If you’re looking at going on a diet as a temporary situation, you may have a harder time sticking to it. Instead, you need to look at your weight loss plan as a lifestyle change diet.
Instead of “going on a diet” you’re changing your diet.
When you think of a diet as something that has an end, you set yourself up for weight gain and discouragement. You’ll have to maintain a healthy lifestyle in order to enjoy the success you’ve achieved.
Sometimes just making this simple change in the way you view your situation will help you to have more short-term success. It can also help you to have long-term success and the results you really want.
Free Download: 9 Simple Ways to Live a Healthier LifestyleHow Do You Start a Lifestyle Change Diet?
When you plan ahead and set realistic goals, you’ll find that sticking to your diet and maintaining a lifestyle change is possible.
It starts by selecting a way of eating that will work to fit your lifestyle. What works for one person may not be appropriate for another. Don’t compare yourself to anyone else – you only need to focus on your needs and your successes.
Be Flexible
When you’re on a diet, sometimes things won’t go your way. You may plan ahead but find that a restaurant or party simply doesn’t have what you need to stick to your plan. You may go to a friend’s for dinner and not find any healthy selections on the menu.
If you’re too rigid about your diet, you’ll isolate yourself and alienate your friends. There will be times that you have to just go with the flow and be a little bit more flexible. If you do, you’ll find that your diet will be more successful.
When you find yourself in a situation where you can’t find diet-friendly foods, just use your common sense. Eat smaller portions, make the best choices you can, and get back on track when you return to a situation you can control.
When you’re too rigid, it causes you to become discouraged. And when life throws something unexpected at you, you get completely off track. By staying flexible, you’ll always be able to deal with changes.
Get Your Whole Family Involved
It’s really difficult to stick to a lifestyle change diet when you’re the only one in your household doing it. If your family sits down to a big meal every night and you’re the only one eating a “diet” meal, you’ll feel very isolated.
By getting the whole family involved, you’ll find that you achieve more success. You’ll also be helping your whole family to improve their eating habits and their health. If you’ve had trouble with your weight, they may have the same problem.
While you may not call it a “diet” you’ll find that your family probably needs to improve their eating habits as well. And it’s extremely beneficial for your children to develop healthy eating habits that will follow them into adulthood.
Here are a few tips for getting the whole family involved in healthy eating:
- Prepare nutritious meals every night
- Eat together as a family
- Allow your children to help plan menus and cook food
- Serve at least 2 vegetables with every meal
- Only serve 1 starch at any meal
- Make sure you have protein with every meal
- Work with your children to pack healthy lunches instead of eating cafeteria food
- Don’t make your child clean his or her plate – let them stop eating when they’re satisfied
- Have fruit with meals as a substitute for sugary desserts
- Have a family activity night – go to the park, play in the yard, or take a walk together
- Turn off the TV and play games with your family
- Eat breakfast together in the mornings
It would definitely be easier to hit the drive-thru every night and then veg out in front of the TV. But when you take the extra time to make your whole family a part of it, you’ll improve everyone’s health.
In addition to the physical health benefit, you’ll also grow closer as a family when you work together to create meals and have fun playing together. Your family will be both healthier and happier.
9 Simple Ways to Live a Healthier Lifestyle
You probably already know that the way you choose to live your life has some effect on how long you’ll live. But, believe it or not, we do actually have some degree of control over our life expectancy! If you want to know exactly where you should be focusing your efforts to live a healthier lifestyle check out my free report Top 9 Things You Can Do For Your Health To Help You Live Longer. The choices you make about your lifestyle don’t mean that you and your loved ones have to live shorter lives.
