In today’s day and age, it is very common to hear people say they are doing Keto, Low Carb, Paleo, Weight Watchers, Whole 30 and countless other diets that are out there. Many of these quote on quote “diets” have great foundations and properties attached to them and help people to pay attention to what they are putting into their mouths. But, is following specific rules, restricting yourself, and doing exactly what the diet says to do really something you see doing the rest of your life?
The term “diet” has gotten a bad rap in the sense that it is seen as a terrible short-term process of food restrictions to lose weight. When in fact, the word diet simply means the kinds of foods a human routinely eats. Nowhere in the definition does it talk about restricting caloric intake, eating ridiculous amounts of fat, not eating that piece of cake at your child’s birthday party or never being able to eat out. There are many, and I mean many ways us humans can eat. A healthy diet and lifestyle will look different for everyone because we are not created equal. We live different lives. We have different life circumstances. We aren’t the same age, weight or height. Our bodies will react differently to specific nutrition methods. There are many healthy guidelines and basics to follow, but not all these guidelines will align with everyone’s lives. So, then what is the best diet for me, you may be asking?
The best diet for you is a diet you can stick to, a diet you can sustain over a long period of time, a diet that gives you natural energy, the ability to loose unwanted body fat, or a diet that allows you to add lean muscle mass. The best diet for you is a diet you can create a healthy lifestyle out of, meet your goal and sustain it for the rest of your life. To help you find your specific healthy lifestyle you can stick to, here are a few ways to get there:
- Set a goal – What do you want to achieve and maintain for the rest of your life?
- Find your why – We all want to be healthy for different reasons. Why do you want to achieve your goal? Is it to feel more confident in a swimsuit, have the ability to play with your kids without losing your breath, get off all medications so you can live a long life with your family? What drives you to become healthier?
- Create a plan of action – map out a course of action that will work best for you to get you to reach your goal.
- Take action – choose an action from your action plan that you are ready, willing and able to do and go after it.
- Repeat – continue the process until you reach your goal and can maintain and sustain your new healthy lifestyle.
It is time to stop dieting and time to start living. Stop with the restrictive diets and start learning how to live a healthy life while maintaining a look and feel you are comfortable at all while enjoying life and all its offerings.