3 Tips to Staying on a Diet
We all know the term diet means what you are eating and drinking. Essentially, anyone eating or drinking anything is on a diet. There are times we change our current diet for different reasons. Sometimes it’s a temporary change for health reasons. Sometimes we do it to lose weight. When we do it to lose weight, a lot of people do a temporary diet expecting long-term results. Whatever your reason for wanting to change your diet. Here are some tips to help you stay on track.
Tip Number 1: Foods You Like
When you start changing your diet most people will find a popular diet to start them off. Maybe the Mediterranean diet or Keto diet. You read what is the best foods on this diet and find recipes. Many Mediterranean diet recipes contain beans. If you hate beans, no matter how much protein or value beans will add to your health, you are not going to eat something long-term that you do not like. Eggs are a popular food on the keto diet. if plain eggs are unappealing to you, you not going to stick with this diet, no matter how many people tell you eggs for breakfast are a staple on a keto diet.
Whatever diet you are starting, find foods that you like to eat. If plain eggs are unappealing but you like breakfast burritos, start here on building your diet. You can replace the burrito tortilla with a low-carb wrap or only eat the inside of the burrito. Start with a meal you already eat and alter them to fit the diet. You can still have taco Tuesday, just change your tortilla shell. If Big Macs are part of your weekly habit, find a keto-friendly Big Mac recipe. (I enjoyed a big mac salad by thegirlonbloor.com click here for the recipe.) Find recipes to make, that are similar to meals you already eat. There will be recipes that taste nothing like the meal you are wanting, this leads us to our next time, take what you like and change what you do not.
Tip Number 2: Make it Fun and Interesting
As you try out new meals and ideas you are going to find everyone has different taste buds. Some recipes are going to be good, others you are going to only take one bite. It's going to take some trial and error to get meals to what you prefer. Sometimes food doesn't turn out how you were planning, don't write the whole meal off. Think about what you liked and what you disliked. The texture could be off but the taste was good. The food had a bland taste. Whatever the problem may be, find an alternate way to make it next time. Add in seasoning, change the cooking time, and add in or take out ingredients. Have fun cooking and coming up with different meals. Make it interesting by stepping out of your comfort zone and creating something completely new that you come up with all by yourself. If it doesn't turn out keep asking yourself what it needs to make it better. Having fun with the diet is going to help you stay with it compared to you eating something you dislike because someone else likes it.
Do some research on the diet you are wanting to try. Find out what the diet is adding to your current diet or what it is taking out. It is interesting to learn about every aspect of the diet. You can make your own decisions and fully understand the diet. There might be some foods that are not as popular that you can eat but you wouldn't know before. If you're having fun and creating foods you are enjoying, your going to stay with the diet for the longer term.
Tip Number 3: Prepare
You might have a ton of meals that you love now that are diet-friendly, but if you don't have that food readily available to you, you're not going to eat them. You probably eat lunch every day. Pack your lunch. If eating out at a restaurant is part of your job, check out the menu and find out what is going to work on your diet. Being prepared is going to keep you from going off your diet by eating whatever is quick and easy. Or eating out guessing what might be within your diet but not knowing.
Pre-make breakfast and snacks (or whatever meal you are most pressed on time to make). Morning times are always rushed. Having breakfast already on hand will make you less likely to grab something not diet-friendly in your hurry. Snacks are another area if you don't prepare you will go off your diet. Have a snack ready for your two o'clock slump, this will keep you from reaching for a coke and candy bar.
For tips on meal planning check out this article click here
Changing your diet is not going to be easy. It's going to take some work. Implementing these tips will help to stay with the diet a bit easier.