How To Finally Stop Dieting … Forever!

On any given day, over 40% of women in the world are on a diet. Yet despite our best efforts, over 60% of us are overweight or obese. If you are amongst the millions of women who are tired of trying a variety of diets but not experiencing sustainable results, there is good news. According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, permanent weight loss is achievable by making a lifelong commitment to healthy eating and lifestyles as well as physical activity.

Here are some tips to help that you can do to get off the dieting bandwagon and start losing weight forever.

1. Make it a lifestyle

“It is not a diet, it is a way of life!” Unlike dieting in which you are restricted to eating certain foods, the diet that works is the one that is part of your life. If you make healthy food choices as part of your day-to-day routine, it becomes less of a boring, restrictive eating plan and more of who you are and what you enjoy.

2. Include foods that you like

All foods can fit in a healthy eating plan. Don’t make it about restrictions but focus on the items that you can have. Enjoy regular servings of your favourite foods and never feel guilty about eating them. If they are too high in fat, sugar or calorie, choose them in smaller portions or modify the recipe to make it healthier.

3. Watch the portions

Most of us underestimate the portions that we eat. Until you are able to guesstimate portions, invest in a scale and measure out your portion. If a scale is not feasible, use a plate 24cm (9 inches) in diameter as a measure. Fill ½ this plate with disease busting fruits and vegetables, ¼ with energy boosting starchy foods and the other ¼ with muscle building protein.

4. Listen to your body

The body is an awesome machine that not only knows when it needs fuel but also how much fuel it requires. Listen to it for hunger cues such as an empty stomach, lack of energy etc. and stop when you are full. Not paying attention to these cues can result in too many calories being consumed.

5. Move, move, move!

Take time away from the cell phones, televisions, computers and video games and burn excess calories by engaging in regular physical activity on most days of the week. Make it a lifestyle change and pick an activity that you enjoy. That way, you are likely to do it and have fun too.

Despite the large volumes of weight loss books and gadgets on the market, they do not provide long term results. Ditch the diets and restrictive eating patterns today and start experiencing weight loss benefits associated with healthy eating, physical activity and behaviour change.

Here’s to your health!