You probably know lots of dieting rules that unconsciously run through your head when trying to lose weight. Don’t eat at night, don’t skip breakfast, drink eight 8-oz glasses of water every day, etc. Eventually it may seem that dieting is nothing but rules, and you begin to want to break every of them. The good news is that many dieting rules no longer apply, or at least may not apply to everyone. Take a look at the dieting rules below that you no longer have to follow!
Skip processed carbs. For many dieters, avoiding white bread, processed carbs, and pasta are well known dieting rules, but now you can feel good about breaking them. The recommended daily allowance for healthy women is six ounces of bread, carbohydrates, grains, etc. And if half of those servings come from whole grains, you can feel free to indulge in your white bread for the remaining three. Breaking this dieting rule can keep you from feeling deprived of all your favorite pastas and white rice dishes. Just remember to exercise portion control.
Eat five small meals a day. The theory behind this dieting rule is that your blood sugar stays elevated and your body never goes into that crazy-hungry stage you get from missing meals. But many busy girls don’t have time to prepare five meals a day, not to mention if you have a tendency to overeat at meal times you’ve just given yourself an additional two times to do so. Instead, try breaking this rule by eating three meals a day, but make sure each meal has plenty of fiber rich foods, which will keep you full and going all day.
Night eating. A calorie is a calorie, whether you eat it at 11 p.m. or 9 a.m. The real problem with night eating is that sometimes it adds in extra calories, or tends to be something high in fat like ice cream or nachos (probably where this rule originated from). But if you are following a healthy diet and just happen to miss a meal, or experience a craving, there is nothing wrong with having something to eat at night. Just remember while breaking this dieting rule that, as noted above, these calories still count.
Stay hungry. This is one dieting rule that can go out the window for sure. Feeling hungry and losing weight no longer have to go hand in hand. In fact, constantly being hungry can lead to overindulging once the feeling of starvation becomes overwhelming. Break this dieting rule by eating when you are hungry “ just have a healthy snack instead. A yogurt, some fruit, fresh veggies with low fat dip “ keep your portions under control (100-200 calories) while breaking this dieting rule, and you’ll be able to avoid overindulging.
