Have you fallen prey to yo-yo dieting? It’s when you start diets that you simply can’t continue and go on a roller coaster ride of weight loss and weight gain. It is not only heartbreaking and frustrating to go on such a journey, but it’s also really unhealthy. The truth is that eating healthy is a lifestyle change and in order to be successful, you need hard work and dedication. In order to help you stick to your diet, we have a few tips to help you along the way.
Choose a Diet Wisely
Fad diets are exactly just that, fads. You can’t stick to them, because they are so restrictive it’s insane. Moreover, most of the time they aren’t good for your body. Everyone needs a balanced diet and it’s important to know what’s good for your body and what isn’t. A diet needs to be attractive and simple and easy to stick to. The best way to design a diet for yourself is to talk to your doctor or see a professional nutritionist and develop a plan tailored for you.
Commit to a Change in Lifestyle
Fad diets don’t work because you can’t go on them forever. If you are trying to lose weight, you can’t expect to eat a certain way for a few months, lose the weight and then go back to eating like you were before. If you do this, you will just gain all of the weight back. You need to think in terms of forever and in terms of changing your lifestyle. Don’t start a diet in which you can only eat nuts and raw vegetables and think that you will spend the rest of your life doing so.
Plan Ahead
Meal prepping. It’s a very popular term, especially in the world of health and fitness. The reason it’s so popular is that it’s very effective. We make poor choices when we are hungry, so planning ahead and having meals readily available before we are hungry is the most effective way to stick to your diet. Plan your meals ahead of time and even cook and store them ahead of time if you can. Have readily available healthy snacks for when you need a boost and make sure you don’t have easy access to the foods that are bad for you. Remember, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.
Take Pictures
Photographic evidence of your progress is a great way to keep yourself motivated on your journey. Take pictures of yourself at the beginning of your journey and then take progress pictures every few weeks. You can keep them to yourself or share them with a few friends or on your social media for accountability. You will put that candy bar down when you see how far you have come.
Give Yourself a Break
Don’t be too strict on yourself. It’s ok to have a cheat meal once a week or to indulge in a few pieces of your favourite treat. If you are so busy obsessing over the things that you can’t have, you will never be able to stick to your diet. However, remember that it’s a cheat meal or a treat! Not a full cheat day! You can choose a small sliver of cake or a small cheeseburger, but make sure that the rest of your meals are really good choices for you. And remember, sugar is addicting so really do your best to stay away from refined sugars when you cheat.
Diets are hard to stick to, especially if they are not the ones for you. So, follow the tips above and commit to a healthy lifestyle in order to be successful. Focus on the delicious foods that you can have and on the progress that you make. With effort and commitment, you can do it and with time, it does get easier. Bon Appetite!
