When Good Diets go Bad

Main stream media won’t tell you this but healthy eating doesn’t always mean that you’re eating to lose weight. Here’s a quick run down on on what happens when good diets go bad.

I had a conversation with my husband about diets and healthy eating the other day. He asked me what I focus on when I plan my own diet. The day had been crazy busy and I hadn’t had enough to eat which had me feeling tired and down by the time we sat down together after work. The conversation (and my answer), made me realize a few things about diet culture and mindset:

1. As women we are led to believe that the “right diet” is the the “weight loss diet”. In fact, I’d be willing to bet that when most women hear the word “diet”, the only thing you could be talking about is eating to lose weight.
   
2. We place far too much emphasis on the numbers: the number on the scale, the number of pounds lost, the number showing how many calories you’ve burned… And we are so quick to disregard the fact that maybe you’re body is happiest/healthiest/functions at it’s best, at you’re current weight.
   
3. The pressure of main stream media and the prevalence of diet culture gets in the way of understanding what healthy really is and can be.

Which brings me passionately and adamantly to this point: eating healthy does not always mean eating to lose weight.

The Benefits of Losing Weight if You are Overweight

The research leaves no doubt: even a small amount of weight loss in overweight and obese individuals results in a myriad of benefits that reach far beyond looks.

Increased Energy. The more weight your body supports, the more energy it uses to move. When you lose weight, your body requires less energy to do the same activities which means you have more left over for other things.

Improved Sleep. A reduction in overall body fat has shown to have real and lasting effects on quality of sleep. Sleep apnea, which is a condition in which temporary blockages in the airway interrupt the flow of oxygen to the lungs which prompts frequent awakenings. A reduction in body fat seems to decrease the risk and symptoms of sleep apnea.

Lowered Blood Pressure. Each pound of weight loss can lead to a drop in overall blood pressure.

Decreased Risk for Some Chronic Disease. Fat cells secret a specific chemical that causes inflammation and can interfere with proper hormone function. Weight loss in overweight individuals is a powerful factor in reducing the risk of diseases like diabetes and heart disease.

Reduced Joint Pain. Ankles, knees, hips – these joints are designed to carry only so much weight. The more weight placed on those joints, the more stress and pressure they experience with each step.

Better Sex Life. The main reason that weight loss can improve your sex life is because obesity is linked to diabetes and high blood pressure – both of which can interfere with sex. There’s also the real possibility that being overweight interferes with self confidence which can absolutely affect a healthy sex life.

Improved Self Esteem. If you want to look, move and live a certain way and currently don’t, it takes a toll on your self esteem and self confidence. Even a small amount of weight loss can help to boost self esteem and increase your motivation to keep working hard.

When My Idea of Good Diets Went Bad

This isn’t talked about much. Too much weight? What’s that? My personal history put’s a scary perspective on what could happen.

In 2010 I left for college. I found myself trying to figure myself out in the middle of the city, in a whirlwind of parties and people I didn’t know, and with nothing that felt like it was “mine” enough to ground me. I turned to exercise and diet to find some control, some sense of self.

I took everything I read in magazines at face value and never thought to dig deeper. For a few months I got compliments left and right. I finally felt like people could see me again, that I was doing it right. And I took it too far.

I thought that is the fitness magazine says some exercise is good for you, than more is always better. If consuming fewer calories is a good way to lose fat, eating no calories is better. I thought, “I’m not weak. I have will power. Watch me do this right”.

I wasn’t getting the nutrients or energy that I needed, but I was still devoted to my weight loss diet. I developed anorexia. I showed signs of osteopenia. I was miserable. I couldn’t find a way out of the doubt, the restrictive mindset and destructive habits I’d built up as a wall around me. It took years of weekly doctor, therapist and nutritionist appointments to turn things around.

The point is: healthy eating does NOT always means eating to lose weight. Sometimes it means just the opposite.

What is Healthy Eating?

According to the WHO, health is “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” It is “A resource for everyday life, not the objective of living. Health is a positive concept emphasizing social and personal resources, as well as physical capacities.”

So wait…healthy isn’t skinny? Healthy isn’t a 1,200 calorie diet? If a good diet isn’t a weight loss diet, what is it?

Healthy eating is eating to feel, be and live well. The lifestyle and habits that support healthy eating happen to result in maintaining a healthy physique. So really looks are more of a bonus!

Healthy eating means eating a variety of foods that give you the nutrients you need to feel, be and live well.

Carbohydrates, protein and fats are a part of that. Macronutrients and calories do count. So do vitamins, minerals, fiber and water.

So are the meals you share with loved ones, the supplements you take because your doctor recognizes a deficiency, and the celebrations that bring everyone together for pizza, cake and all of those other non-diety foods.

Healthy eating looks a bit different for everyone but there are some words of wisdom that work for everyone:

• Consume whole foods, as close to their real state as possible, 80-90% of the time.
• Eat the rainbow. More greens, a wider variety of fruits and vegetables packed with micronutrients and fiber.
• Keep portions in check.
• Slow down and pay attention to how certain foods make you feel. Allergies and intolerances are real.
• Feed your gut.
• Avoid highly-processed foods whenever possible.

If you feel like you’ve been on a “diet” forever, I totally understand. That’s a huge part of why I started to educate myself about nutrition. It’s 100% why I became a Precision Nutrition Coach. Because when you look up healthy eating in the dictionary, you don’t see the words “skinny”, “calorie restriction”, or “pressure” anywhere in sight.