Asthey say, old habits die-hard. Unless you have chosen to follow an eating planthat you can see yourself following forever more, you are likely to retire toyour old ways when the expiry date on your diet is reached.
Aspredictable as it may sound, you want to start a diet that isnt really a dietat all, but rather a lifestyle change.
Weight-loss, when it is happening, is very exciting and motivating, butonce you get to weight maintenance often the hard work needs to begin andreality sinks in that the changes that were made to your eating habits now needto become your forever.
The weight that youve lost is only viewed assuccessful, once you have kept it off for an entire year.
1.How do people do it?
TheNational Weight Control Registryis a long-term study which currently observes over 10 000 people who have lost a significant amount of weight and managed to keep it off.
The following arethe research findings that have helped them keep on the straight and narrow:
2.Are you eating to fight disease, orfeed it?
Mostof your food should be minimally processed, eaten as it is found in nature, andis mostly plant based.
3.Does it pinch your pocket?
Believeit or not, healthy can actually be cost-effective. To save on your food bill try focusing lesson grass-fed, organic and free from foods (free from gluten/wheat/lactose etc),and rather include minimally processed whole foods that are seasonal, that canbe bought in bulk (and shared), and plant yourself a vegetable garden.
Once you are aware of them, small changes inyour shopping list can have a significant effect on the weight of yourwallet. Take for example swapping yourfillet of salmon, for a few pilchards (of which the omega-3 content is similar) your per portion cost drops from approximately R40 to R3.50.
A similarly easy swap with very little impacton health outcome is swapping your olive oil (approx. R150/L) for canola oil (approx.R22/L).
4.Does following it make you a hermit?
Isyour diet one that can only be followed if you dedicate all your time topreparing your intricate meals? Issocializing difficult to do because of all your restrictions? Although you may be able to follow this for ashort period of time, eventually the natural need to socialize and be withothers will take over and adherence to your diet will wane.
Find a way of eating that doesnt just suityou, but also your family, and allows you the flexibility to still enjoy eatingmeals out with others.
5.Is it a miracle-worker?
Ifthe new diet you have decided to embark on has one or more of the followingcharacteristics you may be chasing a fad diet which is both unsafe andunsustainable:
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5 Things to consider when choosing a diet - Health24
