Diet is a curse word

Diet. Such a simple, innocent word. Diet. I hate the word. The most basic meaning of the word is:

the foods eaten, as by a particular person or group: The native diet consists of fish and fruit.

Of course, that is the least used definition. The word diet is most often associated with the words “going on a”. It is a means to an end, most often associated with losing weight. Losing weight. There’s another loaded term. If I want to lose weight fast, I can chop off a leg. Is that what I really want to do? That’s a topic for a later date.

I read something recently about a study that indicated that most people who go on a diet end up gaining the weight back after they stop dieting. The study suggests it is mainly because people underestimate portion sizes. While I understand that logic, I think it’s a lot of bunk.

People gain weight back because they go off of their “diets”. If anyone really wants to maintain fat loss, they must make a permanent change in what they eat, how much they eat, how often they eat, and their level of physical activity.

The reason I hate the word diet so much is that it connotes, by it’s most common usage, a temporary change. Is it any wonder people gain weight back again? Do we really need a scientific study about that? I think not.