The Non-Diet Diet

If you're anything like me, just the thought of the word "diet" makes you cringe and want to grab the nearest cupcake out of spite. No one likes to "diet". "Dieting" implies deying oneself, being hungry all the time, and just general unfun-ness. And then, of course, there's always some new, hip, GUARUNTEED new diet that will magically make you lose weight. Ever had one of those conversations around the office water cooler that go something like:

Annoying Co-worker: Hey Ash, how's that diet coming along?

Ash: Meh. I miss carbs/fat/dairy/sugar/[insert whatever you've given up here]

ACW: Wow. Well let me tell you about this *shiny new diet* that my cousin just told me about.

Ash: Oh yeah?

ACW: Yeah, he's a trainer in Los Angeles and he knows this one guy who visited the hairstylest for the trainer for Jennifer Anniston and J-Lo and he says the new rage is the wheat grass-snow pea-acai diet. How it works is, you eat nothing but wheat grass, snow peas, and acai-infused hipster beverages and then you do this new cardioyogalates that's just SUPER intense.

Ash: Whoa. That does sound intense.

ACW: Naw, it's great! And it really, really works! Look at me! I lost 15 lbs in a week! (and then gained back 30, no big deal though)

Know what I'm talking about? I'm thinking about alleviating the word "diet" from my vocabulary altogether. The truth of the matter is: it doesn't matter where you get your calories from, in order to lose weight you need to take in fewer calories than you burn. Any gimmicky diets are just trying to mask that fact with glitter and a pretty, B-List spokesperson.

I recently picked up a copy of Runner's World that has a section on weight-loss myths. I'll go ahead and recap the best ones for you:

Myth: To lose weight, cut carbs or fat
Fact: See above. It basically says the same thing.

Myth: Mini-Meals are better than hearty ones
Fact: People think that eating smaller meals a day is a no-fail way to not be hungry, but research has in fact shown that people who are between-meal snackers are more likely to gain weight over a period of time. Bam. Again. Calories in have to be less than calories out over a period of time.

Myth: You have to ban "bad" foods
Fact: You will only take my carbs, wine, and cheese when you pry them from my cold, dead fingers. [that's not what Runner's World said. It said something about an overly restrictive diet will only lead you to over-indulging]

Myth: Eating at night causes weight gain
Fact: It doesn't matter when calories go in, as long as more calories go out. Direct quote: "As long as you don't take in more calories than you burn in a day, you won't gain weight"

So, really, what it's all about is being healthy. Eat less, move your body more. There's no short cut or cheat sheet - it's just the way it is. And with that said, I'm going to go move my body. Up a BIG hill. 4-5 times. Looking forward to it (not so much). I'll make sure to let you all know how it goes ;)