Diets vs. Lifestyle Change

The  word diet, as defined by www.dictionary.com:

diet
[dahy-it] 

noun

1.

food and drink considered in terms of its qualities, composition, and its effects on health:

Milk is a wholesome article of diet.

2.

a particular selection of food, especially as designed or prescribed to improve a person's physical condition or to prevent or treat a disease:

a diet low in sugar.

3.

such a selection or a limitation on the amount a person eats for reducing weight:

No pie for me, I'm on a diet.

4.

the foods eaten, as by a particular person or group:

The native diet consists of fish and fruit.

5.

food or feed habitually eaten or provided:

The rabbits were fed a diet of carrots and lettuce.

6.

anything that is habitually provided or partaken of:

Television has given us a steady diet of game shows and soap operas.

verb (used with object), dieted, dieting.

7.

to regulate the food of, especially in order to improve the physical condition.

8.

to feed.

verb (used without object), dieted, dieting.

9.

to select or limit the food one eats to improve one's physical condition or to lose weight:

I've dieted all month and lost only one pound.

10.

to eat or feed according to the requirements of a diet.

adjective

11.

suitable for consumption with a weight-reduction diet; dietetic :

diet soft drinks.

How do I define "diet" personally? I don't tend to see it as something good, honestly. Often times, I relate diets to restriction, limitations, being temporary, and a state of general misery. The act of "dieting" in itself is no fun (at least in my experience), and any weight loss I experienced was usually offset by my crankyness over not being able to have that cupcake RIGHT NOW because "it's not allowed" in the diet.

The truth is, I come from a shady relationship with food. My relationship has gone both ways: food is the enemy and MUST be restricted (hello, 700 calories a day), and food is a friend that brings comfort and always has something to do when you're bored (hello, fistfuls of chips at 10 AM just because). Neither relationship is healthy, and neither did any good for my overall wellbeing.

I hear people all the time refer to having to go on a "diet" with shame in their voice. Or they mention it with a tone of dread and disgust. And then they are MISERABLE for however long it takes them to realize that this is no fun and quit the diet. And then gain all the weight back. Because yes, while they might have lost some weight from the things they were doing, they still haven't picked up good habits or taken the time to teach themselves and learn about food and nutrition.

NUTRITION, friends. There's our key word. What makes your body run? How does food fuel it? Nine time out of ten people go on diets for vanity and the improvement of outward appearance, and put little thought to what they are putting into their bodies.

My whole point is this: Looking at the definition of diet, I choose to focus on some of the better definitions available to me.

• food and drink considered in terms of its qualities, composition, and its effects on health
• a particular selection of food, especially as designed or prescribed to improve a person's     physical condition or to prevent or treat a disease:
• anything that is habitually provided or partaken of:

But do you know what this sounds like to me? A lifestyle change.

Taking your health into your own hands. Not just for a few weeks, but always.

Taking the time to learn what is good for your body. Taking the time to read packaging labels to see what kind of ingredients you are putting into your body. Looking at food as fuel. Not the enemy, not your friend...it's fuel. It makes you body run at optimal levels. Junk in, junk out. I choose not to live with junk as my output.

Making healthy choices and actions a habitual, lifelong way of living.

I have been eating primarily whole, unprocessed foods for 15 months now.

Yes, sometimes I'll have that cupcake. Yep, I'll have that beer.

No, I don't feel guilty over it. Ever. Why? I also believe that moderation is important.

Being told I can't have something--ever--makes it all the more desirable and then I'm likely to go off the deep end when I do finally get my hands on it. Moderation allows me to walk on the wild side and not lose myself in the insane cravings that come with restriction. So yes, I "cheat" (even though I don't think it's really cheating). I know that it's okay.

Because the other 85-90% of the time, I am consciously CHOOSING healthier foods, and not feeling obligated because ugh, diet. I am CHOOSING to push my body with exercise at least five days a week.

Long story short, I've realized that diets come and go, but if I'm not making healthy choices a permanent fixture in my life, then I'll always be chasing something--a new diet, a new fad, a new way to make me feel better about myself.

'But Brittany!' you might be thinking right now, 'Isn't 21 Day Fix a diet? Isn't that a fad? It's 21 days and then you're done.'

And to that I say this: it's a fad only if you totally forget about it once you're done the 21 days. The program is meant to jumpstart a new habit--a healthier lifestyle. Yeah, you'll tone up and get results if you follow the program as written for 21 days, but what happens on Day 22 is what's most important. You've done the work to learn the habits. You'd be doing yourself a huge disservice if you immediately fall back into making poor choices. I do the 21 Day Fix every three to four months to clean up my habits (daily trips to the candy bowl happen. I'm human.) and reset. When that's done I don't just stop everything. That, to me, is the difference between a diet and a lifestyle.

I changed my lifestyle. It was a conscious decision to make healthier choices always, and not for a few weeks here and there...and I find that it now comes MUCH easier.