The Truth About Diets And Why They Don’t Work
Have you ever signed up for a nutrition or weight loss program and you were expecting to find all the answers to living healthy in a strict diet that you should follow only to find that it left you feeling deprived and not something you could stick with for the long term? Were you looking for a list of dos, don’ts and exact serving sizes?
If you really think about it, how crazy would it be for someone to think there is a one-size-fits-all diet that works for everyone. We are all different and our bodies have unique needs when it comes to nutrition, especially for women. Yes, there are some guidelines I believe strongly in like minimizing added sugar, drinking water and eating whole foods but I HATE the word “diet”.
Diets have made us obese and have taken away from our quality of life. For many people, diets have not only failed our society to achieve living healthy lifestyles but diets have caused shame, depression and to top it all off they don’t really help us to reach our goals. I have been in the fitness industry for 35 years and I have heard from SO many people who lose weight on a diet only to put it all (and more) back on as they learn it’s not a sustainable way to live.
If you only have one take-away from all my nutritional information I hope it’s this; eat healthy most of the time and never go on a “diet”.
What if instead of looking for a new quick fix “diet” you were so excited about being who God created you to be which is someone who lives fully, filled with strength, energy and love AND you understood that what you eat directly effects this.
What if you started to look at food as a way to give your body the fuel it needs.
What if you didn’t gorge on unhealthy foods because you knew that it would take away from your quality of life.
What if you finally understood down into the depths of your soul that Jesus, not food, is your comforter and when your emotions are running high you turned to prayer and His loving arms instead of a donut.
OH HOW I WANT THIS FOR YOU FRIEND AND BELIEVE IT CAN BE YOUR STORY!
I even struggle to write “look at food as a way to give your body the fuel it needs” because I don’t want you to think you can’t enjoy food and it’s only to fuel your body. God gave us food for both enjoyment and nutrition. I love to sit around a table with family and friends to share a great tasting meal and a glass of wine. The other night I had bread with dinner and as my husband and I watched a movie we each had a big bowl of popcorn.
I have no guilt over this.
I eat really healthy 80% of the time and I’m at peace with that. Now with that being said, the other 20% I’m not eating sugar loaded processed foods or completely over indulging but I will enjoy a cheeseburger and fries or a slice of pizza.
Food is not your enemy but it’s also not your comforter. Diets don’t work but eating healthy most of the time does. I love this poem from a book called “Gods At War” by Kyle Edelman:
“Jesus My Portion
The god of food promised us a feast but we came up empty.
He invited us to consume, until it consumed our lives.
We tasted everything, until nothing had taste anymore.
And so finally we came to Jesus.
We discovered that he offers the one true feast.
He fills our every need.
Every hunger ultimately leads back to him.
Jesus frees us from an abusive, dysfunctional relationship with food because he is our portion and in him we discover what we were searching for all along.
If we seek our joy and meaning in food, then the source of our joy always disappears and always must be found again — a consumable god.
It is different with Jesus.
Nothing tastes better than the joy and satisfaction of knowing Christ.
Nothing nourishes the soul as he does.
Nothing feeds and strengthens and renews us like the time we spend with him each day.”
My prayer for you is that you will start seeing your relationship with food differently, that you will stop searching for the answers to living healthy in a diet and that you will no longer turn to food to be fulfilled but instead turn to Jesus who is your bread of life. I pray you will focus more on eating healthy most of the time because food can’t heal your soul but in Jesus you will find healing, comfort, freedom, love, peace, joy. He is the source to meet all your needs!
Here at Faithful Workouts we approach health and fitness differently by keeping God at the center of all we do. Our online Christian fitness community provides workouts for all fitness levels, simple delicious recipes, budget friendly grocery lists and encouraging messages of faith. Our worth is not found in a number on a scale, it’s found in Jesus! Join the community and start approaching your health journey differently TODAY! CLICK HERE and get connected today!