For a diet to be successful, it needs to be sustainable. Actually even that statement is wrong, it needs to be a lifestyle change if you want to keep the weight off.
It’s no good to stick to any diet for just a week or even a month – as soon as you come off it any progress will be reset back to zero. Your diet needs to be designed to last and even if that means the results are slower to begin with, it will be worth it in the long run.
Unfortunately though, this is something that a lot of diet books and advisors miss out on and in fact actually neglect to tell you. In this post, we’ll be examining what you can do to make your diet fit better with your lifestyle and how you can make it that much easier to stick to.
Be Stricter at Breakfast and Lunch
One of the biggest challenges in sticking to any diet is the social aspect. What we neglect to notice often is that eating is a social event in many cases – and if you choose to forego chips or dessert then you will alienate your eating partner as well as having to then watch them eat the thing you just denied yourself.
Which is no fun at all as you can well imagine.
This is mainly a problem at dinner, as that is when most of us will come home to eat with our families and partners. It can also be a challenge at the weekends when we’re more likely to be entertaining guests.
A good solution then is to be stricter during the hours when you’ll be eating alone – which means breakfast and lunch. Make your lunch box strict and your breakfast strict and then you’ll be freer to relax slightly in the evening or at the weekends on ‘cheat days’.
Find Some Easy and Cheap Meals
The other thing to look out for is complex, expensive meals that you’re unlikely to have the motivation to eat when you’re feeling low. To stick to a diet, it helps if it’s comprised of easy things to pick up and prepare.
Finding a salad bar can help a great deal for your lunch then, especially if it’s cheap. Another tip is to look into preparing meals at the start of the week and keeping them in the fridge or freezer. And don’t be afraid to eat the same thing regularly, being a little more consistent is a great way to stick at your diet more easily.
Finally, look into some gadgets that can make preparing your meals easier. Food processors, juicers and slow cookers can all save you a lot of time and work!