With all of the different diets out there, which one do you choose? Which one works best for you? Which one can you subscribe to for a lifetime?
Ah, that last one made you stop for a second, right? Anyone can do any diet and drop a bunch of weight, but can you stick to it for the long haul? How likely is it that you will never eat a piece of bread again? When you are away from home and don’t have the food options available according to the diet you are on, how likely are you to stick with it? Maybe you can do so for a while, but think 5, 10, 20 years from now?
Of course, if you have a medical reason why you are following a particular diet, you have no choice but to stay compliant, or else you will end up with severe consequences! But if you are just sticking to a particular diet because you heard it’s better for you or because you want to drop some weight, what will your motivator be to stick to that way of eating for years down the road?
The main reason there are so many diets out there is because most of us want the quick fix; we want the biggest results with minimal effort. Why do you think diet pills and supplements are part of a multimillion dollar industry?
However, just take a look at your accomplishments in your life. Is there anything you’ve done that has really had an impact on your life that didn’t take some effort and dedication (maybe besides conceiving your kids)? Your schooling, your career - everything required work and persistence, right? Why not dedicate that same mindset to your health?
It’s not sexy, but I’m just going to give you the big secret diet right here:
Eat whole, real foods, including whole grains
Fill half your plate with veggies
Stay away from refined sugars (and flours, while you are at it)
Be reasonable: fill up on the good stuff, have small amounts of the not-so-good stuff.
Yep, that's it! No magic wand or pill, just common sense.
When I say common sense, that also means that you shouldn’t be munching out every five minutes, or eating huge amounts of foods either, no matter how healthy the food is. We can have cheats once in a while, but you don’t get unlimited get-out-of-jail-free cards; it has to be within reason.
We all know when we are doing things we shouldn't, this is no different. Just like when you are speeding down the highway, you take your chances with the consequences of getting caught and getting a ticket. However, in that case, you may not get caught and may not get a ticket. In the case of eating a bunch of junk, you are guaranteed to get caught because you can't fool your body (even if no one is looking)!
You can sidestep the consequences when you "break the law" sometimes, but if it's consistent and you are eating crap more often than you are eating the way you should, your get-out-of-jail-free cards will be voided.
This doesn’t mean that you have to make absolutely everything from scratch. I know that’s not reasonable for most, especially with kiddos in the house. Yes, you can buy a snack bar or other convenience foods, but when you read the label, make sure it contains ingredients you would have in your own kitchen (or could easily buy), and that one of the first couple ingredients isn’t sugar or a derivative.
Just make sure what you are eating MOST of the time is conducive to good health. If you just focus on avoiding white flours and white sugars, you won half the battle. Of course, you can have that cookies and cream cone dipped in Oreo crumbs once in a while, but make sure it's just a treat, not a regular thing.
Does this sound overwhelming? It doesn’t have to be! I’ve had many clients over the years tell me that the quick and easy meal guide I made for them really helped with what types of food, and how much, they should be eating. It also has a visual portion guide, so you don’t have to worry about weighing and measuring anything. Since it was so helpful for others, I want to share it with you! For your FREE copy, just click here.