DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DIET AND LIFESTYLE CHANGE

Diets and desire to lose weight are as popular as ever. According to Mondovo, over 550,000 people search for “how to lose weight” on Google every month. There are constantly new diets coming up. It was the Atkins Diet, then a low-fat diet, and then the keto diet. You can see below some data from Google Trends showing the increasing popularity of keto diet searches, and the decreasing popularity of the Atkins diet, showing the change of diets over the years.

A person on a “diet” views a food temptation and talks to herself like this: “That looks so delicious. I can’t have it now because I am on a diet. But after a few more weeks, I will be able to finally eat that again! I just have to be strong for a little longer.”

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A lifestyle, however, is permanent. When you decide to lose weight by changing your lifestyle, there is no end in sight. A lifestyle change, as its name suggests, is for life. You are not constantly thinking of escaping, as though you are serving a prison sentence. Rather, you are in it for good.

The result is that you begin truly adapting your life and behaviors to match your new lifestyle. Instead of toughing it out and pining away for taboo treats, you find healthier alternatives. You create ways to enjoy your food and figure out how to adjust every area of your life to your new habits. Rather than being unpleasant, your day-to-day life becomes agreeable and comfortable.

DIETING:AN OVERVIEW

Most traditional diets are defined by a handful of key characteristics:

• Weight is generally lost quickly in a set period of time
• Foods are categorized as “good” or “bad”
• Eating habits are often based on environmental cues
• Calorie consumption is greatly restricted
• Progress is dependent on a number on the scale

Most of us at some point or another have tried to diet for weight-loss, especially for an upcoming vacation or important event. If your diet followed some of the above characteristics, how did you feel throughout the process? Most of us will answer hungry, tired, frustrated or even discouraged. This is because diets are generally short-term and not healthy for our body.

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 ^{LIFESTYLE CHANGES}

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What makes a lifestyle change? Behavior that you can stick to for the long haul:

• Eating healthy, nutritious and whole foods to nourish your body
• Practicing moderation, not restriction
• Exercising on a regular and consistent basis
• Relying on your body to tell you what you need
• Losing weight at a safe and healthy pace ( 1-2 lbs per week)
• Measuring progress beyond a number on the scale

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