It is easy to say, “I am going on a diet.”
It is harder to say, “I am going to eat 100% healthy today.”
And it is really hard to actually eat 100% healthy.
We like the grand idea of a diet or program, but nobody really likes the idea of doing the good, hard work of restriction and deprivation. But the reality is that when we try to follow a strict diet, it rarely lasts… which is why thousands of people make a New Year's resolution to lose weight every year.
Many people don't actually stick to a diet the way that they are supposed to.
Unless you plan to never get busy, always be prepared, pass up every birthday party and dinner invite, skip vacations, and stick to a schedule all day every day - LIFE will get in the way of your "perfect" meal plan.
Some people may follow a diet or meal plan perfectly, but it can become too strict for too long.
Then they often go back to their old way of eating because they don't know what else to do when the are not on the plan. Or they begin a plan that was meant to be temporary and continue to follow it for too long - which can lead to deficiencies, disordered eating habits, or other health (mental, metabolic, hormonal) consequences.
A lot of people may follow a strict plan for a while but won't really enjoy it. This discontent can pose a serious challenge for a diet to be sustainable long term.
So, instead of another diet this year, why not choose small daily changes?
Focus on what is possible and doable and what you can do TODAY.
You can’t set a goal to lose 30 pounds and expect to lose 5 within the first day.
Regardless of which nutrition or fitness plan that you follow, you need to make your plan a priority, do the hard work (yes, this is not easy!), and stay consistent.
You have to show up again and again and again… even when you want to quit.
Let’s say we go to the future and we go to the place where you have reached your goal… say you lost all of the weight... You won’t remember the small failures that seemed so big and important at the time. That Tuesday that you overate is irrelevant. Aren’t you glad you didn’t quit when the scale went up 5 pounds? Or when things got tough?
What small choices can you make today to reach your goals this year?
