Diet “You”

By now I think we can all agree on one thing…that crash diets aren’t sustainable.

Sure they get the weight off quick but once the initial excitement of being on a “diet” has worn off it often returns just as fast.

That is unless the behaviour behind the eating habit which led to the weight gain has been addressed.

Don’t get me wrong they’re great for a kick start but a long-term and personalised plan needs to be put into place for when the old habits find their way back in.

The best place to start is with a bit of self-reflection – Identifying and or writing a list of the habits you have and the ones you would like to work on, or keeping a simple food journal for a week to pinpoint where your struggling.

The next step is to check if your nutrition goals are personalised to you or are they generic?

 Goal checklist:

• Are they realistic to your life style?
• Do they align with your goals?
• Can you maintain them?
• Are they of importance to you?

These are all important factors to consider when making goals for YOURSELF, because remember these goals are YOUR goals and they apply to YOU, no one else.

The third step is to make small and simple improvements on a daily basis. Because believe it or not consistent small changes develop into long-term changes in behaviour.

Start by designing your environment to assist with your new habits:

• Get rid of any food you don’t want to be eating – give it to a friend or neighbor
• Buy new plastic containers, a drink bottle and an insulated lunch bag
• Be mindful when shopping and what your bringing into your home
  • only shop once a week
  • avoid the junk food isle
  • don’t be tempted by supermarket specials

And then start to implement small daily changes such as:

• Aim to gradually increase your water intake
• Put a little less on your dinner plate
• Request a smaller piece of cake at the party
• Fill half of your plate with salad or veg
• Get up a little earlier and have some eggs for brekky

Then track your progress:

I’m not talking about calorie counting, weighing food, or checking the number on the scales. But simply checking in to see if you’re making progress by accomplishing these daily habits and working towards the end goal. This could be as simple as putting a TICK or a X in your diary each day.

So ditch the all or nothing approach and remember life happens, special occasions come around, you may forget your lunch or you may be gifted a box of chocolates! But what your doing majority of the time is what truly matters and is what is going to have the biggest effect on your long-term goal.

So get away from all of the noise and let’s make a long lasting plan that suits YOU.