Dieting is tough, that's hardly a surprise to anyone who has ever attempted it. The sheer number of diet plans that people end up giving up on probably outweighs the number of successful ones by a pretty significant amount. There are a lot of reasons why people end up giving up on their diets, everything from a lack of decent goals to relying on fad diets for fast results. However, one of the most common reasons that people give up on their diets is far more simple than that: it feels horrible! For a lot of people, diets seem to be built on suffering. If you want to lose weight, then you're expected to feel miserable and hungry all of the time. However, the reality is that you don't need to be in pain to lose weight and it can often make it harder than it needs to be. With that in mind, here are some ways that you can diet without wasting away.
Mind the density
The reality is that it's not just about how much you're each, it's about what you're eating. Different foods have different energy densities, and it's important that you keep that in mind when choosing what to eat. Snacks like chips have a very high energy density, so you'll end up taking in a lot of calories by the time you feel full, whereas fruits and vegetables contain a lot of fibre and water, which means that you'll feel full much sooner without consuming nearly as many calories.
Don't remove meals, replace them
There's a temptation that people have to cut their calorie intake by skipping meals. This is always a terrible idea. Cutting out meals altogether is just going to end up making you feel terrible and losing out on energy that you need to get through the day. If you really need to cut your calories significantly then try some low calorie meal replacement shakes instead of just skipping them altogether. That way you're taking in valuable energy without consuming as many calories as you would having a full meal.
Don't cut your portions
The other thing that people try to do is simply keeping their diet the same but reducing portion sizes. However, if you're already eating high energy density foods with lots of sugar, salt, and saturated fat, then you're going to need to eat very small portions in order to reduce your calories enough. However, by changing the foods that you eat, then you'll be able to eat a surprising amount of food without having to worry about the number of calories that you're taking in at each meal. It's important to remember that dieting shouldn't be unpleasant. Sure, you're going to have the temptation to binge on snacks every once in awhile, but if you're constantly feeling hungry and tired, then you're not dieting, you're starving yourself. It might feel as though being hungry means that your diet is working but the truth is that you can lose weight without having to feel uncomfortable and unhappy.
