You tell yourself you’re going to diet but how long does it really last? Too many of us are guilty of starting to eat healthy but giving in to the temptations of those delicious carbs. Dieting does not have to be so hard if you are doing it the right way. Take a look at these 7 ways to stick to your diet more easily.
Motivation
Whether it’s to look good, feel good or so that your body can thank you later it’s important to remind yourself why you decided to diet in the first place. Motivation to get healthy can range from shredding for a music festival or essentially so that you can live longer. Whatever it may be, allow this powerful motivation to fuel the strength it takes stick to your diet.
Baby steps
You don’t have to starve yourself nor do you have to chuck a 360 and turn your diet around completely overnight. The best way to start out is by choosing alternatives for what you would normally be eating. Substitute water for soft drink or rice crackers for chips. Remember, slow and steady wins the race! Once you’ve adjusted to these small changes, you can alter your diet even further by adding in healthier options and getting rid of fatty foods.
Clean out your kitchen
If unhealthy food is right at your fingertips then of course it’s going to be harder to stay away. Do a kitchen clean out and clear your fridge and cabinets of anything greasy like chips and anything your sweet tooth would like including lollies and chocolate. It might be hard to do at the time but your new and improved healthy self will be praising you for doing it.
Healthy food tastes good too
You don’t have to eat a banana for breakfast, lettuce for lunch and a celery stick for dinner. There are an infinite number of healthy options that are sure to satisfy your taste buds. Choose the foods you love! You don’t have to eat particular foods because they’re ‘healthy’ but instead eat them because you enjoy them. It’s a rare case for a person to dislike fruit or yoghurt or nibbling on some almonds. Find the foods you love that are also healthy and you will definitely have more of a chance of sticking to your diet.
Bring Lunch
Walking down to the local cafe and ordering a caeser salad really isn’t going to do you any favours because it’s drenched in caesar dressing AKA full of calories. Instead, bring food with you so that you can more accurately track exactly what is going into your stomach and how much of it. Sometimes packing snacks is a good way accommodate to your hunger without overdoing it.
Exercise
Kinda obvious but we had to add it in here! It’s fine to treat yourself but if you do run for those extra 5 minutes on the treadmill or take the stairs instead of the escalator. Create a workout plan that complements your diet so that you are giving your body the right amount of protein and other vitamins that it needs.
Diary
Like anything else that you have goals for, it is good to track your progress. A diet diary can really assist you by recording what you are putting into your body so that you can analyse it later. There are also some very helpful apps like Fitness Pal that can measure all of this for you. Taking note of your feelings and also challenges can provide you with a better insight into what works best for you so that you can make appropriate changes.
