Once January hits, the resolutions to diet and opt for healthier choices start to roll out. But within a few weeks, the majority of us have given up and returned to our original habits. Modern lifestyles have ingrained in us bad habits such as eating too much sugar and large portions, which can be difficult to remove. Although there are fad diets being released every few weeks, there are also more efficient ways to lose weight that don’t require you to survive off of unhealthy regimes.
You should begin with achievable goals – being unrealistic will only lead you to fail, and won’t do anything for your motivation. A good way to motivate yourself is to provide yourself with incentives each time you reach a goal – obviously, these should be non-food related, but offering a treat at the end gives you something to work towards. When you first begin planning your new diet, you should set out an adequate amount of time to shop and prepare food – no doubt, a healthier diet will include a lot more home-cooked food, so you should allow for the fact that there will be little option for ready meals after work or when you’re busy. Likewise, you need to allow for exercise and weigh-ins once a week as well. Exercise plays a big part in losing weight and increasing your wellbeing, so you should be taking part in physical activity at least two times a week.
Your diet should be rich in fruit and vegetables, which offer your body the nutrients it needs, as well as protein and healthy fats – these are from fish, nuts and avocadoes. You should also stay well hydrated, so aim to drink at least two litres of water a day. Keeping a diet diary is a great way of monitoring your progress and seeing where you may need to improve – it also provides a great source of motivation when you’re perhaps not having as good a week as you hoped for. It may help you to keep others around in the loop as well, as then you’ll have a system of accountability for your actions – tell friends and family about your goals, so that they can help and support you. Losing weight doesn’t need to be difficult; it is simply about making changes to your lifestyle and maintaining them.
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