Why You Should Give Up Strict Dieting

Trying to lose weight and get a banging bikini body? Here's why you shouldn't follow the latest fad diet.

As someone who has struggled with their weight for so long I know a thing or two about diets and how it feels to be dieting. I myself have had a love hate relationship with diets, I’m either on a huge diet or I’m binge eating like crazy, I can go a few months doing one or the other, that isn’t healthy either. But I’ve learnt a few things over the last few years about eating habits so here is why you should give up strict dieting and just be healthy in general.

There is no pint to strict dieting

There are so many fancy diets out there like keto where you stay away from carbs or Mediterranean diet and unless you’re at serious risk by not doing one of the many diets out there then there is no point putting yourself through that. Your main goal should be to stay healthy and that’s as far as a diet should go, if you’re big, small or anything in between it’s fine as long as you’re healthy.

You should aim to eat healthy and make that normal, so have the right amount of carbs and fruit just don’t go overboard thinking that you can’t touch a carb or else you’ll gain 10kg. After all your body needs fuel and nutrients from all kinds of foods or you may risk making yourself ill.

You’re at a risk of having an eating disorder

Eating disorders and mental illnesses are no joke, strict dieting can be so harmful to your mind if it gets out of control. Maybe you can’t eat your food without weighing it first, checking how many calories are in them and feeling guilty if you’ve eaten a little more than your goal for the day, these are the start signs of an eating disorder, if you let strict dieting get out of control you may even risk your physical health too.

There are so many eating disorders you can have with different symptoms, for me I have periods where I will eat a lot like junk food and literally anything but then I’d have periods where I will eat nothing at all or be healthy mainly because of how guilty I’d feel about binge eating. You might be different, maybe you have gone so far into a diet that you barely eat anything anymore. If you think you have an eating disorder then it’s always best to talk to someone, maybe your GP or anyone who can help you because it is serious.

As long as you’re eating healthy that’s all that matters

When I say you should give up strict dieting I don’t mean you should go back to or start eating a whole load of junk food, I mean you should just be healthy in general. You should try to eat the right kinds of things like your 5 a day, the right amount of carbs and protein to keep yourself healthy.

Personally counting calories help me, I don’t always stick to the recommended amount but it helps me keep track of what I am eating. If you’re someone who binge eats a lot and strict dieting is the way to control that then you should try just logging what you eat to maintain that control, it doesn’t always have to be accurate but at least you will know you’re eating healthy.

You only live once

I hate to use this overused 2015 phrase but YOLO because it couldn’t be more true for giving up strict diets. There is no point getting worked up about your weight and going on crazy strict diets because you literally only live once so what’s the point starving yourself? Whilst you’re alive you should enjoy all the good stuff like chocolate cake and ice cream (not everyday but once in a while), if it’s not a risk to your health then what the hell, go for it.