Whether it is a vegan diet, a gluten-free diet, or, dare we say, the paleo diet, everybody seems to be stopping themselves eating something to live healthily. Is that necessarily the way to go, though? After all, healthy living should apply to the mind, as well as the body. More diets are – let’s face it – fads. People start them (perhaps to lose weight, perhaps to show off, to each their own) and most usually end up the same way: weight is lost, the diet ends, the weight comes back. What if you could find a balance between dieting and eating what you want to eat? Have you heard of the no-diet diet? If not, prepare for a potential revelation.
Saying No to Dieting and Yes to a No-Diet Diet
Doctors will probably tell you that the no-diet diet isn’t a very good way to lose weight. Don’t put too much stock in that, though. They change their mind every 15 seconds. There is every chance that the no-diet diet could be for you, and here’s how it works.
The no-diet diet requires you to do a little homework. You must first understand about calories and metabolism and how they work. You need to know how many calories are in a foodstuff and a meal, as well as other aspects of a food, such as starches, sugars and the like. Make a note of it all and keep tabs on it. Once you’ve done that, the no-diet diet comes into its own.
In principle, the no-diet diet means that you never have to say “no” to anything. You can eat what you want, and when you want. However, there are stipulations. You need to be able to manage how much you eat, not necessarily what it is.
No-diet dieters can easily enjoy that piece of chocolate cake or that tin of beer whenever they want, provided they make space for it in their calorie count. If you count the calories (and the fattiness, sugar content, and carbs in your food), you can practically eat what you want and lose weight. Adding a little exercise is important, too. Combined with earlier eating (when your body has more time to burn off those calories) you can enjoy a diet which will leave your life and appetite relatively undisturbed.
A Guilt-Free Diet You Can Stick To
One of the downsides to any diet is that you often feel guilty or upset about having to eat your greens and avoid those carbs. With the no-diet diet, that isn’t the case. You don’t need to worry about having a bit of a binge on fried chicken or chocolate, and thus breaking your diet. When many people do break their diet, they often feel guilty. Subsequently, people may end their diet, start eating their favourite foods again and put the weight back faster than they lost it. That shouldn’t happen with the no-diet diet.
Forget about eating your greens and forgoing chocolate or steaks. You can have the best of both, just by calorie counting, taking in a spot of exercise, eating earlier in the day, and making sure that you save space for smaller portions of your favourite treats. Like any diet, it takes a bit of discipline, but between being forced to eat garden salads, or chowing down on my favourite nosh in moderation, I know which one I’d choose.