June 8, 2017

Don’t Diet, Make Changes to Your Lifestyle

Everyone everywhere is looking for these diets to change their body and their body image. Anything from low carb, high protein, low fat, or strictly just chicken/tilapia, brown rice, and broccoli. Although many of those may show slight improvements for many individuals, over time they have been proven not to truly last long term for most individuals. It is said that it takes 21 days to break a habit and create a new one, but dieting more often than not, leaves one with a month or two of success and then we gain it all back when we fall out of the diet we were trying.

If people decided to make small changes to their lifestyle and not pull a full 180 on their bodies, it could have much more successful results. This is why a dietician tells their clients to bring in a 3-7 day food log so they can go over the past 3-7 days and make healthier adjustments.

Fox example, switch drinking soda to drinking those carbonated, low calorie, flavored waters. You could get multiple flavors to keep it interesting as well as keep the habit of opening a can and getting something carbonated, if that’s a habit for you.
Another example, is switching white rice for brown rice or white bread to whole wheat bread. It may take a little getting used to, but it is much more manageable long term.

If you eat out many nights a week or get fast food at lunch everyday when you work, try to meal prep or plan out things the night or weekend before that you can make from home. Not only will that save you money because you’re cooking in more of a bulk fashion, but the less fast food you consume the better it will be for you long term. I’m not saying to cut all fast food and go cold turkey, but slowly eliminate that greasy, drive through, quick counter-exchange runs from your week so cut down from 5 times a week to 1-2. Even at these fast food places, try to pick the healthiest option you have at that location. Life happens and sometimes its impossible to avoid having to run out and grab something.

One last tip about making lifestyle changes instead of dieting is being conscious about what you are putting into your body- if you need to eat out with work or because you did not have time to plan ahead, select the healthier options on the menu.

It’s all about moderation and making the changes to live a healthier lifestyle, not a month diet plan.

Nutrition & Diet, Uncategorized , ,
About Geoff Rubin