Friday, July 6, 2007

The Top Three Reasons Why I hate Diets






I have mentioned several times on this blog my motivation and inspiration to lose weight. Today, I want to talk about the top three reasons why I hate to diet. This list could be much longer but the motivation for this post comes from the current blog project over at Daily Blog Tips. Daniel encouraged bloggers to write on a subject using the number 3 as the theme.

What is it about diets that you and I hate so much? Is it the restrictive nature of what you can eat? How about the smaller portion sizes? Maybe your favorite foods are on the taboo list. How about since we are dieting we must be overweight? Well, I can’t answer this question for you but my top three reasons are listed below.

Number 1

The number one reason that I hate diets is that you can’t just live care free. Gone are the days when you just ate what you wanted when you wanted. Just joining your coworkers for lunch is now sometimes out of the question because they may be headed somewhere that is not a part of your diet plan. Strolling through the mall and have a sudden urge for a snack, if you are on a diet you need to just keep walking past that cookie, ice cream or pretzel that’s calling your name. Being spontaneous is not allowed when your are dieting.

Number 2

The other thing I really hate about dieting is that healthy food costs more than calorie and fat filled normal food. I can be on the cheap side so this one really bothers me. For example, I can buy a regular loaf of bread for a dollar but my low calorie high fiber bread costs me over two dollars. Stroll down the snack aisle at your grocer and check out the prices of the 100 calorie snacks. I can buy a huge bag of chips for the same price as a small box of 100 calorie chips. All of the lower calorie and reduced fat items are more expensive than their regular counterparts. I’m sure it costs more to make the diet versions than the regular ones but that doesn’t make me feel any better.

Number 3

I love cookies and bread but both are high in calories and can be high in fat also. My family sometimes called me the cookie monster because I love cookies so much. If I had to pick only two foods to live on for the rest of my life it would be oatmeal raison cookies and pizza.

Do you also hate to diet? Join in the discussion and put your reasons in the comments below.

9 comments:

Half Man said...

We are all on diet. It's a matter of what kind of diet you are on.

As far as living care free, I see it more as living careless. Certainly, it takes discipline. The rewards of discipline far outway the momentary sensuality of carelessness.

Concerning the cost, the one for one comparison is more expensive. However, we tend to eat more of the cheap stuff. If you add up all the cokes at the gas station, eating out a few times a week, ordering pizza, running to the store for a bag of chips, etc... and compare that to what you spend eating healthy, you will find eating healthy is cheaper. Even if it isn't, consider the cost of health problems down the road.

I love cookies and bread too. Eating healthy does not mean saying goodbye to cookies and pizza. It means learning eat them once in awhile and in moderation.

I try not to think of eating healthy as a "diet" since "diets" are things people quit when the reach a goal or even before. I eat the way I will eat the rest of my life.

Moby Dick said...

I love oatmeal cookies and pizza, but not raisins. It is amazing how many of the overweight bloggers LOVE pizza. I guess pizza is very popular in general?

Joey said...

Thanks for stopping by Half Man, you have made some valid points as when you are eating healthy you do eat less. When I carry my lunch to work it normally costs me about $3 and when I eat out it is around $6.

Spidey I think pizza could be a large factor in a lot of peoples size. I was watching Shaq's new show where he tries to help get kids fit. The nutritionist was complaining that one of the kids ate four pieces of pizza and she turned to him and asked how many pieces do you eat? He did not want to answer that. For me in the old days if I went to Double Daves buffet I would eat about five or six pieces and four slices of stromboli. Ouch.

Christine said...

I hate the word diet. But I know that I am on one. The grocery bill has grown for sure since I started buying "healthy" - it does take hard work and planning though. I do run into tough decisions each day where I could easily eat crap. Almost takes more work to pack a healthy lunch rather than eating at the cafeteria. Great blog by the way - will be stopping by again.

Joey said...

Christine,

Thanks for stopping by. Hard work and planning as you mentioned are two keys to being successful.

Anonymous said...

My favorite food is anything chocolate... not exactly ideal for dieting.

We eat mostly organic, and it WAY more expensive than non-organic junk food. However, I think it is it worthwhile.

Joey said...

Hey George, you are not alone with the chocolate thing. Many people really love chocolate.

Scott Hidalgo said...

Here's a tip on point #2:

Those 100 calorie packs are just a marketing gimmick to seperate you from your hard earned money. Everyone here knows that those aren't any healthier for you than regular snacks, they've just packaged it in such a way that it's easier to control the amount.

I stop by the local warehouse superstore and pick one bag/box of bulk goodies. Then when I get home, I just repackage it in ziploc snack bags into 100 calorie amounts.

When I want, say, chips I just grab a premeasured snack bag. I get a measured amount and it didn't cost me an arm, or a leg.

I also do the same with things that I cook, like chicken breasts or cheese.

Joey said...

Good tip Fit Club Scott I have done that too with animal crackers and pretzels.