There are a number of factors that make it really difficult to stick to a healthy diet. I’m going to name a few key factors that might stick with some of you that are having a really hard time. I’ve struggled with consistency for years until I created a system that made sure I had no choice BUT to stay consistent.
Dining Choices & Environment
This one might seem very straight forward, but not everyone cooks their own food. Society is so fast-paced these days that most people conform to that pace. Instead of cooking, grabbing a bagel and orange juice. Instead of making eggs, cereal and milk is easier. There’s a starbucks on every corner of a major city and a McDonalds just as close by. These options along with the pressure of moving quickly make it easier to end up with a fast food or unhealthy food option.
A good way to combat this is to make a plan. Come up with a few lists and a few self made rules. For example “I will wake up half an hour early every morning to cook eggs. If I’m running late, I will stop by at McDonalds for a sausage, egg and cheese without the croissant. If McDonalds is too busy, I’ll stop by Starbucks for a Turkey bacon, egg and cheese, hold the bread”. Making a morning plan like this will really help give you a plan.
Having a plan B and a plan C integrated into your overall plan will make things even clearer. As long as you know the specifics of your diet, you can manipulate an order to serve your nutritional goal. Knowing this can give you the flexibility to create a plan like the one above. The plan most likely wont be perfect on the first go. This is because of unseen variables that need to be considered AFTER field testing your plan. Remember, everything on paper looks fine, it’s the testing that makes what works and what needs to be adjusted clear.
Replace your usual foods, don’t Eliminate Them
Very often when people first start a healthy diet, they try going from zero to one hundred. This not only causes a lot of stress, but because you’re trying to juggle so many new variables at one time, the margin of error is extremely high. Nothing saps motivation out of your goal as fast as not being able to manage it consistently.
That usually happens to every goal that doesn’t have a solid plan at it’s foundation. Like I mentioned above, these plans shouldn’t be set in stone because as you begin to execute them, you will notice that small refinements will be needed along the way.
Starting slow is key. A good way to think about it is to slowly transition from bad foods to good foods by eliminating the bad ones one by one, by replacing them with better options. It may take a month or it may take six months. The duration of time is second in importance to the consistency of progress. Maybe you can start by replacing soda on your shopping list to club soda or iced tea. Try that for a week or two until it feels like a good 1:1 replacement.
You can next try by replacing the snacks you normally buy with your favorite type of nuts.
Try this with every food you can think of. If you’re use to a cereal in the morning because of convenience, try switching to getting a breakfast bowl at the corner store on your way to work instead. The goal is to replace things slowly over time. Perhaps change one thing a month until they compound into replacing your primary food choices. Haste is waste and has a backwards effect on things. Going slowly is better than crashing, burning and having to do it over again.
Find Foods you Like
One of the biggest problems people have when starting a healthy eating lifestyle is focusing on popular foods on that specific diet and not focusing on actually eating foods they like. That’s why it’s important to understand the principles of the diet. What you’re eating and WHY you are eating it. Once you understand the “why”, it becomes a lot easier to look for other foods that can accomplish the same thing.
For example, chicken breast and kale is a pretty healthy food, but it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. However, if you find that the reason you’re trying to eat chicken breast and kale is to avoid simple carbohydrates, industrial seed oils and sugar, then it can be easily replaced. How about chicken wings fried in ghee, tossed in buffalo sauce made with butter and franks red hot?
If you know the core formula of the healthy diet that you’re on, you can create amazing options for yourself, even if they’re not as healthy as possible. Remember, being half as healthy and happy is better than being miserable and eating healthy!
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