too. This way you don’t beat yourself up when you make those food choices because you will be working out and not holding on to all those negative calories.
I have a cousin who has a theory. She looks great and has lost a lot of weight and she eats whatever she wants, whenever she wants. She eats Wendy’s, Taco bell, etc. The key is that she works out every day. She gets bored of one workout and changes it, but the fact that she keeps going is what works.
So, yes changing your eating habits can help you lose weight but if you are NOT exercising, how much weight will you really lose? If you are not helping your mood and muscle building with working out, even if it’s just a daily walk, then chances are you will binge and put the weight back on.
So this Health Educated Professional’s opinion is…drop the fad diets. Atkins, Nutrisystem etc. Ya they work for some, but are expensive and if you exercise you can eat less without having it pre-packaged food. EXERCISE, start low…your will naturally want to do more, eat less and lose weight.
How many times have you started a diet and lost weight and then gained it back? How many different diets have you been on? Did I mention to quit doing the same thing that does not work over-and-over again? How many times have you successfully started to exercise and you lost weight and felt good. Yes, you may feel sore for a few days, but that sore feels different that non-exercise unhappiness. It’s a “good sore.”
Don’t have a means to exercise at home, or don’t like to exercise at home? Well join a gym. Feel to “broke” to go to the gym? The YMCA charges on an income basis. Eat out a lot? Well you Y memberships might be the same cost per month, that you pay for ONE-TWO lousy meals out…think about it, is it really not affordable? Also, your local library, is FREE, as long as you don’t get late fees, and has loads of workout DVDs and still old VHS tapes too. So what’s your excuse now?
Again, these are just my opinions and what works for me. Everyone is different.
Have a great day!