Never Go On A Diet–Guest Post

This week I have participated in a blog swap!  My guest poster is Megan Starbuck.  She is a tiny house enthusiast that enjoys blogging about her unusual lifestyle.  She has paid off her student loans in three years while still enjoying life by traveling outside the country.  Other than being a nanny and an aunt to 11 nieces and nephews, she also studied Kinesiology because of her interest in fitness and nutrition.  You can check her out here or here, and look for my guest post on her blog here.  

Thank you, Megan for a great experience!  Please keep reading for the guest post from Megan on nutrition.

Mindy Minix

 

“Never go on a diet.”That’s some of the best advice I’ve ever gotten. It’s worked out pretty well for me so far.

Diets seem to focus on cutting out a certain food because it’s bad for you (which here lately seems to be all food). This is frequently what causes people’s weight to fluctuate so much because they eventually reintroduce those foods into what they typically eat.

I prefer to focus on balance, common sense, and grace. I mean, we’re all gonna die anyway. Give yourself a break. You’re never gonna “figure it out” by following the latest trends. Relax, and do what works for you.

Some people swear by the all or nothing approach. To me, it’s not practical or even healthy to go without sugar or white bread. Don’t get me wrong, I try to avoid it to an extent. However, the thought of never having it again makes me feel deprived. Instead, I slowly began eating less of it so that I don’t crave it. If it’s the only thing to eat at a party, though, I’m not going to go hungry. I just take a smaller portion. As I said, that may not work for you. There’s no need for you to be like me. Know yourself, be patient with yourself, and be yourself.

I think Shel Silverstein’s poem makes the point pretty well about how ridiculous we sometimes are over our food:

I was waitin’ in Rosie’s Restaurant
When the waiter came up and said, “What do you want?”
I looked at the menu — it looked so nice
Till he said, “Let me give you some advice”
He said, “Spaghetti and potatoes got too much starch,
Pork chops and sausage are bad for your heart.
There’s hormones in chicken and beef and veal.
Bowl of ravioli is a dead man’s meal.
Bread got preservatives, there’s nitrites in ham,
Artificial coloring in jellies and jam.
Stay away from donuts. Run away from pie.
Pepperoni pizza is a sure way to die.
Sugar rots your teeth and make you put on weight.
But artificial sweetener’s got cyclamates.
Eggs got cholesterol. There’s fat in cheese.
Coffee ruins your kidneys, and so does tea.
Fish got mercury. Red meat is poison.
Salt’s gonna send your blood pressure risin’.
Hot dogs and bologna got deadly red dyes.
Vegetables and fruits are sprayed with pesticides.”So I said, “What can I eat that’s gonna make me last?”
He said, “A small drink of water in a sterilized glass.”
And then he stopped and he thought for a minute,
And said, “Never mind the water — there’s carcinogenics in it.”
So I got up from the table and walked out in the street
Realizing there was nothing I could eat.
I ain’t eaten for a month, and I’m feeling fine…

So, go enjoy your favorite fruits and vegetables, but don’t feel guilty about having a little dessert afterwards or junk food snacks here and there. The stress and guilt and worry about being a particular weight is worse for you than the dessert.

Enjoy life.Appreciate where you are now. Be thankful for your body and all that it can do for you even if you don’t always like the way it looks.

If you are overweight, let me tell you a secret.

Yep, lean in close.

*whispers* Being your ideal weight doesn’t make you love everything about your body.

There. Now don’t you feel better?All those people you were comparing yourself to? The ones you want to look like or fit in with? They don’t like everything about the way they look. Maybe you’ve already noticed their complaints about themselves…complaints that probably make you feel even more self-conscious.

So go ahead and focus on the things you do like about yourself. And do something that makes you feel strong and free. Health has to do with more than what’s on the outside. Take up journaling to keep your mind from being overwhelmed. Make it a list of things you’re grateful for, or use it to express your frustration, but try to end on a positive note reasoning with yourself as to why your negative self-talk isn’t true. You’ll have a far healthier self-image than those focused on all of their flaws and trying to cover them up.

And if you haven’t already, make sure to never go on a diet.

Have you ever found yourself at a restaurant feeling like you’re in Silverstein’s poem with nothing safe to eat?