Health, Diet, Healthy Lifestyle Tips
Diet Vs. Lifestyle Change- Key to a Healthy Life
Have you been dieting to achieve weight-loss and improve your health? And yet are continuously struggling with weight. Could this have something to do with HOW you are dieting?
Overview
When you go on a diet, it can be a major uphill battle and the end results are either successful, or not. Every day, dieters struggle with what they put in their mouth and when you do this for an extended period of time, it can really wreck havoc on your mind. Weight loss coaches have begun to walk away from those fad diets, and instead they are putting more focus towards lifestyle changes. If you’re trying to lose weight, what do you do? Are you supposed to go on a diet, or are you supposed to change your lifestyle?
What is Dieting?
Most traditional diets are defined by a handful of key characteristics:
- Weight is generally lost quickly in a set period of time
- Foods are categorized as “good” or “bad”
- Eating habits are often based on environmental cues
- Calorie consumption is greatly restricted
- Progress is dependent on a number on the scale
Most of us at some point or another have tried to diet for weight-loss, especially for an upcoming vacation or important event. If your diet followed some of the above characteristics, how did you feel throughout the process? Most of us will answer hungry, tired, frustrated or even discouraged. This is because diets are generally short-term and not healthy for our body.
Switching to Lifestyle Change
So if dieting may not be the answer to weight-loss, what is? The key is to think in terms of long-term lifestyle changes that you will follow for the rest of your life. It is important to remember that weight management is a lifelong journey. No matter where you are in life, you will have to work hard and stay mindful in order to manage your weight. A short-term diet will not do this for you.
What makes a lifestyle change? Behaviour that you can stick to for the long haul:
- Eating healthy, nutritious and whole foods to nourish your body
- Practising moderation, not restriction
- Exercising on a regular and consistent basis
- Relying on your body to tell you what you need
- Losing weight at a safe and healthy pace ( 0.5 to 1 kg per week)
- Measuring progress beyond a number on the scale
Noting the Difference
When you focus on long-term lifestyle changes instead of short-term dieting, you will note a few things. First, you are being kinder to your body. You are less likely to experience extreme hunger, food deprivation, weakness, exhaustion and mental stress. Lifestyle changes teach you to listen to what your body is telling you. You will also notice that even though weight-loss may be slower, it is more permanent.
How to Make a Healthy Lifestyle Change?
Making a lifestyle change is challenging especially when you want to transform many things at once. Lifestyle change is a process that takes time and requires support. In order for you to be successful, you have to make a plan, do research, commit and follow it if you’re ready to make a change.
Try following below tips to make lifestyle changes that last:
- Start small. Do not expect to make big, drastic changes. Your goal is long-term so give your body ample time to adjust to the changes that you’ve made.
- One small change at a time. Some people can multitask activities while some cannot. Replacing your bad behaviour takes time. Change doesn’t just happen overnight. In order to be successful, focus on one goal at a time. Slowly but surely.
- Get a buddy. Two or three or even four is better than one when it comes to making healthy lifestyle changes. If you’re surrounded by people who don’t have the same goal as yours, being successful would be hard but not impossible. Grab a buddy! Whether he or she is your partner, your best friend, your co-worker, or your kids. With someone else involved in your journey, success is just a stone throw away.
- Ask for support. Accepting help from the people who care about you will strengthen your commitment. Asking for help from a psychologist is also considered if you’re unable to meet your goals. Making changes is really difficult, it takes time and commitment but you can do it. Failure is normal and okay. Stand up and get back on track.
If you don’t know how to start, where to start, or maybe even why you should start changing your lifestyle, you can always consult a professional who can craft a full meal-plan and exercise that you can do. On top of that, you can join fun-filled activities.
Conclusion
So, if you are on the journey to manage your weight through weight-loss, try to focus on the long road ahead. It may be tempting to lose a lot of weight in a short amount of time, but this is bad for your body and will likely result in weight regain. Instead, aim for lifestyle changes that are focused on overall health and wellness. You will not regret it!
