My diet starts tomorrow..

My diet starts tomorrow..

SO, we're coming up to that time of year when we start hearing 'ooooh my holiday is booked and I'm starting my bikini body diet tomorrow... I am.. yep, definitely tomorrow' .. and you can probably guess what comes next... either a biscuit is eaten the next day and the diet has to start the day after... or food is restricted so much that cravings increase so that eventually the diet stops, negativity sinks in and 'what ever' .. I'll eat this big bowl of ice-cream and start again tomorrow (or something like that anyway).

The classic 'diet' cycle

In a nut shell, that's why diets don't work.

I wrote about 'diets' in one of my very first blogs - 'A Diet Free Zone' [click here] (where I out-lined some simple steps that you could try to make your daily food and drink intake that little bit healthier) and just wanted to bring the subject up again before anyone starts searching for a miracle diet in time for summer.

Miracle diets (unfortunately) don't exist.. at the most 'fad-diets' offer short-term weight loss results which are followed by weight re-gain (sometimes putting you up to more than what you weighed when you first started.. and so the classic yo-yo'ing effect takes place). Instead of trying fad-diets, view your weight loss pursuit as a long-term venture.. something that requires hard-work, effort and most importantly, time.

Fad-Diets Don't Work...

The key to eating healthier, and/or losing weight is to not deprive yourself from anything.. the moment you start 'banning' foods or labelling foods as 'bad' is the moment that you risk developing cravings for them. Yes, it may be good to cut down on high calorie food such as cakes, biscuits, crisps etc but instead of cutting them out altogether, incorporate them into your healthy eating plan - i.e. if you have a biscuit one day IT'S NOT THE END OF THE EARTH! Just enjoy it, and remember that you had it and try to eat healthier for the rest of the day - it's all about a balance. To read more about the 80:20 rule [click here].

Set yourself realistic dietary goals, and most importantly, feel good about yourself! Focus on things (other than food) that make you happy.. boost your self-esteem (confidence) and know that you can achieve what ever you set your mind to. Seeing a registered dietitian could help you with goal setting and dietitians can often provide specific detail about portion control/daily intakes which are tailored to your individual needs. Dietitian's can also provide meal ideas and plans to get you started. If you prefer to 'go it alone' though I suggest using healthy recipe books for ideas (a blog post on my favourite recipe books is to come!).

Have a good week :) - and remember, step out of that diet cycle!

Nic x