Diet -- A Four Letter Word!

by Nicki Anderson

The word diet simply defines the food we ingest each day. But now it has become a four-letter word or a badge of honor, sometimes even a badge of martyrdom. Dieting has become a national pastime, with everyone waiting in line for the next diet of the month, guaranteed to make us all fit and trim.

There are some very valid diets out there: diets for diabetics, for stroke victims, for ulcer patients, and so forth. These are specific diets for specific needs. But I'm talking about the kinds of diets that offer you a perfect life if you only eat in a prescribed way. Unfortunately, when one diet doesn't come through for us, we're off to the next, and the cycle continues. But each time you toy with yet another diet, you are putting your health at risk mentally, physically, and emotionally. We have developed such a skewed view of food and diets that we don't know whether we're coming or going, losing or gaining, failing or succeeding.

We need to create a new paradigm for the word diet. Diet is actually a good word; it's dieting that starts the trouble. As I stated above, diet means the food we consume that fuels our bodies, while dieting (and this is my personal definition) offers only the two d's: deprivation and depression. Though diet is rarely defined as dangerously low caloric intake, our current diet paradigm means self-inflicted starvation and deprivation through rigid programs allowing minimal food. Our old paradigm has made life very difficult for those of us who do not resemble runway models; we think that if we just starve ourselves, we can achieve that "perfect" body. Well, you know and I know that any nutrition program that provides dangerously low daily caloric allotments is unsafe and unrealistic. So how do we bring the word diet back to its original meaning?

Simply viewing diet as the fuel we give our bodies may spark a shift in the paradigm. To return to the gasoline analogy, the better grade of fuel we put in our bodies, the better our bodies will run. Your "regular" fuel is sweets, dairy, and fats. Your "unleaded" fuel is carbos and proteins. And your "premium" is fruits and veggies, fresh of course! And when we eat a healthful diet, we're not as prone to overeating. When you're aware of and concerned with what you're feeding yourself, you'll be aware of how much you actually need.

You see, a diet that consists of healthful eating is forever, while diets are a passing fancy that encourage unhealthy eating. Going on diet after diet takes a toll on your body and your mind. Understand that while we've created the difference between the words diet and dieting, in reality, they are one and the same. When you have a clear understanding of these words' true meaning, you will be able to stay on the road to healthy living and get off the diet-of-the-month club mailing.

Journal to Great Nutrition

Study after study continues to show that those who keep track of their nutritional intake tend to eat better and to stay on a healthier nutrition program for longer periods. Many women panic when asked to keep track of what they eat because they become aware of how much "low-grade" fuel they're ingesting. Then they beat themselves up when they see the record of all the things they shouldn't be eating but are unable to make long-term changes. Many then try dieting to improve their food habits, but as we know, diets don't create long-term changes or habits. Why? See if any of these sound familiar: "Lose ten pounds in ten days, thirty pounds in thirty days, twenty inches in six weeks." And the list goes on. You cannot possibly make any long-term changes in ten, twenty, or thirty days. Permanent change takes time; it takes weeks, months, and even years.

Invariably when I ask a client to track her nutrition, the first words out of her mouth are, "Why? So you can see how bad I am?" The other common response is, "Do I have to tell the truth?" But the bottom line is, tracking what you eat is a wonderful way to see how your body responds to what you fuel it with. Yes, it also gauges how balanced your nutrition program is or isn't. But it's not an opportunity to beat yourself up; it's a chance to discover how to fuel yourself for good health. So let's start keeping track of what we eat and see what we learn.

I would encourage you to keep a separate journal for tracking your nutritional intake. A three-by-five notebook is perfect for keeping in your purse or backpack and taking along anywhere you go. Start as soon as you can, and write down everything that goes into your body  -- drinks, snacks, everything. How many times have you said, "Oh, I feel terrible. I know I overate today"? Well, by keeping track of what you eat, you may be able to pinpoint why you overdid it. Were you worried? Tired? Too busy? It might also help you see some patterns that you were unaware of. 

I once asked a client, who believed her only concern was a couple of coffees too many, to track her daily intake. When she did, she realized that she was drinking as many as sixteen cups a day! When I was training for the marathon, I wrote down everything I was eating so I could see what foods created more energy and what made me tired, gassy, and so on. 

Why not find out what fuel works best for you? You will never be able to change your current nutritional habits if you don't know where you are right now. And here's an added tip: Don't wait to record what you've been eating till the end of the day. Research shows that when you wait until evening to document your food intake, you may miss something. So after each meal and snack, jot it down. But it's not so much the calorie count I want you to focus on, as it is the overall balance in your diet.

In addition to tracking your food intake, track how you feel after meals or after eating certain foods. You don't need to spend a huge amount of time on this. You can quickly jot down what you've eaten and then even create a system to designate your energy level that day. For example, HE equals high energy, LE equals low energy, PMS (well, we all know what that one is), and so on. You'll eventually begin to see a pattern in your energy levels, your cravings, and so forth. After you have tracked your nutrition for one week, I want you to look over it, carefully. As you do, circle with a red pen the eating habits you would like to change. It doesn't really matter how many things you circle, but be aware that trying to change everything overnight will just result in frustration and going back to old habits. I encourage you to focus on making changes one at a time. Doing so will help you to gradually change your habits and ensure long-term success. By success I mean fueling your body well consistently.

After you've circled all the things you'd like to change, pull out your journal. Skip a few pages from your last entry. At the top of a clean page write "Positive Changes for Positive Living". Beneath that, make a list of all the eating habits that you circled on your nutrition tracking log. Now list in order of importance the changes you would like to make. Here's an example:

1. Eating late-night ice cream

2. Eating too much bread at evening meals

3. Eating my children's leftovers

After you have finished making your list, begin with the first item. Think of ways to change this habit gradually. For example, if you're currently eating ice cream every night, you can start by eliminating three ice creams a week, then four, then five, and so on. Remember, I do not encourage deprivation. Ice cream is fine -- in moderation. Once you feel comfortable with your change, you can move on to the next one. Stick with a change until you have comfortably altered your habit. Even if it takes you six months to alter one habit, the important thing is that you are making permanent changes. If you take the time to methodically change a habit, you can bet that the change you make will be with you for the rest of your life.

Continued on the next page:
* What Next?;
* Late-Night Ice-Cream;
* A Reality Check;
* Trial & Error.

This article is excerpted from the book Reality Fitness: Inspiration for your health and well-being, © 2000, by Nicki Anderson. Reprinted with permission of the publisher, New World Library/HJ Kramer, Novato, CA 94949. www.newworldlibrary.com

For more info or to order this book.

About The Author

NICKI ANDERSON is a working mother of four children, president and owner of Reality Fitness, Inc., a full-service personal training studio in Naperville, Illinois. She can be reached at RealityFitness1@aol.com.