*DIET* - What does it mean to you?

I did a mini survey with some helpful friends and family - I simply asked what the word 'diet' meant to them and what words came to mind when they heard the word. Here's what I got back:

Pain, Deprivation, Starve, Not forever, For a set period of time Temporary, I can't have…Hunger, Avoiding certain foods, No junk, Miserable, Restriction, Weight, Calorie counting, Willpower, No variety, Extremely restricted, Not appetizing, Boring, Determination, Dread, Dull, Exercise, Healthy foods, Depressing

Not surprisingly, the majority of these words are negative and imply restriction, lack of enjoyment and even pain! They also elude to the fact that most people consider a diet to be temporary. So what does the word actually mean?

'The kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eats'

(oxforddictionaries.com)

Only one person I asked said something along these lines and that was after she gave a whole list of negative connotations - even though she knew what diet actually meant, her experiences have lead to all these negative words flooding out before she could even get to the definition! Diet actually means what you do eat, not what you don't and this is where I feel many of us are going wrong and setting ourselves up for a bad experience.

Typically when we start a diet, we make a mental list of things we can't have, things we consider 'naughty' or 'bad', things reserved for a 'cheat day'. The problem is that our brain is not so good at recognising the 'can't' element - if you say to yourself enough times that you can't have chocolate cake, your brain is going to conjure up a pretty good image of a chocolate cake, maybe the best one you ever had? It brings a memory flooding back of how nice it was and now the only thing you successfully can't do is stop thinking about chocolate cake! This puts you in a vulnerable place - you might be able to hold out for a while but when you do eat that chocolate cake you may overindulge even more than if you had simply not decided it must be slashed from your diet altogether. Does this thought process sound helpful?!

If we begin a 'diet' in this way with all these negative thoughts, feelings of dread and the expectation that it will be miserable, painful, depressing and restrictive, how can we hope for a positive experience? If we see it as something temporary, with an end point, how can we hope for long-lasting health and results? Your diet should be for life, not just however long you can stand it!

If you have negative feelings to the word diet then consider if you even need to use the word? Or maybe you could make a list of positive connotations and all the nutritious foods you like? Try to shift the focus away from what you feel you can't have and avoid blaming specific foods for weight gain or lack of progress - it is more likely to be overconsumption that is the problem. Eat a wide variety of foods in moderation and include lots of your favourite foods so that your diet is both enjoyable and sustainable long-term.

Remember your diet is what you make it, it's for life, not just 30 days, so make sure it brings you health and happiness 🙌