Right now dieting is a mother-daughter endeavor. My mother is trying to lose some weight so that she can have knee surgery. She is, at least for now, doing it through a doctor's program. I have taken to calling him the Diet Nazi because he is so extreme in his "rules." According to him, my mother should NEVER EVER have any sort of red meat, any fat of any kind (including olive oil), and absolutely no carbs of any kind...EVER. I can't stress the ever factor more.
I feel he takes it too far. To say never, ever is setting up anyone who remotely loves food for failure. Plus, I don't understand why never is necessary. As I said in one of my first posts, the program I am on lets you eat most foods, including red meat, carbs and dessert (hell, I had chocolate chip pudding last night), just in extreme moderation. Plus, the program even advertises that "you can take the weekends off" (now everyone who watches TV should know what program I am on). As far as I understand it, Weight Watchers works on the premise that you can also eat almost whatever you want, including eating out, so long as you keep within your points. So why this mandate of never?
Maybe this never philosophy works for some patients, but my mother, like me, is a real foodie. Telling her never on almost everything but fish, chicken and steamed or raw vegetables is dooming her to be miserable and either giving up, or at some point binging and doing more damage than if she was allowed once a week to have a very small piece of lean beef.
I also know that for some people completely cutting out carbs (or white foods) can make a real difference, but that is usually when there actually is something wrong with ones endocrine system or digestive system and they can't metabolize or digest certain foods. According to this doctor though, my mother does not have that problem. This guy just seems to have one set of rules which he lays down with an iron fist.
So, what do you all think - should diet rules be extreme and iron clad law, or does moderation with room for cheating now and then work better?
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I just can't imagine cutting out certain things from your diet. Your body needs certain nutrients. The goal is to make healthy choices, choose leaner cuts of meat, and manage your portion sizes. One thing I've been practicing is listening to my body a bit more and stopping when I feel satisfied. Too often I eat blindly and then next thing I know I'm dying because I've stuffed myself.
ReplyDeleteDiets that strict freak me out. Doesn't your body NEED fat? In healthy amounts, of course.
ReplyDeleteI wish your mom success, though! Hoping everything works out for her. And you. :)