Healthy Eating ≠ Eating to Lose Weight

One of the most popular misconceptions in today’s diet market is that you need starting “eating healthy”.  Sure, for most people that  could actually work, but its a very incomplete rule.

It seems to be the common opinion that if you start “eating healthy,” then you will automatically start dropping weight as quickly as Directors drop Lindsay Lohan.

But that’s not necessarily the case…

[We can't avoid glorious desserts our entire lives. They're way too delicious.  One donut or one ice cream sundae shouldn't lead us to feel guilty, they are meant to be pleasurable.  You can have your weight loss and eat your cake too ]

Losing weight, contrary to what you’ve heard, is about one thing, and one thing only, eating less (and moving more doesn’t hurt either).

Without going too far into science-y speak, your Metabolic Rate(MR) is based, nearly entirely, on how tall you are, and your current age.  Sure, you can also increase that MR by doing small things, like exercising, drinking cold water, eating spicy foods, standing on your head, or playing hopscotch; but usually these actions are all irrelevant if you are eating more calories per day than you are burning.

The name of the game has, and always will be… Calories In vs. Calories Out.

But what does this have to do with Healthy Eating vs. Eating To Lose Weight?

I’ll tell you, because there’s a BIG difference.

Eating to lose weight is simply consuming less calories than your body typically burns within the course of a day.  Therefore, you could consume these calories from broccoli, apples, and spinach salads… or you could consume them from pizza, ice cream, donuts, and Heineken.

Get it?

Where you consume these calories doesn’t matter as long as you are eating less than you are burning per day. “Healthy eating” just allows you to consume more food within those calories.

What we tend to forget, if you were to overeat broccoli, apples, and spinach salads, just the sheer overload of calories would automatically make them unhealthy;  As in, eating an unhealthy amount of calories.

Overeating is always unhealthy, and will produce weight gain, regardless if you are overeating donuts, or if you are overeating apples.  It’s just A LOT easier to over eat a dozen krispy kremes and a pepsi, than healthy, nutrient dense foods and a cup of tea.

Now, to be clear, I am a big fan and advocate of healthy eating and would take vegetables and fish over a bag of Ruffles any day of the week (though I do love me a handful of Sour Cream ‘n Onion from time to time).

Among other things, continuing to confuse healthy eating with eating to lose weight is why 90% of all dieters gain back either all or more of their lost weight within 3 years of losing it.

If you use:  “Healthy Eating ≠ Eating to Lose Weight” as a superior rule to anything else you read in the piles of diet nonsense, you’re automatically ahead of the majority of dieters on the planet.

Here’s a hilarious video that always cracks me up…

To reset your mindset, break your addiction to food, and finally join the rest of us who still eat our favorite foods guilt-free and stay lean, check out TFLA’s review of Eat Stop Eat.     Click here —> Eat Stop Eat Review