Eat healthy without changing your entire diet. I talk about this a lot because it drives me crazy when I hear people say they are going on a diet. Usually this means that they are going to eliminate entire food groups and cut calories beyond healthy limits. As human beings we need a variety of foods to stay healthy. Our bodies use food as fuel for our muscles and brains. You don’t put water into your car’s engine, so why would you only partially feed yourself? It just doesn’t make any sense to me.

Most of us know this and I don’t think I’m saying anything new, but somehow when we get on a weight loss kick our judgement goes out the window and we start doing stupid things.

I will admit that I’ve been on some crazy diets and I’ve tried starving myself and I’ve even lost weight that way. Now ask me how long that weight loss lasted and how great I felt going through it. I can tell you that nothing good came from any of it.

EAT HEALTHY WITHOUT CHANGING YOUR ENTIRE DIET

Healthy eating really is based on common sense. We know that over-processed foods and high sugar foods are not good for us, so instead of just eliminating them, since we don’t need them in our system, why do we spend so much time creating complicated, impossible to stick to long term diets?

Before jumping on any bandwagons, why not try to approach your diet in a more mindful way. Start by eating less. That’s right, unless you are eating junk food all day, just eat less of what you are eating. Also, if you drink pop, stop right now. Talk to me in a week or two and let me know how you are feeling.

Keep doing that for a month. I’m being serious. This is about making long lasting changes that you can stick with rather than a quick fix that will only leave you hungry and binging on junk food.

I’m sure you’re itching to jump up and tell me about a friend or a co-worker who did some diet and lost weight, but I will challenge you and ask how long it lasted. There’s so much advice out there, so how do we know what to listen to? See if you agree or disagree with the following list and then click on: DIET AND FITNESS TIPS YOU NEED TO IGNORE to read about the answers in detail.

• Always eat breakfast or you will gain weight. Why? Will you really gain weight if you skip breakfast? there might be some good reasons to eat but it has nothing to do with your metabolism.
• Eat lots of small meals throughout the day. This might work for some but not for others. There can’t be hard and fast rules because we are all different.
• If you workout you can eat whatever you want. I wish with all my heart that this was true. I’ll bet you aren’t burning as many calories as you think and when it comes to healthy foods too much of a good thing still applies.
• Don’t eat late at night. As long as you are making wise food choices, you should be eating when you need to. A late night meal will not cause you to gain weight.
• Snacking is bad. If it really is a snack, and not a small meal then it might actually keep you from being famished and overeating at your next meal.
• Have a cheat day. A cheat meal, maybe but a cheat day can completely derail your goals.
• Always eat low fat. Don’t just blindly trust the food manufacturers. Low fat foods are often packed with chemicals and since they still contain calories you might want to eat healthy full fat foods in lesser amounts.
• Don’t eat fruit it contains too much sugar. Sure there is some sugar in fruit but they aren’t candy and should still be a part of your overall healthy eating plan.

Don’t Force Yourself To Eat Salads (unless you love them). I feel like the first thing we do is reach for salads whenever we are trying to get healthy. Honestly, I don’t like salads and I never have. A few leaves are okay, but an iceburg lettuce salad is just boring and is begging for a lot of dressing. Instead, I try to eat vegetables. There are some that I like more than others, but in general, a plate full of veggies never hurt anyone and in fact probably did a lot of good. On that note, you should be adding vegetables to everything you eat.

As a last thought to keep in mind, many of your friends and family will have lots of opinions on what you are doing. Everyone will know best and you will hear a lot of well meaning advice. Stick with your plan and don’t let them derail you. This is a gradual change so don’t get caught up in any extremes. If you need some help in this department then read, HOW TO STICK TO YOUR DIET WHEN NO ONE WANTS YOU TO.

Put these small changes into effect today (be honest about them) and by the time you are reading next week’s post, I am willing to bet that you will already be feeling better. Next week we’ll talk about eating carbs and sweets and still being able to lose weight!

Continue the conversation on INSTAGRAM and FACEBOOK

IF YOU ENJOYED THIS ARTICLE PLEASE SHARE IT

AND SIGN UP TO MY FREE LIBRARY