Mummy From The Heart: Sick Of Bouncing Off Diets?

Thursday, 1 March 2018

Sick Of Bouncing Off Diets?

Few words are likely to fill a lot of people will more frustration and misery than that word "diet". Sure, most people are totally on board with the idea of adopting a healthier lifestyle, but the truth is that there's a big difference between doing that and going on a diet. Of course, a lot of diets can be great. They can allow you to improve your health, look the way that you want, and increase your self-confidence. However, that only happens if you can actually stick to it. A lot of people will tell you that all you really need in order make a diet work is to stick to it, but that might well be the very definition of the phrase "easier said than done" Being able to stick to a diet can be a serious challenge for a whole host of reasons. Luckily, whether it feels like it or not, a lot of those challenges are within your control. With that in mind, here are some ways that you can really make your diet stick!

Set clear goals
One of the most common mistakes that a lot of people make when it comes to starting any kind of diet is that they try to jump in without really thinking about the kinds of results that they want. Things like "lose some weight" or "be healthier" are great as motivators to start a diet, but when it comes to actually trying to stick to something, you need goals that are a little more specific and clear. Figure out exactly how much weight you want to lose and try to figure out how long that will realistically take. Not only should your goals be clear and specific, but they should be something that you can actually achieve. The last thing you want is to end up getting discouraged because you haven't reached some kind of overly ambitious goal that you were never going to achieve in the first place. By having goals that you can aim for and can tick off your progress over time, you're going to find it much easier to stay motivated, even when things get difficult.

Image courtesy of Pexels

Find a diet that works for you
One of the things that a lot of people tend not to realise is that not every diet is going to be right for every person. Our bodies are all different, and we all have different needs in terms of house much weight we want to lose and how we're able to go about it. Because of that, you need to find a diet that's actually right for you. Otherwise, you're going to end up getting frustrated and giving up on it. Whether it's some kind of high protein, low carb diet, the Shake That Weight program, or any other diet that's out there, make sure that it's right for your needs. If you want to figure out which diets are best for you, the best thing that you can do is to speak to a professional like your GP or a dietitian.

Get some help and support
Dieting can be difficult, dieting alone can be downright miserable. It can leave you feeling isolated and unmotivated. Not only that but it can cause you to end up making excuses as to why you don't have to stick to your diet. After all, making excuses to yourself is easy, but making excuses to someone else is a lot more difficult. Whether it's a personal trainer, or just a friend or family member, having someone in your corner cheering you on can make the whole experience of dieting a lot less unpleasant. Not only that but if you can find someone to diet alongside you, then you're going to be able to support each other and keep each other motivated when things get tough.

Female Friends Image courtesy of Shutterstock

Go easy on yourself
It's incredibly easy to fall into a trap where you don't feel like you're doing enough while on a diet. No matter how much progress you might be making, it's easy to feel like you're not making enough. However, if you start trying to make your diet "more effective" by cutting down the amount that you're eating even further, then you run the risk of doing your body some serious damage. No matter how impatient you might be to see results, remember, that dieting is a long process that requires patience. Anything that claims to offer a "quick fix" is either going to be ineffective, or dangerous to your overall health and well-being.

Understand why you're doing it
One of the easiest ways to find yourself struggling to stick to a diet is to not fully understand why it is that you're dieting in the first place. Are you doing it for yourself, or for the rest of the world? If you're dieting because you want to fit some idea of how society wants you to look, then you're always going to end up falling into the same traps over and over and sticking to any diet is going to be near impossible. There is only one person that you should be dieting for, and that's you.

If you're going to start a diet, do it because you want to feel better, be healthier, and live your best life possible. Otherwise, you're never going to have the motivation that you need to keep pushing forward, even when things start to get tough. If you're having trouble sticking to a diet, the most important thing to remember is not to get too down on yourself about it. Sure, there are going to be a few slips here and there but spending all of your time feeling bad about yourself isn't going to do you any good. Instead, make sure that you take the time to be kind to yourself. Trying to stick to a diet so aggressively that it makes you miserable is never going to be the best way to live a healthier more satisfying life!