Raise your hand if you’ve been on a diet. Raise your hand if you’re on one right now. How are you doing it? Cutting out sugar? Reducing calories? Exercising more? Those are all great ideas, but do you actually know why? Here are 4 things that happen when you’re on a healthy diet - that actually works!
1. It’s All About Energy
The first thing you think of when you think “diet” is probably eating less, right? Well, that’s only sort of right. Simply eating less food means that you’re actually depriving your body of the energy it needs to keep going. It’s about what you eat less of.
Setting an unrealistically low calorie intake goal just because it sounds good will only slow your metabolism, and you won’t get anywhere. But keeping a calorie intake that keeps you full while packing in high protein foods will kickstart your metabolism and burn energy constantly. And pretty soon…
2. Your Body Will Shift To Burning Fat
You’ve heard this one probably, but shifting your body from losing muscle AND fat to just burning fat is key to a good diet, because it’s evidence that you’re trained your body to do what you want. Normally your body uses both to keep you going throughout the day, but if you’re eating a diet with plenty of protein and exercising regularly, your body will shift to burning its excess fat for energy and actually build up muscles - which is exactly what you want to see! But remember…
3. You’ll Readjust - And Readjust Again
Flickr user USDAgov
One of the worst enemies of a weight-loss diet is never changing it up. You can eat all the nutritious food you can and exercise every day, but eventually your body will adjust to the new number of calories you’re consuming and burning…and you’ll stop losing weight. Your body will reach a new stasis, and you’ll plateau.
Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing - it still means your diet’s working. And if you’re happy with how you feel and look at that point, great! If you want to lose more weight though, you’ll have to set some new goals for diet and exercise. And pretty soon…
4. Eating The “Healthy” Stuff Gets Easier…Because You’ll Crave It
Okay we’re not saying that you’ll want broccoli like you want chocolate. But eating fruit, veggies and other healthy foods do make you feel better - and so your body will start to crave that feeling. That birthday cake everyone’s having will probably still sound delicious, but if you’re keeping your body nourished instead of starving, it’s much easier to turn down. Craving healthy foods is your body’s way of saying it likes what you’re doing, so listen to it!
What do you do to maintain a healthy diet? Tell us in the comments below!
