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Mar 15

What You Need To Know Before Starting A Diet If You Want It To Last – Elite Daily

Diets that Work Comments Off on What You Need To Know Before Starting A Diet If You Want It To Last – Elite Daily

Many people have this idea in their heads that eating healthy food is incredibly hard to do.

But the truth is, healthy eating and proper nutrition doesnt need to be that hard. Its all about knowing a few important rules before going into it.

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Below are a few common nutrition pitfalls and what you can do about them:

Whether youre eating too much or too little, the fact of the matter is, its hard to know exactly how much you should be eating.

For example, weve all read this on a nutrition label:

Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

But, how should you know if your daily values should be higher or lower? And furthermore, how much higher or lower should they be?

The amount of calories you should be eating is dependent on a number of factors, including height, weight, age, activity level and goals.

Determining how many calories you should be eating comes with a deep understanding of your body.

Sure, you can estimate how much you should be eating with online calculators, but if youre serious about eating a proper quantity for you, then youll want to determine the following:

1. How many calories you burn in a complete resting state (Basal Metabolic Rateor BMR) 2. How many calories you burn in total throughout the day (Total Energy Expenditureor TEE)

These two numbers, along with all those other facts listed above, are what will determine how much you should be eating.

The good news is, the more you burn, the more you can afford to eat. Thats not to say you should exercise like crazy just so you can eat more, but thats another article for another day.

Bottom line:Get to know your body and your activity habits. Evaluate from there.

There are two kinds of eaters in this world: grazers and loaders.

Grazers (commonly referred to as snackers) pick at small bits of food throughout the day. Loaders take in one or two gigantic meals a day, and they likely skip breakfast.

In a perfect world, wed all be part-grazer, part-loader.

When we go a long time without eating, we often end up overcompensating and overeating when it comes to mealtime because were so hungry.

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Not to mention, the big meals we do end up eating tend to be on the unhealthier side. (Think burgers, pasta, pizza, etc.)

These kinds of foods dont provide us the micronutrients, AKA vitamins and minerals, our bodies need to function optimally.

So, whats a loader to do? Eat a moderate-sized breakfast, lunch and dinner, and keep healthy snacks on hand.

Your main meals should be filled with a balanced plate of protein, fats and carbs, and your snacks should be low in sugar and high in fiber to help keep you running throughout the day.

Ever been on a diet before? *Raises hand*

Like most people, that diet likely didnt work out for you.

Why? Because the plethora of fad diets existing in our world today are focused on eliminating certain foods completely from your diet.

Atkins, for example, cuts out a huge amount of carbs. Juice cleanses have you only consuming the juice for a number of days, with maybe a bit of real food in addition.

The reality is, these diets or cleanses are not sustainable by any means.

We all know that we only want what we cant have. This is no different for food.

When were too strict with our food choices, we often end up overeating when we finally get our hands on whatever that forbidden food was.

Its the mentality of I havent had a chocolate chip cookie in two weeks, and I dont know when Ill ever have one again, so I need to have 15 right now! (If youre wondering, yes, Ive eaten 15 cookies in a row.)

Furthermore, being on an extremely rigid meal plan can often lead to obsessive and disordered behaviors.

So instead of committing to yet another diet, commit to eating nutrient-dense food and allow treats in moderation.

Heads up, one more cliche coming at you: Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.

As much as you want to hate, its a true statement. And when it comes to nutrition, it certainly rings true.

A few key ways to keep your nutritional health thriving are food prepping, packing your lunch for work and having those healthy snacks on you throughout the day.

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Not only will you be doing your body good by giving it the proper fuel it needs, but youll also be saving money by bringing lunch instead of buying it.

New to food prepping? All it takes is five easy steps.

Subscribe to Elite Daily's official newsletter, The Edge, for more stories you don't want to miss.

Orian is a certified CF-1 trainer and a CrossFit junkie, psychology student, and the CEO and Editor of Snatcher, leading functional fitness magazine based in Israel.

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What You Need To Know Before Starting A Diet If You Want It To Last - Elite Daily

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