Although the word diet is most associated with losing weight, it doesn’t always have to mean shedding away those pounds. Having a healthy diet, for example, can simply speak to meeting your daily-recommended intake of calories in way that satisfies your pyramid food groups.
If you’re looking to start a diet, be it one where you lose weight or gain it, here are some simple tips to make sure you’ll remain healthy in your culinary pursuit of a better body.
Number 1. Set Your Goal
If you’re starting a diet, you must already have a reason: why do you want to change the way you eat? Similarly, what has made you conscious about the way you eat? Maybe it’s a few extra pounds on the scale, or maybe the whole idea of eating healthy, filling foods has just hit you. Whatever it is, determine what direction you’ll be taking in your food planning.
Number 2. Take Steps to Get There
With the goal in mind, determine what you need to do to get there. Personally, I keep a food journal – tracking the food I eat, the exercise I engage in, and total outcome of calorie in vs. calorie out. Sound difficult? You may be surprised. I use iProfile 2.0 to track the information, and it puts it together in a seamless way.
Number 3. Stay Motivated
They say it takes about 3 weeks to form a habit. That said, stay motivated over time and try to keep on track with your diet. It’s always helpful to get someone to diet with you, because they can lend you a hand with exactly this!
Whatever it is you do (I personally use post-its and numerous alarms throughout the day), be sure it keeps you on track. Some key things you want to keep in mind are time management (take time to prepare your meals, record the food, and exercise) and the steps of your diet. Be sure you keep to the standards discussed!
Number 4. Reap the Benefits (But stay for the long term)
Within just a few weeks, you should be seeing results. However, it’s worth mentioning that while our bodies usually react quickly to new diet and exercise, we also see a plateau soon after. Don’t be discouraged by this though! In fact, it means you’re on the right track. The trick is to keep up the hard work and slowly work your way from goal to goal.
Feel Good, Feel Healthy
As we change our diet, we’ll begin to feel healthier and more energized every day. After just a few days of my “bulking up diet”, I started to feel the changes taking place. I felt like I was building mass and I also noticed I had more muscle in the areas I had been working.
Simply put, you can achieve the same results! Stick to these basic principles and you’ll be on track to healthier, better feeling you!
August 25, 2011 at 1:28 pm
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