Let’s all stop pretending that diets aren’t the absolute worst. As college students, most of us attempt to live a relatively healthy lifestyle (not including the excessive amount of alcohol consumed every weekend, of course.) After years of dealing with a fluctuating weight, I’ve learned that diets are, in fact, a myth. I fell victim to the Freshmen 15, rather the Freshmen 20 if we’re being honest. I have since lost most of the weight, but I don’t have any fad diet or trending weight loss supplement to thank for that.
Through my health and fitness journey, this is what I’ve learned about diets:
- They’re temporary.
Lose 10 pounds in 10 days! Get a flat tummy in weeks! Guaranteed to give you abs! It all sounds great, right? One of the biggest problems with dieting is people try to lose as much weight in as little time as possible. They think that following a routine for a limited time will give them results, but what about after the trial or program ends? A diet may kick-start a health or fitness goal, but it’s a permanent lifestyle change that will yield long-term results.
- They’re restrictive.
“I can’t, I’m on a diet” is arguably one of the worst sentences in the English language. A common thing to do on a diet is to avoid the things that people assume to be “bad” for them. Carbs, sweets, salty snacks and alcohol are usually the first things to go. It’s human nature to always want what you can’t have. If you tell yourself you can’t eat carbs or sweets or snacks, guess what you’re going to want more than ever? Restricting yourself from certain foods will only lead to a breakdown. Next thing you know, you’re going to be stuffing your face with 3 cartons of Ben & Jerry’s, a large buff chic pizza and a family size bag of Doritos, because you just can’t take it anymore.
- They always start Monday.
As if Monday isn’t horrible enough… People create this starting date, but does it really matter if there’s no deadline? Progress is impossible unless there are legitimate goals in place. This is why diets tend to fail: we start them, we get bored, we give up and we try again next Monday.
- They’re ineffective.
There is no magical plan or supplement or detox tea that has been proven to work for every single dieter. Maybe eliminating carbs helped your cousin lose 7 pounds, or lying off the booze helped your uncle flatten his beer belly. Everyone requires a different health and fitness plan to fit their individual needs. Do you want to gain muscle? Do you want to tone the muscle you already have? Do you want to lose weight? Do you want a bigger butt? Don’t waste you’re money on something that worked for someone else. Answer these questions and find what works for you.
- They’re the opposite of fun.
No reasonable human is going to be excited when someone says they’re on a diet, including the person saying it. Diets can scare you away from grabbing a drink with your girls because you’re suddenly worried about how many calories are in that Sex on the Beach. Or distract you through an entire movie because all you’re thinking about is that popcorn and candy you refused to buy. Or make a vent sesh 100 times less enjoyable because you can’t break out the ice cream and wine when the tears start flowing. You’re on a temporary, restrictive, potentially ineffective diet, so does that mean you have to give up everything you love to do?
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Put down the Flat Tummy Tea™ and treat yo self to that chocolate chip cookie. Your stomach will look the same after consuming either, so you might as well indulge in what you really want. The Kardashians may be raving about how awesome and skinny they are after using a certain product, but don’t forget: They’re getting paid to tell you how fit they supposedly feel. Eat what you want in moderation, work out if and how you want, and do what makes you feel good.