It’s 2015 and like every year, there is one thing you can count on, people making resolutions and trying to make this year the year of all years.
My 2015 resolution is to stop serial watching, also known as binge watching the latest & greatest shows. This past year alone I have completed/caught up on such shows as: Dexter, Psych, The Walking Dead, The Black List, Misfits, and many more. If you have any shows you think I absolutely have to start watching, please keep them to yourself.
For most, stopping serial watching shows is not on their New Year’s Resolution list. The most common goals are getting in shape, getting organized, taking control of their finances, and eating healthy. Or at least that’s what The Today Show tells us..
It is common at the beginning of the year to set nearly-unattainable goals like working out two times a day, cutting out all breads and sugars from your diet, and to get your 12 full hours of sleep each night.
Ok, so maybe I exaggerated just a bit. What is common though is for people to jump on to some kind of diet to kick start their year. This often leads to quick results and then to a sharp crash and burn.
So that experience leads to a few questions: 1)- Is dieting OK, 2) – should I diet and if so when and how, and 3) – what the heck is dieting anyways?
What Is Dieting?
We’ll start with the last question first. “Dieting” from a definitional standpoint is the restriction of a particular kind or amount of food for the sake of losing or gaining weight.
The other definition is to undertake a ridiculous change in ones’ eating habits. Either eating way too little for the sake of weight loss or searching the Internet for the stupidest-sounding weight loss plan one can find. And of course, looking at the latest celebrity fad diet will get you the exact same results!
Some trendy diets so far in 2015 include: The Clay Diet- eating clay with food will help remove toxins (or not); The Potato Diet – eating a metric shit ton of potatoes to lose weight, and The Urine Diet- it is what it sounds like. not going to delve too much in to this one.
We should not confuse “diet” with “dieting”.. A diet is what we will eat day to day. Whereas dieting is a change from our daily diet in order to lose or gain weight, eating in a prescribed manner for a predetermined amount of time.
Is Dieting Ok?
The short answer is yes.
The long answer is it depends.
If you struggle with eating, making good food choices, or ever said, “I know what to eat” and yet you still are over your desired weight, then “dieting” is not a good idea for you. What you need is to change your diet.
Start logging what you eat and make small changes till your base diet is solid. You need slow steady changes, not a crazyass dramatic overhaul.
Now if you have a relatively good diet, meaning balanced and healthy, and are at a satisfying weight, then dieting may be a good idea.
When to do Dieting
I am an odd duck when it comes to exercises and program organization for myself, I have my entire year periodized. What that means is I know what my goal is for every workout block of the year. What this also means is my diet for the year is also periodized out as well.
How this works for me is if I am going to be focusing on strength or putting on a little size for the summer (I am just like you – I like looking good in a bikini too!) then I know I need to increase my food intake.
Now if I am going into a bulking season, I will do a cut before and after my bulking. What this means is I will decrease my intake of sugary treats and carbs, still keeping my protein intake the same and keeping my fat intake about the same.
When my goal is to maintain, then I will return to my base diet.
The point is that dieting should align with your fitness goals.
Wrapping It Up
Dieting is OK if you have a good base diet. Your dieting needs to align with your fitness goals.
Dieting is not OK if you do not eat healthy on a regular basis. Your time should be spent making small tweaks to your daily diet till it is solid.
Best
Josh
