Make these 14 tips part of your life and you’ll have no reason to “go on a diet.”
By Isabelle Huot
- Ban the word “diet” from your vocabulary; instead, think in terms of “healthy lifestyle habits.”
- Don’t eliminate any food groups, as some drastic approaches (such as the keto diet) suggest.
- Keep a food journal to track what you eat each day. In your notes, try to assess your levels (on a scale of 0 to 10) of hunger and fullness before and after each meal or snack.
- Think about the emotions that trigger your psychological hunger. For example, does stress or boredom lead to an irresistible urge to eat a pile of cookies?
- Involve the whole family. That way, you don’t need to make two separate meals and everyone benefits.
- Keep your pantry stocked with healthy foods, such as nuts, seeds, whole-grain crackers, canned legumes, whole-wheat pasta, and quinoa.
- Prepare fruits and vegetables in advance so you can quickly curb your cravings with healthier choices—consider homemade fruit salads and ready-to-eat raw vegetables such as carrots, peppers, cucumbers, and broccoli florets.
- Drink a glass of water before eating to avoid mistaking thirst for hunger.
- Begin a physical-activity program gradually; for example, start with 10 minutes of walking and slowly increase that to 30 minutes a day.
- Treat yourself with things other than food—perhaps some sports gear, a book, a piece of jewellery, a bottle of perfume, or a spa treatment.
- Don’t turn down a social outing. After all, you’re not on a diet!
- Step on a scale only once a month and measure your waist circumference. Even if your weight stays the same, you might be losing inches.
- Remember that weight loss won’t be the only benefit of your new habits; you might also enjoy increased energy, better concentration, and better sleep.
- Practise self-care: pamper yourself and learn to love yourself.
