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Diet is Such and Ugly Word

© Kelly Smith

Diet. It is such a hideous word isn't it? Most of us cringe the moment we hear it. Visions of celery stalks and carrot sticks dance in our heads. We are not only worried about losing weight but staying healthy while we are doing it. "Eat butter, don't eat butter. Don't eat eggs, eat eggs." Advice from nutrition experts changes everyday. Does it have to be so hard?

Meanwhile, the companies (I won't mention any names because they already know who they are) who tote their newest diet fads are laughing all the way to the bank. "I did it and so can you!" quotes "Barbie" in the after picture in the magazine ad. Her claim of going from a size 22 to size 6 inspires us all and it doesn't take much convincing. Who wouldn't want to lose wait without getting our butts off the couch and being able to eat anything? Could we actually look like the picture of that women who has a 24-inch waist, perky breasts, beautiful complexion . . . Is that what happens to you when you lose weight, you start to think. Hmmm . . . What they fail to tell you is the latest diet dose hasn't been properly tested or approved by the FDA. Years down the line you hear on CNN that some of the ingredients cause heart failure or cancer. These companies also don't bother to tell us that once you go off the diet, you gain all of the weight back! So what's a girl to do? Is diet and nutrition really that important?

Personal trainer Kelly Ottenbreit believes so. I recently spoke to her regarding the importance of diet and nutrition. Ottenbreit talked about emotional eating, her own struggle and tips she gives to her own clients regarding their struggle with food.

"I believe that 70 percent of what we look like is diet and 30 percent is how we train or how active we are. But, having said that I think that the most important factors in nutrition are balance and moderation.

Unfortunately, when someone is trying to lose weight they often focus so much on what they are eating that they are thinking about it all the time and they end up eating way more than they need and they become "obsessive" about it. It is important to be aware of what you are eating, but how much and why are more important." Ottenbreit said.