Yes there is a difference. It actually comes down to two things; the quick and unhealthy way or the slow and steady and as the old saying goes “slow and steady wins the race”. We live in a time where unfortunately, being thin has been associated with being healthy. Another popular belief is that you have to feel hunger all the time, if you are to successfully lose weight.
Crash diets
Well yes, you will lose weight. You are hungry because you are not eating. If you do not eat your weight will drop. When you burn more calories than you consume then the pounds will drop. However, as soon as you eat, because not eating is simply not sustainable, you will quickly gain the weight you lost. That is part of the reason they are called crash diets. You starve yourself and lose the weight but it is difficult and not very healthy in the long run to maintain. After sometime the toll of being without food will tell on your body. You will feel tired, stressed and empty. Food provides nourishment and is a source of comfort. Depriving ourselves of it just makes us crave it that much more.
Healthy Eating
This is where you take a healthier and slower approach to sustainable weight loss. Here you combine some sort of physical exercise along with making smarter eating choices, which slowly develop into habits. By combing exercise with good eating habits you will burn more calories than you consume. Instead of reaching for a bar of chocolate, you munch on a sweet fruit or without snacking on a bag of crisps you eat a handful of almonds or a couple of cream crackers. This way you consciously choose to start eating healthier and as a result you stop feeling hungry all the time. Less hunger means you crave less and reduces your need for binge eating. Slowly but surely your body will respond to the smarter choices you make. Want to lose weight, calculate your macro, feel more energized or gain muscle? Here’s everything you need to know about macros, plus the macro tracking.
Intuitive Eating
What is Intuitive eating? The International Food Information Council Foundation says, “Practicing intuitive eating helps us to be more in tune with our feelings of hunger and fullness. This helps prevent things like eating out of habit or overeating to the point of feeling stuffed at a meal just because there was food left on the plate.“ They even provide an interesting short video on how to gauge your hunger levels, so that you can eat smarter.
Eating healthy to lose weight is definitely slower than going on a crash diet. It takes time and patience, especially for it to become a habit. However, by persevering you will see results, amazing results and results that last.