It’s that time of year again. Christmas is over, New Years in looming and you’re really feeling the extra pounds you put on over the festive season.
Losing weight or going on a diet remains the number one New Year’s resolution for Brits. We tell ourselves every year this is the year we drop that stone we don’t need.
It always starts well. For the first few weeks we watch what we eat, pride ourselves in our restraint towards the extra late night cookie and even begin to enjoy the new healthier lifestyle.
Yet, by the time Christmas rolls around yet again we can’t help but reason for an extra one or two profiteroles.
However, there are ways to make dieting easier:
1. It’s all about your frame of mind
If you commit to an extreme diet straight off the bat, this will increase your chance of failing. You need to go with a diet or lifestyle change you can commit to long term.
Jordan Mazur, director of Sports Nutrition at the University of California, Berkeley, told Men’s Fitness it’s best to never call your diet a diet. Why? Because the word diet comes with negative connotations or “a notion you’re going to be restricting some type of nutrient like carbs, specific food groups or just overall calorie restriction”.
2. Don’t restrict yourself
Jordan said when people diet, they feel the need to restrict something. This explains ever-popular diets like gluten-free (for those who aren’t medically diagnosed as gluten intolerant) or carb-free.
“To be successful in the long run, I don't think absolute restriction is all that important,” Jordan explained. He advised to take an 80/20 approach - fuel up on clean, nutrient-rich foods 80% of the time and eat the way you want 20% of the time. Although, this doesn’t mean binge on fizzy and chocolate.
The 80/20 approach allows you to still eat the things you enjoy without the guilt a restrictive diet brings. A diet that will see you be more likely to binge.
3. Avoid fad diets
In the age of the internet, it seems there’s a new fad diet every few months.
From the 5:2 diet to the lemon detox, these diets are all about restriction. If you’re serious about losing weight, it’s best to visit a dietician or a nutritionist who will help you devise a nutrition plan. They will help you incorporate foods you love and fill the gaps with foods you should be eating and suggest alternatives they think you may like.
4. Prepare your meals
We don’t mean spend hours upon hours in your kitchen every Sunday making meals for the rest of the week.
One of the best things you can do to make dieting easier is to invest in a slow cooker. This way you can put in some meat, or whatever you feel like on before you head to work and it will be done by the time you get home. This stops you from picking up any unhealthy dinners on the way back.
Do have a think at the start of the week about what your plans are for the next seven days and jot down a grocery list and rough meal plan accordingly.
"When you plan ahead and spend money at the grocery store, you're less inclined to spend more money on extra junk you don't need," Jordan said.
5. Don’t skip meals
Ever wonder why you’re okay to skip breakfast, have a small lunch but by the time you get home you can’t help but eat everything in the cupboard?
A British study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found women who eat erratically consume more calories and burn them less quickly than those who have six regular small meals a day.
It really doesn’t pay to skip a meal, bring healthy snacks such as nuts with you to work and be sure to eat a healthy, filling breakfast each and every day.
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