What’s the difference between dieting and making a lifestyle change?
One of the main differences is that one is a short-term fix and one is continuous.
Most people stay on a diet between one to three months. Weight loss is achieved by restricting calories and depriving yourself of your favorite foods until the goal is met.
When you make a lifestyle change, you change many factors in the way you live your life, not just your calorie intake or cutting out carbs.
This encompasses physical, psychological, emotional and mental well-being. A lifestyle change takes time and is slower to adopt because you want the new habits to be long-lasting.
The dieting industry in the U.S. makes over 70 billion dollars yearly. This statistic shows just how many adults struggle with their image, self-confidence, and wish to change their health and their weight quickly. The main selling point for a diet is letting you believe that you can lose five pounds a week, which is impossible to sustain long term.
Dieting vs. Lifestyle Change
If you’ve been on a diet before and haven’t maintained the weight you lost, this is why.
The quick fix of a diet is not the solution to a long-term problem.
A lifestyle change is about so much more than what you eat; it is how you manage your stress so that you don’t turn to food to cope, your sleep habits, how much you exercise and addressing your overall relationship with food and with yourself.
Notice if you have a healthy relationship with self-care, self-love and do you see food for what it is…just food.
Do you incorporate goals, habits, and boundaries to improve your well being that promotes a healthy lifestyle?
Your weight naturally decreases as your health improves and you become more mindful about how you feed yourself. Your weight decreases because you are aware of how much food you eat and of what type of food you eat.
A lifestyle change is more effective and safer for your health in the long term than going on a ‘quick-fix’ diet. A lifestyle change is highly effective with long-lasting results because you are cultivating the necessary habits you need for long term success.
Here are some healthy lifestyle changes you want to begin making:
- Eliminating smoking, too much alcohol and processed sugars
- A regular exercise routine
- Becoming aware of your stress and how it effects your emotions and food
- Prioritizing Self Care
- Creating a positive attitude
- Building a support network of others who are making lifestyle changes
- Healthy Meal Planning
- Eating healthy, whole unprocessed foods
- Consistent eating schedule
When we think about dieting vs. lifestyle change, lifestyle changes are recommended over dieting because changing your behavior creates more positive results. You are changing your mindset, which is more powerful when you encounter struggles that lead to emotional eating. By having your habits ingrained in your behavior you can maintain your habits without falling backwards.
When you are starting a lifestyle change you need to find your support network. This includes finding others that value a healthy lifestyle and you can learn from their experiences and share your struggles with each other. Having friends or accountability partners who can empathize with your journey will help increase your odds of success.
If you could use a support network to help you achieve your weight loss goals and learn how to be successful at creating lasting lifestyle changes, schedule your call with me here.
