by Katerina Nikolas

Created on: February 14, 2010   Last Updated: February 16, 2010

It seems that everyone is always on a diet. You know this because they tell you. They anguish about it and sit around looking deprived, slathering at the sight of any passing forbidden food, whilst chewing a carrot. The strange thing is that it’s usually the same people on a diet, a different diet to the last diet, but a diet none the less. What does that say about dieting? It says that dieting does not work.

I have always believed that dieting makes you fat. It just strikes me as common sense when you think what a diet involves. To most people going on a diet means eating only certain things for a certain period of time, all the time longing for the foods which the diet won’t allow. They fall off the diets and have a secret chocolate binge, whilst following some strange fad which has no relation at all to how a person would normally eat. When the diet finishes they proudly announce the amount of weight lost and celebrate with a huge plate of unhealthy food. In no time at all they are back to their original weight, plus a bit more for good measure.

A diet which follows a set eating plan strikes me as an absurd carry on. Someone will eat just a few things for a period, usually something which has no appeal in the first place. Would you really want to eat cabbage soup for a week, or live on some diet milk shake. What about signing up for special diet meals to be sent to you? Eating cottage cheese on dry slimming breads which taste of cardboard. I’m sure if there was a diet which advocated weight loss through eating ice cream it would be a best selling book.

Now there’s something else which clearly indicates dieting does not work, and that is the dieting industry. Think about it, if it worked all those dieting companies would be lining up for bankruptcy. It stands to reason that any successful business relies on customers, and if each diet company had the perfect solution then they’d be out of business in a flash, as there would be nothing but once overweight people around, flaunting their new svelte selves.

None of this is a criticism of those who are overweight wanting to lose weight, but they aren’t going to lose weight permanently through dieting, unless they remain on a permanent diet. A change of lifestyle, which involves healthy eating and exercise, is needed. Those who eat a well balanced healthy diet do not deprive themselves of food treats they fancy, they just don’t stuff themselves with them daily. They don’t obsess about food.

Knowing something about good nutrition is going to pay off much faster than dieting; knowing which foods are healthy and which are fattening. It is better to replace the obsession with fad foods, with a good knowledge of calories and general nutrition. Eating healthy foods which are low in fat will make you feel healthier in yourself, and more likely to take up some exercise. You don’t need to turn into a gym maniac, walking works just as well.

Once the taste buds are allowed to forget fast food in favour of fresh wonderful salads, and other stodge free foods, which need never be boring, it doesn’t take long to incorporate that style of eating into a way of life. It never needs to be about depriving yourself, just taking the time to discover that fresh foods do tend to taste best. If you want to be sure of gaining a few extra pounds, then take to a diet today. It’s almost certain that by the end of it you’ll weigh more than at the beginning.

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