How to Start a Healthy Diet and Stick to It
The New Year is quickly approaching, so what does that mean? That means that EVERYBODY is going to be joining gyms that they’ll stop going to after a few months and people will start diets that are unrealistic. Sound familiar?
Start a healthy diet today
During the holiday season, October through January 1, most people aren’t too fixated on a healthy diet… They figure they’ll “pig out” during the holiday season and burn it off at the start of the new year.
That’s pretty much everyone’s thought process but when the New Year arrives, people realize that their resolutions aren’t as easy to achieve as they thought, especially when trying to start a healthy diet and stick to it.
The term “diet” is actually what causes people to fail when embarking on certain diets. Well actually, the thing that sets you up for failure before you can even begin a diet is the type of diet you choose.
Most people tend to go for fad diets (diets that help you lose weight fast) instead of diets that help you lose weight progressively over time.
You definitely will need to do your research on which diet will work best for you because there are hundreds of them out there. When looking at different diets, the main thing you want to look for is if it’s sustainable to the lifestyle you live.
USA Today reported that the Mediterranean Diet is the best way to eat in 2019. In case you didn’t know, the Mediterranean diet has been around since the early 1960s and its many health benefits are still benefiting people to this very day.
Its longevity and sustainability are what separates it from other dieting fads; if it was indeed a fad, you wouldn’t have heard anything else about it beyond the 1960s.
To check out some delicious Mediterranean Diet recipes, click here.
Being Consistent
Have Realistic Expectations and a Realistic Mindset
Before you can even begin to think about starting a diet and sticking to it, you need to first get your mind right. By “getting your mind right,” that means that you have to mentally prepare yourself for the journey that you’re about to embark on and know that it’s not going to happen overnight… that’s the biggest part of being realistic with yourself and setting realistic expectations.
To help with realistic expectations and to help you keep a realistic mindset, people will download dieting apps to help them stay on track. A lot of these apps help you keep track of your weight and what you eat.
If you have the right mindset, these apps can be a great resource for you on your weight loss journey.
Understand What’s Motivating You to Stick With a Healthy Diet
This is the “why” to your diet. Why are you going on a diet? Some people go on a diet because they want to look good for their vacation that’s coming up in a few months; others are forced to stick to a healthy eating regimen because their life is dependent on it.
Ideally, you want to embark on a healthy eating regimen for the health benefits associated with it but regardless of your reasoning, knowing why you want to adhere to a healthy eating regimen can be the very thing that helps you stay consistent and keep your eye on the prize.
It’s better to have a long-term, more definite reason as to why because with short-term goals, after you’ve reached your goal, most people fall back into their bad eating habits and gain back all the weight they initially lost, plus some.
Keep Unhealthy or “Bad” Foods Out of Your Home
They say out of sight, out of mind, and that statement holds true, especially when trying to stick to a healthy eating regimen; if you don’t have the temptation in your home, you can’t be tempted, right?
If there are family members that still want to indulge in junk food, that’s fine, just try and keep those foods out of plain view.
Studies have shown that one of the reasons why people become obese is because junk foods are left sitting out. It prompts you to eat those foods even when you’re not even hungry.
Wrap-Up
Starting a healthy diet can be incredibly hard but with determination, you can make it happen!
Ready to start a healthy diet?
