Why I Hate Dieting...

It sucks!

That really ought to be all that needs to be said. Doesn't make for much of a post and is only a superficially satisfying rant. So digging a little deeper, here's what annoying me about dieting today.

Of course, there's the restriction on food consumption (more so calorie consumption). What's even better is as you lose weight, your daily calorie budget decreases. What a great reward! You're making progress so now you get to eat even less!

Then there's the lack of caloric information available at many local establishments. Sure guessimations and comparisons to similar foods can make for a good guide, but at some point, you'll have to make a decision to err on the side of too many or too few calories. Too few and you're heading down a slippery slope to cheating and lack of success. Too many and you end up hungry and miserable (this probably happens when you get it just right too).

Then there's the matter of exercise. Exercise gives you calories back or makes up for over-indulgence. However, too much exercise will lead to water retention. Water retention shows up on the scale as weight gain which helps break one's spirit. Even if you can keep that in check, it makes it hard to monitor progress since you have to wait for the retention to pass.

Finishing things off, who's to say what weight one really needs to be? I felt pretty good when I was 10 pounds lighter than I am today, but I'm feeling pretty good about my current weight. However, I'm currently above the BMI of 25. 10 pounds lighter puts me slightly below. I can't see myself possibly getting much lighter than that.