Did Anyone Say Diet?

Before I start talking about diet, let me do a bit of a disclaimer first. I am no dietician or nutritionist, nor an expert on anything related to wellness. I am simply a stay-at-home mom whose heart is set on honouring God with my body by striving to be healthy. 

The learnings I had over the years are based on personal experience of both successes and failures in my desire to stay fit, and I mostly read books or whatever material I was able to get my hands on to continually enlighten and equip me in my resolve.

So, stay with me as I do my best to share with you some nuggets of wisdom that I have gathered so far when it comes to dieting.

What does dieting really mean?

So many fad diets have surfaced in recent years that it became difficult to know which one will work for you unless you consult with your doctor or try it out for yourself. 

As you read up, you will soon realize that there is nothing truly definitive about what particular diet you should follow, which may be the reason why doctors won’t even recommend one to you when you ask (I did!). 

The goal of this post is not so much to advocate a particular diet regimen but to help you get to that mindset where you are sure about what dieting really is and why you should do it because it’s the only way for it to become rewarding and sustainable for you.

Watching what you eat

According to the Britannica definition, “Dieting is regulating your food intake with the goal of reaching an optimal health condition.” In other words, when you are on a diet, you are simply watching what you eat.

It sounds pretty simple but why has it become more and more difficult to do over the years? It may be because of the increasing number of delicious food creations at your fingertips, those that tickle your palate and satisfy your deepest cravings! 

When your hunger pangs tell you what you MUST, in all circumstances, eat right now, it’s quite hard to resist, right?

Avoiding over-indulgence

If going on a diet translates to a mere awareness of what goes inside your body, then it’s okay to eat whatever you want as long as you keep track, correct? Well, now we are forgetting the other half of the Britannica description, and that is the objective of achieving excellent health.

Whether you admit it or not, we all have the tendency to eat more than we have to, especially when it’s food that our tummy truly likes. 

It goes back to the long ago EQ test on children, the “Marshmallow Test,” that shows us where our natural inclinations genuinely lie – the need to consume as much as we can. 

If you eat now, you get a marshmallow, but if you wait a certain period, you get two. Both rewards make your stomach happy, but if you have more, you’re happier. 

Listening to your body

When you are on a diet, you want to go deeper and understand the effects of your eating habits on your internal systems. 

As a young individual, we may not have cared so much about these things but as we become older, we realize that our bodies are actually telling us something, giving us feedback on everything that we do, whether we are aware or not.

Young or not-so, it’s time to listen to our bodies, don’t you think? Today, your age does not really reflect how healthy you truly are.

We may not know how long we have in this world, but we sure want to be healthy throughout our stay, right?

Views on Diet – Then and Now

Historical standpoint

In the past, we know that people have gone on specific diets that worked to strengthen and lengthen their life expectancy. Over the years, a lot has changed but we do want to know what worked before for our ancestors.

We are aware that people from long ago did not enjoy what we have now and that is the electricity that provides light to our households as we have meals on our dinner table. But they did have fire to keep them warm and to give illumination as they prepare for bed at night. 

However, before the fire came, our forefathers hunted and gathered during the day when the sun was still up and rested after sunset. Before we even knew what fasting meant, they were already winging it! 

Their diets also consisted of whatever is available wherever they are in some part of the world. Even scientists from National Geographic agree that there isn’t a single diet that will work for all peoples. 

What matters ultimately is our ability to adapt to a changing diet and to diversify our food intake to include mostly healthy options. Sadly, our modern-day diet doesn’t reflect this. 

The onset of agriculture and farming has been successful in providing more food to a greater number of people but has brought in diseases such as cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure, which are now known as the civilization diseases. 

Modern perspective

Some primatologists argue that our diet has been significantly altered not when the hunters and foragers slowly disappeared but when we learned to cook. 

Though our diet today consists of dishes that provide us with more calories, hence, greater energy, and brain-boosting functions, we have more than we can burn on a daily basis. Hence, the rising number of obesity cases and other related illnesses. 

Consequently, diet recommendations today give too much focus on weight loss more than anything else. At times, people even fail to consult with their doctors because of the ease by which those who advocate certain programs provide meal plans and exercise regimens. 

There is nothing wrong with the desire to be healthy and fit and taking control of it yourself. But we go back to the million-dollar question, “Why go on a diet?”

The right motivations to diet

For me, it all boils down to your motives. If dieting is not a determined resolve for you, it’s going to be a rough road ahead and one that you may not see through to the finish line. 

I should know since I have walked various paths towards a better and healthier me for the past several years but ended up right where I started each time. But, hey, I’m still here and I’m trying again!

So, let me share with you some reasons why I decided to keep going.

I want to gain freedom from over-indulgence

In my desire to be diligent in my diet, I learned to listen to my body and ask myself first before I eat, “Am I really hungry? Does my body really need this food right now?” Before, my food intake reflects a pattern of cravings and then satisfaction after I eat. It has been like this ever since. 

When I had a health scare several years back, I knew it was God bursting my bubble and reminding me that my body is His temple, and I should honour Him with it. Over the years, I tried a few diet and fitness programs here and there but always came back empty.

This pattern of seeking pleasure through food and eating until I am beyond satisfied is the one that God helped me break free from. 

I want to provide what my body needs more than what I crave

Apart from making sure that I stop to think first before I eat, I realized that I must plan my meals to include only those that will help my body and not simply satisfy my cravings. 

God created the world for us to source food from, but we have become experts in food processing that we ended up with options which are a far cry from that which God intended. 

If you think about it, we have countless food choices today but seem to have forgotten that our predecessors lived by with what was originally present since time began. 

Going on a diet means that you ensure that your body gets mostly what it needs and less of what you merely crave. It’s a mind-over-body battle that you can win.   

I want to take control of my health

As stewards of the only body that we have when we are born, it’s our responsibility and no one else’s, to keep it healthy. 

Our days may be fleeting, our lives like chasing after the wind, but if we take control of our diet with a desire to be strong all the days of our life, then we will have maximized our time here on earth. 

If we are serious about our journey towards wellness, I don’t see why the God who created us will not walk alongside us each step of the way and make the difficult things much easier. If we want to take care of the body that God bought for a price, He will be with us all throughout.

Wrapping up

You can follow some major diet programs such as the weight watchers (controlled eating), some prudent diet regimen for those dealing with certain illnesses, formula diets that offer food rich in nutrients in liquefied form, the low-carb diet, high-carb/high fibre, or fasting programs, among others. 

There are also the fairly recent ones, which are paleo, vegan, Mediterranean, Atkins, Dukan, etc. 

Ultimately, it’s the motivation behind your desire that will help ensure your success in your dieting journey. So, dig deep and find that determination inside of you and start eating your way through health and wellness.