to diet or not to diet..thats is the question

[bananarama807]

hi :) just wondering if anyone can answer this for me? i have been on so many diets the past few years and im only twenty but i would love to have a life without diets. They havent worked for me thats the ironic thing but its like an addiction. I feel i always have to be on one or else ill fall off the band wagon. I do have a good bit of weight to loose before i can feel comfortable in my own body but is there a way to loose weight without dieting or im  I just looking for the lazy way out?

[Barb135]

Welcome to the community.........

"A diet is nothing more than what you eat"

Chickens, cows, etc eat grain - that's their diet.  Koala bears eat eucalyptus leaves -- that's their diet.  Humans eat a variety of foods to make up their diet.  

The best way to lose weight is to make small changes in your life style -- changes that you can actually live with.  If you go on a specific "diet", such as weight watchers or something like that, take pills of some kind, etc  chances are, you won't stay on it for the rest of your life and once you go off it, you will gain back anything you might have lost; but if you learn to make changes that you are comfortable with, so you can maintain them for the future, you will be able to lose weight and keep it off.

You should come up with a way of eating that incorporates foods that you like and that are good for you, so you will continue to eat them from now on. You need a good balance of fruits and veggies, lean protein, low/no fat dairy, whole grains, "good" fats, etc.  Add to that some form(s) of exercise that you enjoy and that you will be able to continue for as long as you want.  

Walking is always a fantastic way to get exercise and it's something that most of us can do relatively easy and hopefully, is an activity that we will continue to be able to do well into old age.  

We can help you come up with a plan if you'd like.  

Again, welcome and we hope you'll stay with us.