What's the difference between lifestyle and diet?

I have a lot of patients ask me about my diet and the way I live. A lot of times I begin to talk about and hear, "I can't eat that way. I can't do it that way".

The reason is, they're looking for a diet, and really, what I am providing is a lifestyle. A lifestyle that's going to make you happier and healthier.

For those of you that knew me 10 years ago, you would know that my diet was horrible, and therefore, my lifestyle was horrible.

In the morning, I'd wake up and have six to nine Pop Tarts and a bottle of Mountain Dew. Mid morning I'd have a Mountain Dew and a banana. For lunch, I'd have two Mountain Dews and six bologna sandwiches with extra cheese and extra Mayo. Mid afternoon, I'd have another Mountain Dew and a banana. Finally, for supper, I have two oven baked pizzas, and two Mountain Dews.

This is how I went six or seven days a week...every week, every year. And, I didn't feel good. I hurt all over, I gained weight, I was flabby, I was soft, and it just wasn't good for me.

Fast forward now, 10 years later, I have a Master's in Nutrition. I figured out what is healthy for me and I changed my lifestyle, so that my diet would be correct.

So what does that mean? What's the difference between lifestyle and diet?

Diet is what you eat on a daily basis. The things that you put in your mouth, is your diet.

Lifestyle is how you do things in your daily processes.

Every day, I do my best to eat a healthy diet. My lifestyle is now set up to help me do that.

On the weekend, I will cook what meals I can cook, ahead of time. I prep for it. I do my grocery shopping so that it is easy for me to prep those meals, and to make my meals during the week so that they are healthy.

If your lifestyle is one of last minute prep and last minute eating, you're going to have a hard time having a good diet. If your lifestyle is that type where you're doing everything on the whim, you're not going to have a healthy diet.

If you need help setting up the way your lifestyle could be, to be healthier, to live to be that older person that's enjoying the great grandchildren, or to do the things in life without having aches and pains, give me a call at the office, 636-207-6600, and we'll begin to set up a process for you to learn how to have a healthy lifestyle moving forward.