Memes like this are popping up everywhere …
They are mostly true, unless you have an amazing metabolism and train all the time you cannot out train a bad diet …
But how do we successfully change our diets?
I know how hard it is to get on top of eating right, cutting out those delicious but unhealthy snacks and not reverting back to the old ways. Different things work for different people so what worked for me may not work for you, this is not a fad diet or a cleanse. To get results and keep them you need to make complete lifestyle changes! Once you have the body you are dreaming of your eating doesn’t have to be quite as strict but if you go back to eating the same way as when you started you will go back to that place…
As I said in my last blog the first thing I did to change my eating habits was I picked the food that gave me the least nutrition in my diet and worked out what I could substitute it with as a healthier option, I removed bread first. After the first week of not eating bread I didn’t miss it, I actually felt better not eating it and while I still have it occasionally now it’s not something I feel I need to eat or miss from my diet. From bread I went to pasta and then potato, these two were much harder for me to give up (my two most favourite foods are potato and pasta – not the healthiest of options!) to take these off my mind I turned to stir frys. The best thing about a stir fry (for me) is that I have also never been a huge veggie fan but when they are in stir frys they are fresh, crunchy and full of flavour! There are also noodle and rice alternatives that you can get in the health food section of the supermarket that aren’t super expensive and don’t have a whole lot of anything in them so for me they make me think and feel like I’m still getting pasta only this is without all the carbs. Below is one I made today it has chicken, broccoli, capsicum, carrot, onion, cashews, curry powder, slendier noodles and a little bit of chicken stock. It’s not the perfect healthy meal but for me it is a great option and the flavour cures cravings for other post dinner snacks
Unless you are the type of person whose will power cannot be cracked I strongly suggest starting off simple choose 1 food at a time and substitute it with a healthier option, there is no point in cutting everything terrible out of your diet for 2 days then going crazy from cravings and a stressful day to eating a block of chocolate, 2l of soda and the biggest takeaway burger you can find. If you know you get cravings and have a hard time eating right don’t beat yourself up, start small, work your way up and as you make progress reward yourself (preferably not with unhealthy snacks). Find a healthy meal option that you enjoy and when you feel the need for something that is only going to hinder your progress have a think about why you are making these changes, don’t think about the end result or how long it will take to get there instead remember why it is you want to get there.
I am yet to meet a person who doesn’t love food 😉 ….