Those who don’t struggle with their weight may often wonder why the heck it’s so hard for those of us that do. Could it really be that eating healthy is that complicated? The truth is there are many underlying issues like hormones and digestion that can make losing weight more challenging.
However, the biggest challenge you will face when it comes to getting healthy and losing weight has nothing to do with food. It’s changing your mindset!
You see, we live in a world that is all about immediate gratification and instant results. Plus the diet industry has been feeding on your insecurities and failures for years, so that only complicates things more.
What I love most about being a Nutritionist is helping women get healthy and love the skin they’re in NOW! If this sounds like something you’d love to do too, these five easy steps will get you started on the right foot!
Bonus, you’ll FEEL GREAT immediately!
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Stop depriving yourself
I personally believe Weight Watchers has done many women a huge disservice with all this point counting nonsense. Let me be clear. Starving yourself because you think you’re “saving” up calories for a dinner out/party/weekend, is ALWAYS a bad idea. This type of mentality only leads to bingeing behaviour. Depriving yourself is no way to live, it doesn’t feel good and it doesn’t make you happy.
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Stop trying to do everything perfectly
Life isn’t perfect, you’re not perfect and your diet will never be perfect. Understand that perfection is NOT the goal here. Trying to eat “perfectly” healthy is really just self-sabotaging behaviour, and it will make you feel horrible. You can’t build the body of your dreams by hating on the one you have now. Let go of being perfect, instead memorize this:
“You can not “screw up” an entire week of healthy eating in one meal. This is not a diet you are either “on or off”. Healthy eating is forever. One less than perfect choice does not matter. Just make a better one in a few hours. Consistency NOT perfection is the goal.
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Stop viewing food as bad or good
I don’t like any type of label when it comes to diet or food. The most important thing you can do for your mental well being and your physical health is to start listening to your body. The goal is to FEEL GOOD! Sleep well, feel balanced, have energy, be free of digestive discomfort and have a good poo every single day. So start paying attention to the symptoms that your body is sending, that’s the only way it can speak to you. If you eat something and it makes you feel bloated, tired, guilty, wired, anxious, etc. don’t eat it again. Try to pay attention and only eat food that makes you feel good, physically, mentally and emotionally. This is the only “rule” you need to follow.
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Stop thinking there is an “end.”
If you started on a plan to lose a certain amount of weight or for a certain period of time. That’s fine. But understand that if you stop doing whatever it is you embarked on to get results, they will disappear. A healthy lifestyle and eating food that makes you feel good is forever. There is no end. The diet industry has fed you this nonsense because they want you to fail. They want you to believe that you only have to “work hard” for three months or one year to get to your goal and then everything will just magically stay that way. Come on, you know now that’s a myth. You’ve already tried that and failed. When you go back to your old diet or lifestyle, you will gain the weight back and likely add a few pounds. Whatever method you choose to eat healthier and change your lifestyle, just make sure it is flexible enough to be sustainable. The only plan that works forever is the one you continue. Please, don’t forget that. I always eat healthily, but if I want a burger, an ice cream or a glass of wine, there is room for that too. The 80/20 rule is something I stand by.
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Stop waiting to live
This one is a HUGE. So many people put off their dreams and stop living because they are waiting until they get to a certain weight. Have you ever heard yourself saying “I will start dating when I lose 20 lbs…I will start exercising when….apply for that promotion when….go on that trip when….wear a bikini when…..be happy when…
You are waiting to FEEL a certain way and you think losing weight will get you there. But here’s the thing. It doesn’t work that way. You have to love and put effort into yourself NOW in order to be healthy and lose the weight. It all starts from within and how you feel about yourself. Instead of waiting to feel a certain way “when”, do something for yourself every single day that makes you feel good. Buy and wear clothes that make you feel beautiful, do your hair instead of putting it up in a ponytail, socialize with people you love, travel and laugh, a LOT. Find joy in your life, don’t let food be your focus!
Remember you have a life to live. Isn’t it time you pressed play?
