How to Make a Better You – Diet or Not to Diet; That is the Question?
by Nina Sabin - Healthy Tip
Everyone thinks dieting is the answer to being healthy and maintaining an appropriate weight. But what does it mean to diet? How do you know what diet is right for you?
There are hundreds of diets with all kinds of combinations of nutrients. The three main nutrients our bodies need are: proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. The question is which combination balance is the right for your body. No two bodies are the same; so how can the same diet be right for everyone? The answer is it can't be. So how do you learn the right combination for you. This is done through experimentation and getting to know your body.
So often we try to do this on our own and do not succeed. We tend to give up trying things that may work because it takes time, it’s too hard to try new things, we have no motivation, we fear that we will fail like we have done before or we have doubts that we can figure it out. As a Health/Life coach, I can help you go through the experimentation process and tailor for your success. I will walk alongside you on your journey providing you tools on how to determine what foods are right for your body. I will also become your cheerleader, coach, mentor, and friend.
Here is some information about nutrients, stresses while eating and causes for gaining fat and losing muscle. In Dr. Mark Hyman’s article, The Reasons Most Diets Fail, he states that diets backfire because people restrict too much. They allow the number of calories they consume to drop below the resting metabolic rate (RMR). The RMR is the basic amount of energy or calories you need for your metabolism to work as it is designed.
I know we all hear the words calories, and that in diets we need to count calories, but what does that really mean? We first need to understand what calories are. A calorie is a unit that is used to measure energy. Remember I mentioned before that the body needs three main nutrients: carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. These are the nutrients that provide body with energy in the form of calories.
Carbohydrates provide quick energy for the body and have four calories per gram. Fats are necessary for the body as they maintain and protect our cellar membranes. They are also a high density energy source containing nine calories per gram. Proteins are also crucial for the body as they are necessary for body’s tissues and organs. They also have four calories per gram like carbohydrates. Now that we have some understanding of the purpose for each nutrient, let’s move on to the stressors related to eating.
Often people eat while they are stressed and that is not good for digestion. Stress can be a result of mental, emotional, or tension from a circumstance or situation. Stress can lead to accelerated heart rate, higher blood pressure, faster breathing, pain in legs and arms, and even the digestive system shutting down. This causes improper digestion and can lead to weight problems and poor health.
Another reason for gaining fat and losing muscle is when your calorie (energy) intake drops below a certain level your body senses danger and begins to store food as fat. When the body senses nutrients are off balanced it signals us to eat. So when you are dieting and not eating the right balance of nutrients your body needs, you will lose muscle and gain back fat.
So what does this all mean? Is dieting wrong? Too often dieting leads to a negative mentality and often makes us heavier. Therefore, we need to shift our mindset to a healthy way of eating that is optimal for our own body.
Health Coaching Institute (HCI) has a saying “your body is the most powerful, least expensive, and best experimentation in existence”. That means only your body is your ultimate dietary authority. Eating the right foods for your body and having the ideal state to digest food will make a healthier you.
We can find the right mix of carbohydrates, fats, and protein balance for you. This is partially done by answering the following questions: why to eat, what to eat, how to eat, when to eat, where to eat. and who you are being when you eat. Through getting to know your body we will help you reach the best eating habits for your life.
Please remember to contact me if you want a free consultation or more information about working with a health/life coach.
Also, remember to share your thoughts on Health Chat with Nina.