It’s that time of the year again.
You know, you’re starting to see the sun shine a little bit. Weather is getting warmer. You can finally feel that the dread of winter and layers of clothing is coming to an end.
So you decide it’s time to go on a diet and try and finally lose the weight that seems to be stuck year after year around this time.
But you don’t want to fall into the same trap as last year, or the year before…
So what do you do?
Keep reading and I’ll explain exactly how you should approach your diet so that you can stick to it and stop trying to diet down year after year.
If you have ever said:β
βπ°βπ ππππ ππ πππ πππππ πππ πππ π° πππβπ πππππππ ππππππ ππ πππ πππππππ πββ
orβ
βπ° πππ πππ πππππ πππ π ππππ ππ 2 πππ ππππ π° ππππ ππ ππππππππππββ
β¦itβs time to make a change.β
This all-or-nothing mentality has sent you into this cycle because you felt like you had to restrict your favourite foods, skipped meals/snacks, or started an extreme regimen.β
When you restrict like this, it often leads to late-night trips to the fridge (often without thinking) and feelings of hunger and deprivation.β
This then leads to periods of feeling guilty or shame because you were unable to stick to the plan you set forth.β
The problem isnβt you.β
Itβs the plan you are trying to follow.β
Itβs too restrictive.β
Trying to jump into something 110% with no flexibility or structure other than a list of foods you can and canβt eat will make the process unbearable when life gets stressful or youβre too busy to cook certain foods.β
Iβve seen this cycle time and time again, and itβs my job as a coach to bring you out of it.β
You do not need to feel deprived to lose weight.β
You do not need to go through extreme measures to achieve your goals.
Find a way to incorporate foods you ACTUALLY enjoy and it will make βdietingβ not feel like dieting at all.
It will become a lifestyle of enjoying the process and seeing results – not one or the other.
Think of it as a budget. Every day you have $200 to spend.
If you donβt plan ahead, right away you spend $50 before noon.
Youβre left with $150 for the rest of the day. But you know you generally spend $100 when you get home from work.
Well that leaves you with $50.
You forgot about the office get together after lunch, there goes another $50. Thatβs $200 IF you stick to the $100 you left for when you get home.
But after work you had another $40 spent because you felt like it.
Thatβs $240.
But then you just realized that you spent $20 at lunch as well. $260.
Youβre $60 over budget. Over the course of a week = $420. A month = $1680. A year = $20160. Holy hell does that ever add up!
If we did some quick math and used that as calories if $200 = 2000 calories, thatβs an extra 600 calories per day, 4200 per week, 16800 per month, and 201600 per year. If the average pound of fat is 3500, you have just put on 57 pounds.
Do you see what Iβm saying?
It can get out of hand and way out of control so easily you wouldnβt even notice until you were so far behind from where you started.
Would you treat your money this way? Of course not.
Itβs time to treat your body a little differently then.
Plan your meals ahead of time, and bonus points if you log them into MyFitnessPal ahead of time as well. This way you are solidifying your plan and are much more likely to stick to what you have planned to eat.
Here’s the thing, I eat pretty much all the same foods over the course of a dieting phase.
Why?
It makes things so much easier. There’s less guessing, there’s more consistency with macro tracking, and if there’s a hiccup in a day it won’t take much to salvage the rest.
Now I’m not saying to have the same foods day in, day out because it can get really boring. But when you’re trying to lose body fat, you can’t always eat your favourite foods or what you’re craving.
I eat the same dinners Mon-Thurs usually, this week being ground turkey. Lunches vary but are generally egg focused. The weekend I get a little more creative because I don’t have meals prepped and that’s okay. That’s flexible dieting.
If you’ve ever struggled to lose fat, try this for a change. Cook foods you wouldn’t mind having more than once per week. And honestly, learn to accept a bit of rudimentary and repetitive eating. Between work stress, potential hunger, and feeling tired, wouldn’t it be helpful to keep your food simple?
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One other way to guarantee you stick to your diet and finally see the results you want:
Accountability
Our online coaching service provides you with exactly that. To apply to work with me, click here and let’s see if we’re a good fit for each other. Weβll create a tailored plan to get you the body and results youβve always wanted, without completely overhauling your life or introducing extreme measures.