Six Tips to Get You Started On and Sticking to a Healthy Diet Plan
Whether it's your new year's resolution or simply a general health goal you've decided to focus on, changing your diet can be difficult.
The first step to starting a successful diet is understanding why you want to change your nutrition and how it is a part of your healthy lifestyle.
A healthy lifestyle is not about being skinny—it is being disease-free and feeling your best physically, mentally and emotionally, and your diet is only one piece of your healthy lifestyle puzzle.
Once you understand why you want to diet, you can begin forging "SMART" goals, an acronym for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and within a relevant timeframe. EvergreenHealth's registered dietitians can help you with a detailed plan to get you started.
However, there will always be challenging moments as you set out on your health journey. Here are some tips to overcome those challenges and stick to (or get back to) your nutrition goals:
- Write down your reasons for beginning your diet that support a healthy lifestyle through nutrition changes. It may sound simple but reminding yourself every day why you're making these changes can be a great motivator.
- Be aware of the difference between hunger, cravings and being thirsty. You'll likely experience hunger as discomfort in your stomach that comes on gradually. Cravings usually stimulate your mouth or throat and can be more sudden. Plus, if you're not sure if you are hungry or having a craving, try drinking a glass of water before fetching a snack. Thirst can often be difficult to distinguish from hunger and drinking water can help make your craving go away after a few minutes. Having a well-balanced snack that contains some fiber and/or protein can help you stay full and feel more satisfied.
- Practice conscious eating. This means eating your meal or snack while sitting, chewing well and paying attention to each bite. This will increase satisfaction from your meal and keep you from overeating.
- Schedule your meals and snacks. Regularly scheduled meals will help avoid long periods of hunger which may lead to overeating and poor food choices. Incorporating a snack between meals can also help manage your hunger as well.
- Find a way to stay accountable to yourself. This can be as simple as you like. For example, you can use something like a calendar that you can check off the days you successfully stuck to your nutrition/health goals. This will help show you even on days you didn't have a check mark, that you're trying to change your habit over time, not overnight. Consistency is key!
- Don't punish yourself for going off plan, mistakes happen, and we are human! Take a moment to reflect on the circumstances that led you there (perhaps a stressful day at work or night out with friends) and come up with a strategy on how you can deal with those triggers next time. For instance, if you're feeling stressed, explore what else can help rather than snacking, like a walk or a breath of fresh air. If you are having a night out, try out some non-alcoholic drinks or low/sugar-free drinks.
The most difficult part about lifestyle changes is often the lack of early results. That's why it's important to keep these tips in mind as you work on improving your habits and mindset around eating. Plus, establishing SMART goals will help you ensure you're staying on track in the short-term and long-term to achieve the lifestyle you want.
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