I was asked this question and realized that I don't really know what the difference is so I am going to attempt to work it out in my writing. I will start with dieting. The Merriam Webster Online Dictionary defines the word dieting as ' to eat sparingly or according to prescribed rules'. Easy enough, that's what I thought it was. What dieting means to me however is 'perfection'. I must eat exactly what I am supposed to, never any extra. I must count calories and exercise. I have to suffer through cooking and weighing and measuring and cleaning. *note- I am NOT a domestic goddess* My whole life is focused on the next meal, what I can't have and what I have to have instead.
Now on to Abstinence. The Merriam Webster Online Dictionary defines abstinence as 'voluntary forbearance especially from indulgence of an appetite or craving or from eating some foods'. That is interesting. So, to break it down in my terms, abstinence referrs to my choice to not indulge in certain foods. I can be abstinent from fast food, pizza and ice cream. It doesn't mean that I have to weigh and measure everything.
In comparison by just their formal definitions, dieting is when you eat according to the rules whereas abstinence is voluntarily deciding that certain things shouldn't be eaten if you want to be healthy. So I would rather be abstinent than diet. I know what I need to do. I need to eliminate sugar. First and foremost. Eventually I would like to eliminate restaurants and white flour and salt. It makes me cringe to think about that though because it sounds so horrible! I have to decide which is more horrible, missing tastes or missing life. I know the answer...
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