How To Choose A Diet That Works For You
Are you still trying desperately to lose that 5-7 summer pound weight gain? Too many drinks, snacks and barbecues? Do you ever feel compelled to skip “girls night out” because you know you’ll break your diet? Do you find yourself stressing out over calories, figuring out which diet to choose, or how long to spend on the treadmill in order to burn off those cookies?
Well, stop that! It’s proven that stressing out, worrying about every little thing that goes in your mouth and depriving yourself will make you do worse rather than better.
We are creatures of habit. We will, generally, eat the same thing for breakfast each morning, take the same route to work and plop the same groceries in our baskets. If you want to lose weight, or become healthier, it’s going to involve changing your habits rather than looking for a quick fix. And like all habits that stick, you’re going to want to feel good about them. The motivation for sticking with it has to be bigger than the sacrifice, you’ve got to enjoy the journey.
What happens when we put ourselves on a diet we hate, finding ourselves hungry, craving chocolate, or downright miserable? We’ll eventually binge. We’ll sneak in “cheat meals” and feel bad about it, and then spiral into a mess of bad decisions. We vow that the diet simply didn’t work, and or even worse, we are failures and don’t deserve to be thin. You beat yourself up, give up for awhile...until you get fed up again, and try the next latest greatest diet. And so the billion dollar cycle continues. Yes you heard me, of course you are not alone, that’s why there is so much money spent on losing weight. e do it over and over and over and over again expecting a different outcome. Isn’t that insane?
Listen...there are tons of wonderful meal plans out there. People find success on the keto, whole 30, weight watchers, calorie counting, vegan, paleo and gluten-free diets. The list goes on and on! They all work, and they all don’t work. If you change your relationship with food and pick a “way” that feels right to you, then you are motivated to see it through. Some of them are a way of life and others are a jump start for a healthy way of eating long term. The most important part of gaining food freedom is that the “why” is way bigger than the “how”. If you are excited about the outcome, the food you are eating and have a support system, you will see success. You want to gradually instill better habits and feel great about what you accomplished.
Think about what you’re eating right now. What can you do to make some changes that you’ll feel better about? Do some research, and see what fits your lifestyle. Maybe you don’t have to give up carbs or that glass of wine quite yet. Many people feel they are all or nothing people and can’t just do it in moderation. You know yourself, for me, I would rather have a small taste. I am a very social eater and like to be part of the party. I would rather control the amount that I am eating and not give it up. Take time to really think about what would be successful for you. You want to seek out the most sustainable way to lose weight. And in order for it to be sustainable, you have to feel good about it.
It’s also proven that stress and unhappiness can make you pack on the pounds. So if you’re going to adjust your way of eating, you might as well be happy about it. Think substitutions and sustainability, replacing so-so choices with good, healthy ones--don’t think of it as depriving yourself. And it really is okay, once in awhile, to snack on those cookies or have that beer.
So tell me, what decisions can you make today? What can you do this week to help you feel great about your food and your body? Tell me everything, I really want to know!
Love yourself and be gentle.
SJW