Diets, in general, are thought of as being positive, life-changing things. When implemented correctly, they can improve the health of the body and the mind, as well as your self-confidence.
But sometimes, diets can go too far. So, how do you know when yours has reached this point? Here are 6 signs.
You’re obsessed with your scale.
When dieting and trying to lose weight, a scale is important. Checking your weight weekly is best practice. However, checking the scale every day, multiple times a day, or after every meal is a bit too much.
If you find yourself doing this, you’re scale obsessed and your diet has veered off into a direction that could become unhealthy.
Your diet is a secret.
You shouldn’t have to hide your weight loss efforts from your loved ones. You should be happy to share this positive lifestyle change with them.
If you aren’t? There’s probably a reason that you’re keeping it a secret. Maybe you know your diet is unhealthy, maybe you’re exercising too much, or maybe, your diet is causing you unpleasant side effects that you know will warrant worry from your friends and family.
You’re tired.
Being tired is normal – we all experience it sometimes. When you’re dieting and cutting out a variety of “bad” foods, though, it’s incredibly important to consider what your body is telling you.
If you’re tired constantly, you may be cutting out too much and setting yourself up for a negative weight loss experience.
You count calories.
While some diets and weight loss regimes have a points system or calorie system of sorts, there are very few that explicitly tell you to count every calorie. This is because calorie counting is, in many accounts, an extreme practice.
This is especially true when you find yourself counting the calories in condiments, the extra piece of cucumber going onto your sandwich, and the small bite of candy bar you stole from your partner at lunch.
You spend time researching food.
Of course, it’s totally fine to research new recipes to try. What isn’t fine, though, is when the majority of your free time is consumed by researching nutrition labels, ingredients, and micro nutrients.
This is also cause for concern when a quick, 5-minute shopping trip turns into a 30-minute trip because you had to stand in the grocery aisle and research each ingredient on the label of a jar of peanut butter.
You boycott social events.
For decades, food has been a social element. Families have been gathering for meals and serving tasty food at events since what seems like the start of time.
If you’ve been avoiding family functions such as birthday parties, Sunday dinner, or girls-night-out because you’re afraid that you’ll end up having a glass of beer or piece of cake? You might want to rethink how limiting your diet is.