What new year’s resolutions did you make this year?
I’m going to guess that for many of you it was around diet/weight loss.
I’ve done the same myself in the past, and every single time it only lasted a month, tops.
Failure is often a sign that we’re not setting the right goals, so this week I wanted to give you some suggestions for how to make sustainable changes to your diet in 2017.
Stop demonising food
Don’t think about chocolate. You’re thinking about chocolate aren’t you. This is the issue with pointing out a certain food as being off limits or ‘bad’ – suddenly it becomes all you can think about.
Instead of restricting foods aim for moderation instead. If you find your will power is lacking then only purchase the amount you wish to eat i.e. buy one small bar of chocolate at a time.
Swap fad diets for small, sustainable changes
Diets don’t work. Studies have shown that the majority of people who lose weight on a diet put it back on, and then some.
We need to shift the focus to health rather than weight.
Focus on one small change at a time, like adding an extra serve of vegetables to your daily routine.
These little steps may seem insignificant, but keep building on it over a period of months and it will result in big changes.
Incorporate mindfulness
Learning to be mindful of what you’re eating is a great first step to managing your health.
When you’re eating chips portion out the amount you want to consume and then actually focus on the taste of the chips. Often when we eat we get distracted making it easier to over-consume.
Focus on the ‘why’
When I was working as a nutritionist I noticed that the people who were most successful in maintaining long term change were the ones who had a highly motivating reason to do so.
For example, those who wanted to improve their health to increase their chances of being around for their family were more likely to be successful than those who were focused solely on losing weight for an upcoming event.
Focus on your ‘why’ and make sure it’s something that is truly important to you.
