Healing with Food Newsletter
How to Successfully Diet
My hometown friend, Jan, is ready to start a new diet and, this time, she's setting herself up for success. She's an experienced--and frustrated--dieter. She typically looses weight in the first week of a new diet, but then looses momentum by the second week.
"It inevitably happens that one day I'll be hungry and feel overwhelmed by the diet restrictions. I'll have a little nibble of something that my kids are eating and within days I'm again emeshed in my old habits. I feel so helpless."
I gave her three secrets to succeed with a diet:
1. Research Chose a sustainable diet based on whole foods. My ebook Detox and Cleanse ($9.95) offers this. Forget the gimicky diets that require purchase of special protein beverages and/or packaged foods. With a sound, nutritionally balanced diet of real (versus processed and therefore less satisfying) foods you don't need to count calories or weigh portions. You'll be satisfied with simple meals and moderate portions. When meals satisfy you, you don't overate. Additionally, snacking dwindles.
A diet log will help you obtain balanced meals and track your results. You note the positive corelation between eating well and feeling better and this inspires you to keep up your healthy eating program.
2. Plan Buy whole foods and as you integrate them into your pantry, toss out highly refined, shoddy foods. If necessary, purchase a slow cooker or rice steamer to enable more home cooking. Into your appointment book, schedule time for shopping and food prep. Don't let other events infringe on these important times.
Also, manage your social calendar to increase healthy eating support and to minimize temptation. For example, when attending a pot luck party, take a satisfying-to-you main course dish and enjoy the array of veggies and salads. Then, comfortably satisfied, you can easily overlook the dessert table or settle for a fruit.
3. Practice Don't wait until you start your diet to experiment with new recipes as this adds stress and makes you more apt to cave into bad habits. Rather, start incorporating new recipes and foods into your diet now. Work them until they become familiar, easy and "comforting". Then, when you start your diet these new--and pleasing healthy--dishes will be like friendly allies assisting you in acheiving your goal.
For decades, I've had the privilige of helping people upgrade their diet and then bask in normal weight, increased energy and a stronger immune system. It requires some organization (like having good food ready before you’re hungry) and some gumption to stick with it. But, you can do it. I'm confident in your ability to succeed!
May you be well nourished!
Rebecca Wood