Diet fads vs healthy habits for life
January seems like a perfect time to make changes to your life – after the excesses of Christmas, and with the promise of a New Year ahead. However, while New Year resolutions can be a great way to set intentions for the year to come, there can be a lot of pressure to transform your life, and it’s all too easy to get sucked into an unhealthy and unsustainable ‘New Year, New You’ mentality.
I’m sharing my top tips to avoid the diet fads and improve your health by making healthy, sustainable, achievable habits for life:
1. Don’t restrict yourself
Restricting what you eat might result in speedy weight loss results but it’s very rarely sustainable in the longer term. Restriction can lead to an unhealthy relationship with certain foods, triggering cravings and feelings of guilt when we finally succumb to our urges. Instead, focus on choosing an abundance of healthy foods which you enjoy! I believe that inclusion is much better than restriction, and over time you may actually enjoy those healthier foods more than the less healthy foods in your diet!
2. Don’t cut out food groups
Avoid diets that encourage you to cut out entire food groups (e.g. low carb or low fat). While it’s so tempting, demonising whole food groups is never a good thing. I cut carbs for a long period of time, thinking that was the answer to my stubborn, unwanted peri-menopausal pounds. But, the initial weight loss didn’t hold and my energy levels dropped. By adding the right amount of healthy carbs back into my diet (for example, oats, brown rice, blueberries, sweet potato), I actually lost more weight and feel better than ever. Generally, a balance of complex carbohydrates, healthy fats and protein is ideal for long-term health. Each of those macronutrients play a crucial role in our health, so, like for me, excluding one of them may not be the best for you.
3. Beware the quick fix diets
If it seems too good to be true, it probably is! There are many weird and wonderful diets out there, many of which promise weight loss in a short space of time. But losing weight too quickly is usually not sustainable, and can end in a cycle of yo-yo dieting. Look carefully at what the diet entails, and ask yourself whether this is actually achievable with your lifestyle. Start small with just a few changes – you are much more likely to stick to your regime and make long-lasting healthy habits.
4. Make it fun!
It sounds obvious, but if you are hoping to lose weight, avoid making changes to that will make you feel miserable! Gruelling sessions in the gym and cutting out all your favourite foods are not the only ways to lose weight. Instead, make it fun. Do exercise that makes you feel good. If you like cooking, get in the kitchen and get creative with some healthy recipes. Find joy in your changes and it will make your weight loss journal so much easier and enjoyable.
5. Join a community
One way to stick to your resolutions in the long term is to join a community. It could be an exercise class, a gym, a support group or cooking class. Find a group of friends that have the same goals as you and motivate each other.
If you have any further questions about this or how I can help you, send me a message or book in for a free 15-minute discovery call.